Chocolate dipped peanut butter cookies. Coconut macaroons (no egg, no flour for GF customers). Apple anything -- tarts, mini cups, turnovers, Brownies with thick frosting. Lemon cookies. Spice mini cakes.

I would avoid anything with peanuts or peanut butter because of the large numbers of children who have allergies to them.

One thing I've been making for a community potluck (with lots of kids and varied tastes) is s'mores bars. They are pretty easy and oh, so good! I used to make something different each year for that potluck, but now people would flip out if I tried to make something different.

This is the recipe I use:

s'mores bars

I do roll out the top layer as much as possible then kind of patch it so it's a solid layer and not just chunked on as she seems to describe.

Lemon Bars are also always a big hit. I have a favorite recipe in a little church cookbook, but I think it's similar to all others.

Gingerbread people are popular with kids who can pester their parents to buy "just one" :-) Candy apples (use small ones) are GF.

I don't know how you're going to top cake pops. They're kind of perfect for the occasion.

People go wild over fudge, but it has a nasty habit of melting. It might make a great alternative pop, however, and by doing that you can maximize sales per ounce.

Depending on the crowd, fancy candy apples might make a lot of sales. I'm talking about the ones with fancy shells and crushed candy or similar. They're pretty and the ladies can pretend they're healthy. :)

Nougat!

https://www.google.fr/search?q=nougat+recette&client=tablet-android-samsung&prmd=visn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiDh_jx9tfSAhVKK8AKHUeyBvQQ_AUICCgC&biw=1280&bih=800&dpr=1.5

plllog: I don't know how you're going to top cake pops. They're kind of perfect for the occasion.

Apparently they are kind of perfect! lol! My sister works at a school where they have many fundraisers and whenever they do she makes 200 cake pops over the weekend to sell. I know how much work they are because I've helped her a couple times... she does two or three cake flavors, multiple topping choices with various doodads, and she even bags and ribbons them differently. They sell out immediately. :p I know that she loves doing it, but she's into thousands of cake pops at this point and I'm hoping to find some new thing(s) for her to make that might be equally popular. She must be seeing cake pops whenever she closes her eyes. :O)

I've never even tried tasting a cake pop -- they look way too sweet for me. I figure it's the look/packaging that makes them so popular (eye candy). I did a ton of searching last night and also came up with Red Velvet Black and White Cookies, Brownie Pops, and Marshmallow Popcorn Balls, for ideas.

nancyofnc, I'm pretty sure they have the usual and gf/allergy things covered, but I'll suggest it.

Olychick, those s'mores bars may be just the ticket! Kids love s'mores. I'm wondering if there's a clever way to wrap them for individual sales that would look appealing and make them easier to eat... a clear bag w/ ribbon would be great for selling, but then how to eat it... I'm assuming these are smooshy? lol!

colleenoz and plllog, the candied apple suggestion is AWESOME!!! I'd balk at the volume she'd need to make, but she won't blink an eye over it. :p And this makes me think of chocolate-covered strawberries!!! what do you think about *SIMPLE* chocolate-covered strawberries?! :)

Islay Corbel, nougat would be beautiful -- I'll suggest it. I've seen recipes for it before but haven't ever tried it.

Thanks for your suggestions, everyone! Keep them coming!

Whoopie pies. DH still talks about the ones his neighbor made when he was a kid, and he's almost 60. Good butter cream frosting in the center, though you can flavor it - mint, chocolate, vanilla. Some folks use marshmellow in the center, and though to my taste it just doesn't compare, it might appeal to kids. Around here in addition to the traditional chocolate outside, I've also seen red velvet, pumpkin spice, and maple.

Rice Krispie squares cut into cool shapes and decorated, put on a stick and wrapped (not any less work than cake pops). Food on sticks is extremely popular, LOL!

Good point about nut free, GF -- however as a parent of such a child, we would never trust a bake sale regardless of what someone said. Serious GF needs to be prepared in a completely flour-free kitchen; we have nut allergy and would never risk it (it's like when we are at restaurant and server says, "oh, there's no nuts in that" which is not the question, particularly with cross contamination potential). Just my two cents; you'd hate to assure someone there is no contamination and then find there was a reaction.

HB -- there are people that avoid gluten but gluten does not make them sick. Those people would appreciate a GF option. And I would be like you, if I had an issue or a family member with an issue that DOES make them ill, I would NEVER buy anything for them at a bake sale. They have to be very careful!

NHBabs, yes, whoopie pies might sell great! anything that can come in different flavors/colors is eye-catching and popular.

Agree on the gf and allergy issues -- people with serious conditions know not to risk it by consuming items that aren't *certified*.

Thanks, everyone!

ETA: H B, you're right! if you put something on a stick, they'll buy it! lol!

Whoopie pies, smores, !!

I made summer bbq spice blends last Spring. Huge hit but that is savory. Glass jars of 3, a pepper blend for steak, burgers, shrimp. A bbq blend and a chicken/fish blend with the source of the whole seeds and recipe ideas on the tags. Date of the grinding,... very fresh for the early bbq season.

Pokey aka Pepero is still a NYC hit. Loved.

I don't have great memories of that day as i tried to make too many varieties.

Big hit though. Took a while to find the best 'sticks' but i found easily the Italian thin breadstick that i snapped in half, then a good thin pretzel and a decent gluten-free stick. Made an adult dark chocolate with ground pistachios, but most were kid versions. Could have sold 5 times the amount as they went fast.

I bought the perfect size bag at ClearBags.com. Still have a boat-load but they have been handy for other things.....

Still deciding on my 'product' for our next charity event. The 'boys' and Dads want the spice blends again. Easy for me and they pay more and often double what i ask. (being charity). I spend about 125$ ish and make usually just shy of a thousand. (bulk whole seed)

Yup, the pic of the smores is for the melty pic only. I think cooled they would not be so 'smoochy'. The marshmallow is sticky so you could roll the edges in gram cracker breadcrumbs. Pulsed in a cuisinart.

A good combination of flavors that a non dessert/sweet person like me can't resist a taste.

I'm always looking for new ideas, too, for our annual bake sale. Here are a few past "winners" that I've made:

Chocolate dipped Oreos--the molds are made by Spinning Leaf:

Melted, then molded chocolate flowers on a stick:

Mini cupcakes:

Large "bars" or large cookies:

6 inch mini layer cake:

Pound cake squares--a riff on cake balls:

Smiles,

Sooz

You know, the other day I was at a local psuedo-farmers market and they had these incredibly enticing looking ribboned cellophane bags with three or four gold-wrapped objects stacked inside. I had to go look, and they turned out to be just plain old chocolate-covered oreos, which I really dislike, but the packaging was almost enough to get me to buy some just to take home to admire.

Thank you, everyone! I'm passing on the ideas and she confirmed that they've tried chocolate-covered apples, cc strawberries, etc. They were a huge hit, but they had problems with storage so probably won't do them again.

She's convinced that the s'mores will be a hit, and yes, Olychick, that cupcake liner is exactly what's needed for packaging! TY!!!

sleevendog, the primary buyers in this case are high school students, so I don't think a spice blend would go over well.

sooz, I'll bet your cc oreos and pound cake pops would be a hit too. So pretty!

Put anything on a stick, coat it in chocolate with sprinkles, add pretty packaging and they'll love it! lol! Thanks, everyone!

I hope you have great luck with them. I think I'd slice them when the choc has firmed up a bit, but before it's hard, so you can get better looking cuts.

For inexpensive wrapping of cookies, a half sheet of regular plastic wrap (cut squares from a roll, stacking them, then cut through the stack with scissors). Place the cookie face down with one edge on the middle, fold up the end, fold in the sides, twist and tie with curling ribbon. A shoelace bow is easier than actually curling it and looks just as nice.

If you're going to tart up the packaging, as Writersblock suggested, there's no bigger draw than Toll House cookies baked soft (add a teaspoon or two of water to the batter and pull them from the oven when only the edges are done--they'll finish cooking by their own heat). They're not jazzy looking, but people scarf them down.

An alternative to cake pops are splatts. That's cake baked in muffin top pans, or sometimes on a griddle like a pancake, made as splat shaped as possible, then decorated with painted cute messages, or piped icing.

I made these today: http://www.wellplated.com/banana-oatmeal-muffins/ 

they are super yummy. I mean like AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I substituted applesauce for the yogurt. They are gluten free and dairy free as long as you use applesauce and certified GF oats.

Buckeyes? They are amazing. What about buckeye bars instead of balls? Sugar cookies that have cool piped on designs, like a flower.

Lemon bars, brownies, chocolate chip cookies. Meringue??

Trye....tehre seem to be quite a few kids who are allergic to peanuts....but there are many many more who are not. For a bazaar where you are selling stuff, I wouldn't worry at all about peanuts, gluten, nor non vegan stuff.
As has been said, for young teens, anythingon a stick. Cake balls, peanutbutter cookies dipped in chocolate, cheese cake balls, Mexican wedding cookies....all dipped in chocolate....white or dark...flavored with raspberry, coffee, almond, hazelnut....dipped and rolled in chopped nuts, rice crispies, sprinkles....etc etc.
Could be your theme.
OR....cupcakes baked in ice cream cones....frosted and sold as an in hand cake.

Since peanut allergy can be life threatening - sometimes just by being in proximity (thus the reason airlines no longer hand out peanuts), many schools ban peanuts and peanut butter from their premises. Even if they are not banned (some schools won't ban so there is no false sense of security) it's a considerate thing to do, avoiding them where children gather.

TY! I'm still passing along the suggestions... pretty sure she'll have tried at least two by now. lol! I'd want to sell things like plain fresh fruit, or fruit and yogurt dip, or bags of cut vegetables and small containers of hummus, but that's just me. lol!

It was a mistake to make Brownie Pizzas as my donation to the bake sale booth at our annual church festival about ten years ago. Since then, we have baked dozens of them every year to sell either by the slice or as whole pies. A local Italian restaurant donates the boxes. I've modified the recipe to omit the peanuts.

Our DD does a fair amount baking and donating for school functions.....she thinks kid favorites for ideas...Just last Sat she sent firecracker crackers and Rice Krispie rounds. She always presents them in some special wrap....She does a rum tart ( Bacardi Rum Cake recipe) in a mini tart pan, so good and looks pretty when wrapped. Her stuff sells early on....Looks pretty...

Last weeks firecrackers crackers......

And Rice Krispie rounds....

Homemade marshmallows. You can do different flavors, you could layer different flavors, put them on a stick, dip them in chocolate, add sprinkles, etc.

If this is for HS students, you can't go wrong with plain old chocolate chip cookies in a plastic bag with a ribbon. Put 2-3 per bag. Easy to fix, easy to keep fresh (that plastic bag), easy to sell, and no kid that age doesn't like them. I'm ALL for easy! Heck, you could re-package Girl Scout cookies and sell them this way - Thin Mints are always a winner

Dipped pretzel rods-- they can be dipped and sprinkled like the breadsticks above, but two favorites that would be a hit with teens and adults are

1) dip in melted caramel (add a T or two of water to caramels and keep warm to keep the caramel layer thin rather than gloppy), roll in finely chopped pecans and let set then drizzle with melted semisweet chocolate; and

2) Dipped in chocolate and coated with mini Reese's pieces -- only if peanuts are okay, and I would clearly label as "contains peanuts"

For anyone who has access to a cotton candy machine or is willing to buy or rent one, maple cotton candy is awesome! You mix maple sugar with white sugar (I think it's 1:4) and you can make a bag in seconds. The bagging takes as long or longer than spinning the coton candy.

A political fundraiser I went to recently. Not my food.

dcarch

Dcarch, it's a bake sale type of fundraiser! Items to sell to teenagers to raise funds, not a menu for grownups!

"--- Items to sell to teenagers to raise funds, not a menu for grownups!"

That may be the case, but that (NYC) fundraiser function was by invitation only and started at $1,000 (contribution) per person. I understand some paid $10,000 (or more).

dcarch

Yes. I meant if you read the OP and follow-ups, you'd know we're talking about baked goods/sweets to be sold to high school students to raise school funds. It's not an event, like your function. Your pictures look interesting but they're in the wrong thread.

I got it now. I read the OP post too fast while multitasking.

Sorry.

Maybe it was marzipan. :) Either way, it's eye candy! but it was $1K+ a plate and they served it in aluminum foil pans???!!! They use better stuff at the HS bake sale. LOL!

lascatx, I've had maple cotton candy and loved it! but they couldn't tell me whether it was made from pure maple sugar or not. Great to know the ratio!

Thanks, everyone!

No worries, DC. I just thought you'd like to know.

PM, political fundraisers often look cheap on purpose. The food looks good quality and nicely prepared, but the foil and plastic reassures donors. I wish charitable were like that, where there's a lot of la-di-dah-ness and the events sometimes barely pay for themselves. I loved the one everybody was doing in the '90's where they sent a teabag and asked you to stay home and make your own tea so they could put all the money toward the cause. People give more when there's a fancy event, however. Whereas in political, the candidate/cause leader has to look and act like an everyman and very approachable, even when it costs five figures to actually get to talk to them. (I was stuck on a fundraising committee for awhile and took classes, and now I'm a bit jaded.)

Have you considered individually wrapped pieces of fudge?

Toffees in patty pans are very common here. Essentially you boil sugar and water with a little vinegar to hard crack stage then pour it into those paper cupcake pans (in a cupcake baking pan to hold the shape) and let them set. You can add flavouring to the toffee after it reaches hard crack stage, or put sprinkles on top of the toffee while it is still liquid or any other suitable decoration. If you wanted you could make them butterscotches instead of plain toffee.