Berry Excited Teacher Gift and Tags with Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies

A strawberry-shaped container filled with soft pink cookies and tied with red baker’s twine makes a cheerful welcome gift for a new teacher. A small tag with a berry pun finishes it off. The cookies start with a boxed strawberry cake mix, so the whole gift comes together in an afternoon.

It suits the first week of school, when a handmade note of excitement means more than anything expensive. Here is how to put it together, plus the tag wording.

Supplies

• 1 box strawberry cake mix
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• A cookie sheet (parchment paper is optional)
• A strawberry-shaped party container with a lid
• Red baker’s twine
• Cardstock, scissors and a hole punch
• A marker, or any design app and printer, for the tags

Steps

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. In a large bowl, stir together the cake mix, eggs and oil until no dry streaks remain. The batter will be thick and soft, more like a drop-cookie dough than cake batter.
3. Spoon rounded mounds of batter onto the cookie sheet, leaving a little space between them.
4. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cookies are set at the edges.
5. Let them cool on the pan for a few minutes, then move them to a rack. Pack them only when completely cool, so steam does not make them soggy inside the container.
6. Fill the strawberry container, close the lid and loop the twine around it. Tie the tag on with a bow.

The tags

Pick one of two messages. The first reads “I’m so Berry excited you’re my teacher!” The second reads “Here’s to a Sweet school year!” Both fit a small tag, about 2 by 3.5 inches, which is big enough for a short line of text and small enough not to overwhelm the container.

For a design that matches the gift, use these touches:

• Cut the cardstock in white or cream and add a strawberry-red border.
• Write the pun in bold red lettering, with a smaller line below for the student’s name.
• Draw a small strawberry with green leaves in one corner, or add a strawberry sticker.
• Punch a hole at the top and thread the twine through.

If you use a design app, set the page up with several tags per sheet, print on cardstock and trim along the edges. A paper trimmer gives the cleanest cuts.

Variations

Any flavor of boxed cake mix works with the same eggs and oil, so you can match the cookies to the container or to a teacher’s favorite. Lemon cake mix is a good partner for a bright yellow container. Chocolate cake mix makes fudgy cookies for a teacher who prefers chocolate.

To keep the berry theme going, try a few more ideas:

• Tuck a red pen or a small notepad in with the cookies.
• Add a few pink and green candies on top of the cookies before baking.
• Use a clear treat bag and a red gingham ribbon if you cannot find a strawberry container.
• Write a short handwritten note on the back of the tag.

Gifting tips

Bake the cookies the day before and store them airtight, then pack them the morning you give them. Because the dough contains eggs and the cookies are soft, keep the gift out of a hot car. If you know of a classroom food allergy policy, check it first, since this recipe contains eggs and wheat and may be made on equipment that touches other allergens.

Handing the gift over on the first day or at open house gives the teacher a friendly start, and a handwritten tag shows you thought of them personally.