As I shared last week, the cookies I baked for my mom and mother-in-law were rendered completely and totally un-giftable after they crumbled in my hands. I hadn’t thought for a second that the cookies wouldn’t make the short trip from the counter to a box, but as with most cooking and baking ventures, rarely does everything go exactly the way you want it to. So, after sitting in a defeated heap on the floor for a little while, I hugged my husband and started thinking of a different plan.
I was at a creative block and couldn’t think of anything that didn’t involve just starting over. But luckily, Mark seemed to have been studying Good Housekeeping magazine that week and came up with a great idea: Cookie mix in a jar!
There’s nothing more I wanted than to send the moms some homemade treats, but if that wasn’t possible then this idea was a darn good alternative. The mix involves just eight ingredients, most of which you probably already have in your cabinets, is very easy to assemble, and is a creative way to send a caring, semi-homemade gift when fragile cookies just won’t cut it.
Not only would this make a nice Mother’s Day gift, but it could also be a sweet host gift or holiday gift to neighbors, friends, teachers and coworkers, or contribution to a bake sale. This cookie mix is a variation of this recipe from AllRecipes, and from the reviews you can see how much fun it is for everyone, and what scrumptious cookies it yields!
Cowboy Cookie Mix in a Jar
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/3 cups oatmeal
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Layer the ingredients in a wide-mouth 1 quart jar in the order given. Press each layer firmly in place before adding the next layer. If the jar is not wide-mouth, shape a piece of paper into a cone, stick the small end into the jar, and pour ingredients through the top.
- Include a card with the following instructions: • Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease cookie sheets. • In a medium bowl, mix together 1/2 cup melted butter or margarine, 1 egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the entire contents of the jar. You may need to use your hands to finish mixing. Shape into walnut shell sized balls. Place 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. • Bake for 11 to 13 minutes in the preheated oven. Transfer from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.
- Enjoy!
And your Mom can’t wait to mix them up and enjoy them, thanks, GiGi. Ha ha, Gary will be frowning at his profile in the yoga room – because he just can’t resist cookies!
Thanks! I wanted to post about it before Mother’s Day, but I didn’t want the moms to know what they were getting ahead of time! ;)
This looks so cute! I wish I thought of this so I could have gifted this to my Mom!
I wanted to make a batch before I gifted them in jars. I just pulled them out of the oven and all I can say is “YUMMY”!!! However, I did “tweak” it just a little bit. I added two dashes of cinnamon, 3 TBSP of milk, only 1c of oats and instead of 1c chocolate chips I added a little over 1/3c EACH of chocolate chips, white chocolate chips and mini sized m&m’s (for color). Thanks so much for sharing this recipe, it’s definitely a keeper!!!! I can’t wait to jar them and give them away:) Julia S, Cypress Tx
Instead of the semisweet chips I used peanut butter M&M’s. I’m pretty sure these are going to be a hit when I give them as Christmas gifts! Thank you. :)