Homemade Holidays: Cookie Mix in a Jar

December 15, 2009 by Danielle
Filed under: homemade holidays, recipes, sweet treats

When I first heard of cookie mix in a jar, I thought it was the most brilliant idea ever. Admittedly, I am pretty idealistic when it comes to things like this, and I didn’t take into consideration a lot of things. First and foremost, I didn’t think about whether the recipes offered up in these projects were any good. I quickly rushed out to buy flour, sugar, cranberries, and chocolate chips, assuming I could use all the mason jars I’ve been refusing to throw away over the past few years (in some sort of crisis I might need to can something, fast). I guess that was my first mistake, or my first two mistakes. Chocolate chips and dried cranberries are pretty expensive, and a quart and a pint aren’t the same thing (as if I could tell the difference?). The first jar I put together was really pretty, but somehow I horribly mismeasured and didn’t realize until the second jar that things weren’t adding up at all. What I have are pint jars, which are roughly half the size that I need them to be since the recipe I had was for quart jars. Rats!

So, I decided I would halve the recipe. This really appealed to me for several reasons, including but not limited to: 1. I refuse to buy new jars when the point of this whole thing is to be frugal and reuse things that would otherwise be thrown away, 2. halving the ingredients means I could make twice as many gifts with same amount of ingredients. I go on this way for a while, making about three jars total (including the first couple of messed up ones) before I realize that I’m going to be giving people the ingredients to make cookies I’ve never actually tasted. Since some jars were really ugly and wrong because I’d messed them up anyway, I just decided to make that batch and see how they turned out before I proceeded. That was a smart move, because these cookies didn’t turn out well at all. The only liquids called for were oil, vanilla extract, and water (it was a vegan cookie mix), and I ended up adding a lot more water than the recipe required because the batter was just so dry. Maybe I did something wrong, but I tried really hard to follow the recipe rather than just eyeing things like I usually do, and the cookies turned out really dense and bland and burned on the bottom. Needless to say, I will not be giving any of those cookies away!

It really looks like more of a sausage ball than a cookie.

The failed cookie recipe and failed picture of failed cookies; they really looked more like sausage balls than cookies.

I’ve since found a new recipe that I decided to try out today, and if it’s successful I’ll be packaging and giving it away. It’s not vegan, but the only additional ingredients required are butter, vanilla, and a 1.5 T of water. The recipe is basically the Original Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe, found on the back of the bag of chocolate chips. I substituted flax seed powder for eggs, which is where the 1.5 T of water comes from. This may also explain why my cookies ended up as flat as fried eggs, but I’m okay with it–they are still delicious.

First positive sign: it actually looks like cookie dough instead of a crumbly, oily mess.

To make these delicious cookies, you’ll need:

a pint jar
1 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Mix the salt, baking soda, and flour and add to your jar. This will form the first layer. Next, add the brown sugar, then the white sugar, then the chocolate chips. Using twine or ribbon, tie a nice card around the jar. I’ve made a couple of samples, feel free to download and use them!