Nearly all of us have experienced the embarrassment of waiting until the last minute to buy someone a gift. Although last-minute gifts usually don’t turn out to be the best, these mason jar cookies are a great and cheap alternative to any store-bought gift. Easily made with common ingredients from the average kitchen pantry, this tasty treat will be quick to make and have that special “homemade” quality.
What you’ll need:
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 mason jar (this recipe is specifically for 1/2 quart jars)
- Colorful, festive paper
- Ribbon
How to make it:
First, combine the baking soda, white sugar, and flour in a bowl and mix well. After that, pour about half of this dry mixture into the mason jar. Leave the rest of the mixture for the top layer.
Take your chocolate chips and carefully pour them into the mason jar on top of the dry mixture. Try not to shake or tilt the jar too much, so the chocolate chips and the flour don’t combine into one layer. The idea is for each layer to appear separate from the surrounding layers.
Now take your brown sugar and very carefully spoon it into the jar. This is easier than pouring it into the jar because it will minimize any sugar making a mess on the counter-top. Again, try not to shake or tip the jar because the brown sugar can mix in with the layer of chocolate chips below it (I should have been a little more careful about this myself). After carefully spooning all the brown sugar into the jar, level the surface off with the back of your spoon, so the layer is as smooth as possible.
Finally, fill the jar up with the remaining flour mixture that made up the bottom layer. If you did a good job leveling the brown sugar and making that layer as smooth as you possibly could, then the final layer will look a lot smoother than mine did.
This is the fun part! Be sure you label the jar with colorful, festive paper cut in a circle. Place this circular label over the lid before you screw the top part on, and it should stay in place without any glue. You can even write a short message on here if the gift is going to be very personal.
Finally, take another small paper and write instructions on how to use the mason jar mixture. From here, the recipe is easy:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together 1 egg, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and 1/3 cup softened butter until creamy and smooth. Combine this wet mixture with the dry mixture from the mason jar, and mix thoroughly. With this dough, make 1-inch cookie dough balls and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden, and cool before serving. This recipe makes 10 cookies.
Tie this recipe onto the jar with a ribbon, wrapping it around the top lid and tying it carefully. And with that, you have a great, personal gift ready to give to that special someone!
By Afsah Khan
