A Gift in Every Jar

by Martha Wegner

Looking for more recipes?
Here are some great resources:

The Mason Jar Soup-to-Nuts Cookbook, by Lonnette Parks, Square One Publishers, 2004.

The Mason Jar Cookie Cookbook, Lonnette Parks, Square One Publishers, 2002

Gifts for the Cookie Jar: Cookie Recipes for Ingredients in a Jar, Lia Wilson, Cookbook Resources, 2002

CreativeLadiesMinistry.com From the "Creative Ladies Ministry", this site has countless links to other sites featuring gift jar recipes.

Every year around this time I ask myself the same question: "What to give Great Aunt Edith for Christmas?" Not to mention the question of what to give the next-door-neighbor, my daughter's piano teacher, and our babysitter, who is celebrating Hanukkah. Somehow, buying another tree ornament, box of candy, or gift certificate seems just a little boring and uninspired.

This year I am pleased to say I have discovered the perfect gift, and it comes in a jar. Not too surprisingly, it is called a "gift jar". Just what is a gift jar? It is a 1-quart glass jar (commonly referred to as a "Mason jar") filled with ingredients for making cookies, soups, or beverages.

The jars are assembled in layers, making for a beautiful effect. Then the jar is screwed shut and decorated with a square of fabric and a brightly colored ribbon. The recipient follows the instructions on the attached card, and soon he or she has a batch of home-baked treats, courtesy of her favorite student.

The advantages? First, we all love to eat, and these recipes yield treats that are indeed, very good to eat. Second, for the person who is exhausted at the end of the day (and aren't we all?) it's a delight to know that the job of making homemade cookies for the family is already halfway done. Finally, this is a project that the giver, your child, can really involve him/herself with. My children, ages 10 and 14, and I had a great time creating these gift jars.

After realizing that these gift jars would be great for not only neighbors, but also tutors, babysitters, teachers, and great Aunt Edith, we knew we would be making lots of them. So we formed an assembly line filled with brown sugar, flour, candies, cocoa, and baking soda. What could be more fun?  And the response? David's karate instructor said these were the best cookies (the M & M cookies, recipe to follow) he had ever eaten, and asked for the recipe! Christine's piano teacher told her that she didn't want to make the cookies just yet - the jar was just too beautiful.

So, are you ready to start a gift jar assembly line? It's fun, it's easy, the results are impressive, and very much appreciated.

Here's what you'll need for each jar:

  • The ingredients listed in the recipe
  • A 1-quart wide-mouth glass jar with a screw-on top
  • A 7 x 7 inch piece of fabric
  • A 48" length of twine or yarn or ribbon
  • Also, you will be making a tag for each jar which will supply the name of the cookie recipe, and the list of ingredients that must be added to the mix (eggs and butter, for example), and the baking instructions. The tag should be made from a piece of sturdy paper on which you will write out (or print out) the instructions.

Now you have the supplies. Here's what you do:

  1. Assemble the ingredients in each jar in the order specified. Do not change the order; it may spoil the effect. After pouring in each ingredient, be sure to press it down firmly to form an even layer. Before adding the next ingredient, wipe the inside of the jar with a dry paper towel to keep the sides clean. After all the layers of the mix have been added, simply screw on the top of the jar.
  2. Center the chosen fabric square on the lid of the jar and secure it with a rubber band. Then wrap your chosen tie around the rubber band twice and knot the tie to hold it in place. Using a hole punch, make a hole in the tag and slide it through the hole, tying it off with a bow.
  3. That's it! You're done. You've had fun, you and your child feel a sense of accomplishment, and you have a beautiful gift, a gift you will be proud to give.

I've included 3 recipes that our family found to be both beautiful to look at and good to eat. One is for cookies, one is for brownies, and one is for some delicious breakfast muffins. There are countless recipes that you may wish to try; we've included some resources in the sidebar.

A word of advice: if you are trying out a new recipe, make the recipe for yourself first. If the jar is beautiful, but the end results are not, everyone will feel disappointed. You want to be sure to be giving a gift that tastes as good as it looks.

M & M COOKIE MIX

(adapted from a recipe at www.mms.com)

Jar Ingredients:

  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp. baking soda
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts
  • 1 cup M & M's chocolate Mini Baking Bits, divided
  • ¾ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1 ¼ cups uncooked quick oats

Directions:

In medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Layer ingredients in this order, pressing firmly between each layer: flour mixture, walnuts, ½ cup M & M's, brown sugar, remaining ½ cup M & M's, and oats. Secure the lid; decorate.

Tag instructions:

M & M Cookies

In addition to the contents of this jar, you will need to add the following ingredients:

  • ¾ cup butter
  • 1 large egg
  • ¾ tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease cookie sheets; set aside. In large bowl beat butter, egg, and vanilla extract until well blended. Stir in contents of jar until well blended. Roll into 1" balls and place about 2" apart on prepared cookie sheets. Bake 12-15 minutes.

Yield: 4 dozen cookies.

SANDCASTLE BROWNIES MIX

(from The Mason Jar Cookie Cookbook by Lonnette Parks)

Jar Ingredients:

  • 2 ¼ cups sugar
  • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ½ cup chopped pecans
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. salt

Directions:

Layer the ingredients in this order: pecans, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, baking powder, and flour, pressing firmly between each layer. Secure the lid; decorate.

Tag instructions:

SANDCASTLE BROWNIES

In addition to the contents of the jar, you will need to add the following ingredients:

  • ¾ cup butter, softened
  • 4 eggs

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream the butter and eggs. Add the contents of the jar, and stir until well mixed. Pour the batter into a greased 13 x 9" baking pan and bake for 20-25 minutes until the edges are light brown in color. Cool completely in the pan before cutting into bars.

Yield: 2 dozen brownies

APRICOT-WALNUT MUFFINS

(from The Mason Jar Soup-to-Nuts Cookbook by Lonnette Parks)

Jar Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup oatmeal
  • ½ cup chopped dried apricots
  • 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • ¼ tsp. baking soda
  • ¼ tsp. salt

Directions:

Layer the ingredients in this order: walnuts, apricots, brown sugar, oatmeal, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and flour, pressing firmly between each layer. Secure the lid; decorate.

Tag instructions:

APRICOT-WALNUT MUFFINS

In addition to the contents of the jar, you will need to add the following ingredients:

  • 1 cup milk
  • ¼ cup melted butter, slightly cooled
  • 1 egg, slightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 375°. In large bowl, cream the milk, butter, and egg. Add the contents of the jar, and stir until just mixed. Do not overstir. Spoon the batter into greased or papered muffin tins, filling each cup 2/3 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in the tin, remove, and cool completely.

Yield: 12 muffins