The sweetest gifts are always homemade! Gift your friends and family with a homemade cookie mix that they can use to quickly and easily make a warm batch of homemade cookies. I’m also including two free printable tags: a holiday version and a non-holiday version.
Soft and chewy once baked, these are similar to my favorite chocolate chip cookies and make a great holiday gift! Make sure to make yourself a jar, too, for anytime you get a cookie craving!
A Sweet & Simple Homemade Gift
Before I jump into today’s post I need to say a huge THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for all the kind email and comments about Baby Luke’s arrival. I’ve read every single one of them and Zach and I appreciate it so much 💙
I’m so obsessed with these adorable, gift-able cookie mixes. Hopefully none of my family members are reading this right now because I’ve made so many recently that there’s a good chance everyone I know will be getting one of these this Christmas. And how adorable would these be as a party favor for a baby shower or bridal shower?
Too cute.
How to Assemble Cookie Mix in a Jar
Sure, you could just mix everything together and toss it in the jar, but what makes this gift so adorable is those pretty layers that you can see through the mason jar. Fortunately, it’s easy to assemble. You will need quart sized mason jars to make this cookie mix. To assemble:
- Start with your dry ingredients. Whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make sure to stir these together very well! Layer this into the bottom of your mason jar.
- Pack it in! Your flour will be all fluffed up, use a spoon to tamp it down until you have a nice, firmly packed even layer.
- Top with brown sugar. I actually like to use dark and light brown sugar. It gives us an extra pretty layer and adds to the taste and chewiness of the cookies. First firmly pack down your dark brown sugar, then repeat with the light brown.
- And then more sugar! Top your layer of brown sugar off with granulated sugar.
- Have fun with mix-ins. You have some options here! I used a blend of Christmas-colored M&Ms, semisweet chocolate chips, and white chocolate chips. Festive and delicious. You can use all chocolate chips, all candy, or use your imagination and use something else you know the gift recipient will love. Sprinkles? Toasted nuts? Toffee bits? I do recommend sticking to traditional cookie mix-ins as not all ingredients will necessarily keep well in the jar.
Don’t forget your tag!
You can simply write out the instructions for your gift recipient if you’d like, they are included in the recipe below.
However, I made some cute gift tags that you can print out here (here is a holiday version, and here is a non-holiday version if you’re viewing this post after the holidays). Print them on card stock and then use baker’s twine or ribbon to secure them to your mason jars.
So you have your cookie mix… Now what?
The idea of this cookie mix is to give a gift that makes making homemade cookies easy. As the gift card will tell the recipient, all you will need to make cookies out of this mix is:
- 12 Tablespoons of melted butter
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Melt the butter and let it cool. Whisk in the egg and vanilla extract. Now add the contents of the jar. Stir really well (make sure to break up any clumps from the brown sugar). Bake on 350F on an ungreased cookie sheet for 9-11 minutes.
Voila.
How Long Will This Cookie Mix Keep?
How long these cookie mixes last will mostly depend on the freshness of the ingredients that you’ve used. For best results, make sure your baking powder and baking soda are fresh and recently purchased. Generally, I recommend using within 3 months of making.
Enjoy!
Let’s make this recipe together! Follow me on my YouTube channel where I’ve already uploaded over 200 recipe videos that you can watch for free!
Cookie Mix in a Jar (giftable)
Ingredients
- 2 cups (265 g) + 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (100 g) dark brown sugar¹ firmly packed
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar¹ firmly packed
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1-1 ½ cups mix-ins I used a blend of Christmas-colored M&Ms, semisweet chocolate chips, and white chocolate chips.
To be added by gift recipient:
- 12 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and whisk until well-combined.2 cups (265 g) + 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1 Tablespoon cornstarch, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- Use a large spoon to spoon the flour-mixture into the bottom of your mason jar. Tamp down to pack down the flour as much as possible. Use your spoon to create a straight line of flour directly against the glass (so you have nice, even layers) but don’t worry if some of the flour in the middle is uneven or mounded. If you happened to get a lot of flour on the sides of the jar, you can use a paper towel or pastry brush to wipe down the excess flour.
- Add dark brown sugar to the jar and use your spoon to firmly pack over the flour. Again, aim for clean straight edges against the glass.½ cup (100 g) dark brown sugar¹
- Top with light brown sugar and firmly pack over the dark brown½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar¹
- Top with granulated sugar.¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- Top sugar with add-ins, filling to the very top/brim of the mason jar. You want all ingredients to be tightly packed in so they don’t shift during any transportation.1-1 ½ cups mix-ins
- Top with mason jar lid and seal tightly. Print off printable instruction tag (find link to printable in the "equipment" section at the top of the recipe) and attach to jar with baker’s twine or ribbon.
Instructions for Gift Recipient:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Let butter cool until no longer warm to the touch. Stir together cooled butter, large egg, and vanilla extract. Add all ingredients from jar and stir well until completely combined (make sure to break up any clumps).Drop by rounded 1 ½ Tbsp-sized scoops onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes. Cool on baking sheet and enjoy!12 Tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Notes
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Anne
We received these as a gift this year, and this year we’re making 3 to share and 1 to keep! We made them for Santa last year, and he must have really liked them because he only left crumbs behind! (BTW, this is easily converted for vegans by using a flax egg and margarine.)
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Anne! I hope Santa left extra nice gifts for the delicious cookies! 😉 Thank you for your feedback to make them vegan. 🙂
Claire Pruitt
amazing holiday gift
Shannon Pettenger
You thought of everything! Thanks so much for sharing this along with the gift tags and recipe video! I appreciate it so much!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Shannon! 🙂
Lidia
I see the tags but there is no print button
Sam
Hi Lidia! Just click on the tags you want and use the print button in your browser. 🙂
Lidia
Can you explain how to do that please.
Sam
If on a desktop you should have a bar at the very top of your screen. Typically print is under “File” then you can choose “print”.
Karen Salt
Wow, these look amazing and I am for sure going to have a go at creating them and gifting them to people i know who will appreciate them. Your video is very clear and concise with no rushing. Fabulous. Thank you.
Sam
Thank you so much, Karen! I hope everyone loves their cookies! 🙂
Andrea
Hi! I love this gift idea and I wanted to try it before giving it to someone. But the cookies ended up very flat, thin and soft. Any idea why that happened or any tips? 🙂
Sam
Hi Andrea! I’m so sorry this happened. Did you let your butter cool enough before adding your sugars to it? If not the warm butter will melt the sugars and cause the cookies to spread.
Judy DiMartino
Hi, How do I find the PDF for the printable labels?
Sam
Hi Judy! You can find them in the recommended equipment section in the recipe. 🙂
Sara
Wow! I made these today and they were great! Some of the best cookies I have tasted! I thought the cookies in the pictures looked a little overloaded so I only added 3/4 cup of add ins 🙂
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Sara! 🙂
Dee
Heyy! I tried the half of this recipe and added 6 tbsp of butter and half of the egg, but my cookies didnt go down while baking, and they are crumbly, any idea why?
Sam
Did you weigh the flour or measure it with measuring cups? It sounds like the flour might have accidentally been over-measured.
Dee
I have put the half quantity of flour which is 132 grams. They taste good but they are crumbly and didnt spread
Sam
Hmmm that’s really strange. I wonder if your egg was a lot smaller than the one I am using? It definitely sounds like there was either too much of the dry ingredients or not enough wet but I’m not sure I’d be able to help without being there. I’m sorry. 🙁
Dayana
Omg i love them i made them the other day my kids love them am giving them to there teachers for Christmas gift thank you so much love the idea. But how long does this ingredients last in the Mason jar?
Sugar Spun Run
I am so happy that the cookies were a hit, Dayana! I hope that the teachers enjoy them! All the ingredients included in the jar will last up to 1 year. 🙂
Dayana
Omg yes i know they will because my family love them💖. Quick question how much chocolate chip do you used?
Sam
1 – 1.5 cups, I just use as much as is needed to fill the jar all the way to the top 🙂
Selah M. Howard
Hi there!
I tried out this recipe the other day and they were actually the best regular chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever made! And I have already made a jar for a friend! Really soft and cozy! Like a warm blanket on a cold winter day these cookies (perfect timing for the winter season)! Thank you so much, Sam, such a splendid idea! Best wishes to you and yours! Sweetly, Selah
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Selah! I am so glad that you enjoyed the cookies and that you find them perfect for the winter months ahead. I hope that the people you gift the cookie jars to loved them as well. Happy Holidays! 🙂
Amber
I love this idea, but a lot of people on my Xmas list are diabetic. Do you have any ideas on how I could adapt this recipe to be more friendly to their needs?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Amber! I have not tried substituting any of the ingredients. Sorry, I can’t be more helpful. 🙁
Isra Imroz
Do you think we can use a one litre jar ? by the way i am really exited to make this …
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Isra! Yes, 1-liter Jar will be great! I hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
Charlotte
I love this idea! If I have only have a smaller jar, could I half the recipe?
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Charlotte! You can, however, you will not be able to use the printable gift tags as the directions will be different.
You will need to inform the recipient that the will need the following to complete the baking process:
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg (whisked and divided in half)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
I hope that this helps! 🙂
Marta
This is a fantastic gift idea! Thank you for such clever gift ideas! 💚❤️👍🎄
Sam
Thank you, Marta! Hopefully everyone loves them. 🙂