Jar Recipes: Perfect for Last-Minute Gifts!

Each of these recipes is a simple gift you can share with friends and family, perfect if you are a little behind on your Christmas shopping, are out of gift ideas, or suddenly realized that you forgot a gift for someone. The idea is that you layer the ingredients for brownies, cookies, or soup in a one-quart mason jar, cover with a lid, and attach directions for cookie. The results are beautiful and delicious!

Brownies in a Jar

2¼ cups white sugar
2/3 cup cocoa
½ cup chopped pecans
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Pour the sugar into a clean and dry one-quart jar. Press down firmly. Add the cocoa powder in a separate and press down firmly. Pour in the chopped pecans, making sure pecans are evenly layered in the jar. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Pour into the jar and cover. Attach the directions to the jar.

Directions:

Empty mix into large bowl. Use your hands to mix thoroughly. Add ¾ cup of butter or margarine and four slightly beaten eggs. Mix until completely blended. Spread batter into a lightly greased or sprayed 9×13 inch pan. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until done. Cool in pan. Cut into two-inch squares. Makes two dozen.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies in a Jar

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
¾ cup raisins
2 cups rolled oats

Mix together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Set aside. In a wide-mouth one-quart jar, layer ingredients in the following order: brown sugar, white sugar, raisins, oats, and the flour mixture. It will be a tight fit, so make sure you firmly pack down each layer in place before adding the next one. Cover and attach directions.

Directions:

Empty jar of cookie mix into a large mixing bowl. Use your hands to thoroughly blend the mix. Add ¾ cup softened butter or margarine. (Don’t use diet margarine.) Stir in one slightly beaten egg and one teaspoon vanilla. Mix until completely blended. You will need to finish mixing with your hands. Shape into balls the size of walnuts. Place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet two inches apart. (Don’t use waxed paper.) Bake at 350° for eleven to thirteen minutes or until edged are lightly browned. Cool five minutes on a baking sheet. Remove cookies to baking racks to finish cooling. Makes three dozen cookies.

Chocolate Chip Cookies in a Jar

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
1½ cups semisweet chocolate chips

In a bowl, mix the salt and baking soda with the flour and set aside. Layer the ingredients into a one-quart jar in the following order: brown sugar, white sugar, chocolate chips, and flour mixture. Cover and attach the directions.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°. Sift dry ingredients through a colander to separate the chocolate chips from other ingredients. Beat one cup of butter or margarine in a medium bowl. Beat sifted ingredients into butter until blended. In a small bowl, beat one egg with one teaspoon of vanilla. Mix beaten egg mixture into butter mixture until blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop teaspoonfuls of batter, space well apart, onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake eight minutes or until lightly browned. Makes four dozen cookies.

M&M Cookies in a Jar

2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 ¼ cup white sugar
1 ¼ cup M&M candies

Mix together flour, baking soda, and baking powder in a bowl and set aside. In a one-quart wide-mouth canning jar, layer sugar, M&M’s, and then flour mixture. It will be a tight fit when you add the flour mixture, so be sure to pack everything down firmly. Cover and attach directions.

Directions:

Empty the jar of cookie mix into a large mixing bowl. Use your hands to thoroughly blend mix. Add ½ cup softened margarine or butter. (Do not use diet margarine.) Mix in one slightly beaten egg and one teaspoon vanilla. Shape into balls the size of walnuts and place on parchment-lined cookie sheets two inches apart. Don’t use wax paper! Bake at 375° for twelve to fourteen minutes or until edges are slightly browned. Cool on cookie sheet for about five minutes then remove to wire racks to finish cooling. Makes 2½ dozen cookies.

Soup Mix in a Jar

1/3 cup beef bouillon granules
¼ cup dehydrated onion flakes
½ cup split peas
½ cup ABC, small shell, or ring macaroni
¼ cup barley
½ cup lentils
1/3 cup non-instant white rice
Tricolor spiral pasta

Use a canning funnel or any funnel that has about a two-inch neck. This will make it easier to fill the jars with the ingredients. Be sure to use a wide-mouth, one quart canning jar, and layer ingredients in the order given: bouillon, onion flakes, split peas, small shaped pasta, barley, lentils, rice, and enough tricolor spiral pasta to fill jar. Cover and attach the directions.

Directions:

In a large kettle, brown one pound of ground beef or bite-sized stew beef (if you use stew beef, you may need to add a bit of olive oil to keep if from sticking). Remove the tricolor pasta from the top of jar and reserve. Add the rest of the jar contents to the kettle with twelve cups of water. Let it come to a boil and simmer for forty-five minutes. Add the tricolor pasta and simmer for fifteen minutes more. Serve with your favorite bread or rolls and a tossed salad. Enjoy!