10 Creative Ideas for Teacher Appreciation Day

Hey, moms and dads: Tuesday, May 9 is Teacher Appreciation Day. Looking for simple but sweet ways to tell the teachers in your kids’ life how much you care? We’ve rounded up go-to recipes, each of them easy enough for kids to help with but sophisticated enough to feel special. Don’t forget to put the kids to work making a tag or card so the teachers know who’s behind it all.

Recipes Featuring Apples, Because Of Course

“Apple” Cake Pops (pictured above)
Don’t be fooled! These may look like adorable apples, but these cake pops are full of Oreos!

Slow-Cooker Apple Butter
Apple butter is a decadent spread for any breakfast. Try it atop a thick slab of toast or a fluffy baked pancake fresh from the oven. It’s the perfect weekend project your kids can help with: Gather up a ton of apples, slice them, then throw them into your slow cooker, and let that thing work its magic.

Quick and Easy Apple Tart
Ree Drummond starts with puffed pastry for a mouthwatering treat. Send this to school on an inexpensive tray from the dollar store —minimal fuss for maximum effect.

15-Minute Applesauce
Faster than apple butter and as tasty as a snack on its own, this applesauce recipe is made with only five ingredients. That’s pretty hard to beat.

Healthy Apple Cinnamon Quick Bread
This recipe makes two generous loaves of sweet and satisfying bread, perfect for families with more than one kid in school.

Recipes That Travel Well, Even in a Backpack

Quick Pickles
Rachael Ray’s super-fast pickles are the kind of recipe you can tackle with the kids on a school night and throw in the fridge. When you wake up, you’ll find the perfect teacher’s gift in the morning.

Sweet Potato-Walnut Muffins
These easy-to-make, protein-packed muffins come together in the food processor — no need to dirty yet another bowl.

Layered Salad
Who doesn’t love a homemade lunch, especially when it’s packed by someone else? Bursting with fresh tomatoes, juicy rotisserie chicken and a dash of lemon juice, Melissa d’Arabian’s chopped salad makes the perfect lunch surprise for any teacher.

Spiced Nuts
Even teachers love a good after-school snack, and this is another one that kids can easily get in on. Mix the nuts and toppings, bake for 15 minutes and ta da! All you need are a few gift bags to finish the job.

Homemade Granola Bars
You really can’t go wrong with Ina Garten’s five-star granola bars. They’re full of old-fashioned oats, wheat germ, sweet apricots and dates — it’s no wonder this recipe has earned a stellar 5-star rating.

Charity Curley Mathews is the mom of four small kids and lives in North Carolina on a mini farm in the making. She’s a contributor to InStyle, The Huffington Post and eHow Food and the founder of Foodlets.com, a food and parenting blog where every recipe is full of fresh ingredients, simple to make and kid-tested x4. You can follow her on Facebook.

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