The holidays are a long way away, but for those of us who are planning to forego buying some or all our gifts for a handmade holiday this year, it’s never too early to get started with making gifts. The gift of cookies in a jar is as easy to make as it is a delicious gift to give!
Food gifts seem to be out of style for the most part, having been replaced with more expensive, generic-type gifts. We’ve forgotten how much people appreciate “homemade” and what a blessing food gifts can be to those who love to cook or eat.
Cookie mix in a jar is a particularly fun gift for children (not to mention a convenient one for adults). The process of making cookies has thrilled children for ages, and the rewards of the process–well, they make it all worth it!
Cookie Mix in a Jar Recipes I’m Using
I’ve chosen two recipes that I think my nephews and nieces will like. Both are a chocolate chip type of recipe, because all kids love chocolate, right?
Both of the below cookies in a jar recipes come with free printable tags and wrapping ideas, but I will be adding my two cents on both of those things, including not only recipe tags, but others as well. You will be able to get those at the end of this post, so stay tuned!
The first one comes from Sugar Spun Run and is a super nice looking cookie mix because of all the variation in color. It uses two types of brown sugar (light and dark), as well as Christmas M&Ms and chocolate chips. You could totally use any color M&Ms you would like to fit whatever holiday you are celebrating! I’ll be using M&M Minis (multicolor), since it’s a bit too early for me to get a hold of Christmas M&Ms at a reasonable price, if at all.
Giftable Cookie Mix in a Jar by Sugar Spun Run
The second one comes from Sally’s Baking Addiction which also uses M&Ms and semi-sweet chocolate chips, but ups the ante with a white chocolate chip! Yum!
Christmas Cookies in a Jar by Sally’s Baking Addiction
Gift Basket/Wrapping Ideas
I’ll be developing a gift wrapping idea that I can use for all the kids. Here are a few of the ideas I’m toying with:
- gift basket
- ribbon and festive tags
- cellophane
- kraft paper
I’ll be using my own homemade printable tags for the recipe, gift tag, and tips for softening brown sugar (your gift recipient will find this useful). I’ve made them downloadable for you as well, and you can grab those at the end of this post!
A Note About Shelf Life
How early can we actually make these before the holiday? The shelf life for these is really only as long as the ingredient with the shortest shelf life. Most of the ingredients in these recipes have a shelf life of at least a year, maybe more, but that’s if you are purchasing your items that you will be using.
Since I will be purchasing items (versus using what is in my pantry), I can add an expiration date of April 1, 2121 to my tags. This allows enough time for me to make it in advance, as well as for the gift recipient to bake and enjoy.
If you are not sure about the ingredients in the cookie recipe you choose, you can check the shelf life of each ingredient at StillTasty.com.
Cookies in a Jar Recipes
Not sure if you want to use the same recipe as me? No problem! Here are a few recipes that I found online that look pretty, as well as yummy! At the end there are a couple that have more than one recipe to choose from!
This first one is a barebones chocolate chip cookie mix. It doesn’t look as pretty as some of the others, but if you bake at all, you will likely be able to pull this one together with ingredients you already have on the shelf! Mason Jar Cookie Mix by Sheri Silver
This recipe is similar to the above recipe, only it is made in a pint jar. It is small enough to be a stocking stuffer, or a gift to a single friend or family member. You can also gift it to kids, but part of the joy of the gift would be that “together time” of making the cookies with another family member, and of course sharing them and saying, “I made them!” Comes with a free printable gift tag.
Pint Size Mason Jar Cookie Recipe by PJs and Paint
I love the look of this next cookie mix in a jar, because it uses a different type of jar. Also, it uses M&Ms, which always lend some fun color to this brown cookie. Comes with a free printable gift tag.
M&M Cookie Mix in a Jar by Mommy Made That
These adorable printable gift tags are a perfect way to label your homemade gift for that special person. Learn more.
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