Gearing up for back to school, and it’s a special one this year since we have an incoming kindergartener! I’ve been brainstorming some fun ideas to celebrate the school year kick off  and when I spotted the sweet decorated apple cookies my friends at Fancypants Baking Co released for the fall, I found my inspiration for a festive back to school dessert!It might surprise you to learn that I’m not a big baker. Cooking is my thing – I love to experiment and tweak and taste as I go – but I’ve never been into the scientific steps and precise methodology of baking. I tend to rely on semi-homemade treats when it comes to dessert, and this special back to school cake is even easier, I’d call it DIY decorated instead of semi-homemade. I grab a store-bought grocery store cake – always chocolate for our chocolate-loving-kindergartener – and start by carefully scrapping off any decorations that aren’t on-theme. Then I use sugar letters from the cake decorating aisle and spell out a custom message and place my Fancypants Baking Co cookies in the center as my main decoration. This process is a fun idea to replicate for other holidays and celebrations – the Fancypants Baking Co decorated cookies change seasonally so keep an eye out for other styles! I also keep a few on these cookies hand for lunchbox and after school treats. All the Fancypants Baking Co cookies are made in a peanut and tree-nut free facility so they’re a great choice for entertaining and school activities! On top of being allergy friendly, they’re made with fresh, wholesome, mindfully sourced ingredients and crafted with love – each cookie is cut by hand with in-house made cookie cutters. And did you know Fancypants Baking Co only uses fruits and vegetables to make the colors of their icing? They’re delightfully delicious and come in the prettiest colors.Want to make a back-to-school celebration cake of your own? You can always find the Fancypants Baking Co cookies at Whole Foods and on Amazon!

Please note: This post was created in partnership with Fancypants Baking Co. All opinions, images and content are my own. Thank you for supporting brands that support this site.