DIY: Cookies in a Jar Gift idea

Good morning! Every year we like to exchange small gifts with our neighbors, and one of our most highly requested repeat gifts was for these Cookie in a Jar gifts! Everyone loved the ones we made last year and asked for more. But I wanted to change them up just a little bit so here’s our updated Cookie in a Jar recipe for you all too!

Let’s get started shall we?

You will need: (Recipe is for 1 jar)

• 1 1/3 c. all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 c. rolled oats (I used instant and they worked just fine!)
• 3/4 c. red M&Ms OR Craisins OR Chocolate Chips, etc.  (Really you can use whatever you like!)
• 1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 c. white sugar
• 1/3 c. chopped pecans (Can use any nuts you prefer!)
• 1 – 1 quart mason jar with lid
• Optional: Baking twine, candy canes, paper & printer for decorating.

 

Layer ingredients in Jar:

Layer ingredients as directed below in your jar. As you add each layer, use a ladle or spoon to pack the layers down tightly. I mean it, pack them well, or it won’t fit!  Plus if you pack them tightly the layers will hold their form much better and look all nice and pretty in your jar.

Here’s how to layer your jar:

• Layer 1: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt.
• Layer 2: Oats
• Layer 3: M&Ms
• Layer 4: brown sugar
• Layer 5: white sugar
• Layer 6: pecans

 

Next decorate your jar! I added some twine and tied candy canes on to each jar.

 

Next add these little tags to your jars. Each jar gets two tags tied on them, the first one is just for pretty, and the second tag has the baking instructions. I used a 2” circle punch to punch out the tags, then a small hole punch to cut a hole for the string. The picture below uses red and white baking twine that I found at my local craft store.You can download my Christmas cookie labels here!

 

And that’s it! These make lovely Christmas gifts, and they were really yummy too!

PS. If you choose to make these, send me some pics on instagram with #coahchristmas so I can see!

 

Baking Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Pour all of the ingredients in your jar into a large mixing bowl and add in:

• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1 cup of melted butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract.

3. Mix everything well, then shape into 1” balls and place 2” apart on a cookie sheet. Bake 10-15 minutes or until golden!

Let them cool and enjoy. Or eat them hot because they’re awesome!

 

Variations:

You can vary the candies in this recipe to suit just about any holiday or time of year. You can also substitute the candies for anything you like. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Pink and Red M&Ms for Valentines Day
• Green and Red M&Ms for Christmas
• Orange M&Ms for Fall
• Red & Blue M&Ms, and white chocolate chips for Independence Day
• We also found some Andes mint chips and made a batch of mint-chocolate chip cookies. Yum!

I hope you enjoy this holiday gift idea! Have a great last minute gift to share? Send me a tweet or comment on this post!