The ‘cookie challenge’ asks kids to share a cookie. Some do. Some…absolutely do not
A new TikTok prank is putting toddlers to the ultimate test—one cookie at a time. The challenge, which gained traction in March 2025, has parents secretly recording their kids' reactions when presented with a moral dessert dilemma: The child gets two cookies while the parent gets none. The moment becomes a challenge: will the child share the extra treat?
Though the prank/challenge has been around in some form for over a year, it has only recently started taking off on TikTok with a wave of videos under the hashtag #cookiechallenge.
What is the cookie-sharing prank?
Unlike previous cookie challenges, which often involve seeing how many you can stuff into your face in a short period of time (a definite choking hazard), this prank gives children a chance to share a treat with a parent who got nothing.
After setting up the camera, parents sit on either side of their kid—usually a toddler or a little older—with a plate in front of each participant covered in a paper towel, another plate, or anything they can use to hide what's coming. First, one parents reveals their plate to find a single cookie. The child goes next, finding two cookies. The second parent discovers an empty plate and typically expresses disappointment.
The test is to see whether the child will share their extra cookie with the parent who didn't get one. No matter the results, it's always cute.
How many kids gave up their cookies?
The children seem to happily share a cookie in nearly all of these prank videos, although sometimes it can take a little prodding from the parents.
"Daddy has one and you have two," says @jrova26 in her cookie challenge video. "I don't have any."
"Okay everyone, let's eat!" little Isaiah declares, making dad laugh.
When the mom says that the treat "sure looks good," Isaiah finally gives up his extra.
Other kids don't hesitate. In an entry by @julianicolea, Jaxon puts his second cookie on his mom's empty napkin almost immediately. She looks like she's almost crying as she hugs and thanks him.
"Why do I have the best kid in the world," she writes.
Every now and then, however, a child will refuse to hand over their prize. In a video by @eby_steven, two of these pranks are shown side-by-side, and in the second, the kid is not about to give up their second cookie—even when mom tries to do the right thing for him.
"It's mine!" the child says as he takes the cookie back while mom and dad crack up.
Cookie share prank video origins
The oldest video we could find on TikTok that approximates this challenge is from March 14, 2024. In this one by @officialmartinfam, a pair of twins flank dad, and both the kids get two cookies. After dad puts his face in his hands and complains that he didn't get any, one of the twins smartly advises the parents to buy more. Eventually, the other one gives up his extra treat.
This video gained 7.6 million views and over 683,000 likes in a little over a year.
The new version of this challenge looks to have started on March 17, 2025, with multiple videos posted on this date under the hashtag #cookiechallenge.
Children love to share
Outside of TikTok challenges, child development researches have put on real experiments to see if young kids will share with each other without adult intervention. In one study published in 2010, scientists set up two kids alone (but secretly observed) together with some treats and toys out of reach in a transparent box.
By working together, the children could scoot these prizes close enough to a hole to grab. In the control experiments, there was a hole for each child so they could take an even split of the treasure easily. In the others, only one kid could grab the treats and had to decide whether to share with their partner.
The results were clear. In over 70 percent of the tests, the kid who was within reach of the bounty gave the other child an equal share.
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