Give Gifts in Jars: Monster Cookie Mix
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I have a special treat for you all today! My dear friend, Shaina Olmanson from the popular blog, Food For My Family and author of Desserts in Jars has graciously offered to guest post with some tips on how to give gifts in jars! I think Shaina is playing Santa……. she is also sharing a recipe from her book, along with a free printable AND she has a few copies of her cookbook to giveaway to three lucky TidyMom readers! Sweet!!
Let’s talk gifts. I have a difficult time with gift-giving. It has nothing to do with the actual giving of the gifts; it is in the buying of the gifts. I don’t want to grab the generic gift card or a bottle of wine and hand it off to my aunt or sister-in-law and call it good. I would rather give something that’s thoughtful or that comes created by my hands. For me it’s the difference between a gift just to cross it off your list or to be thoughtful and purposeful in your giving, to show that you care for and appreciate that person.
For years we’ve been sending hot chocolate mixes as teachers’ gifts and pancake mix for the aunts and uncles. Here are a few ways to give gifts in jars:
- As part of a gift basket: If you’re sending a care package of sorts, a gift mix or a cupcake in a jar can be the perfect treat to add to your gift.
- As a handmade touch to a gift card: There are those people who are too hard to buy for or they would really appreciate the gift card. Adding a little sweetness to the gift cards still gives them something to open and hold onto, without foregoing the plastic.
- A gift for the baker: A gift basket with Desserts in Jars, a set of jars, and a few other treats can be the perfect way to inspire your baking beloved in the kitchen.
- As the gift itself: A jar full of cookie mix or hot chocolate makes a great homemade gift on its own, too. Give something sweet to those who have been sweet in your life.
When we moved to a new neighborhood, monster cookies were the first things gifted to us by a neighbor welcoming us to our new home. They’re one of our favorite cookies, and they make the perfect holiday gift.
Table of Contents
Monster Cookie Mix
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/4 cups rolled oats
- 3/4 cup candy-coated chocolate candies or chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Mix together the granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Pour into a 1-quart mason jar. Top with a layer of half of the oats. Add the candies in a layer, and top with a layer of brown sugar. Top with a layer of the remaining oats and then a layer of pecans. Seal with the lid, decorate the jar, and attach a label with these instructions for the recipient:
Monster Cookies:
- 3/4 cup smooth or chunky peanut butter (not natural)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. Mix together the peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and eggs in a bowl. Add the contents of jar. Form the dough into 2-inch balls and set on a lined cookie sheet 2" apart. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until the tops of the cookies begin to brown. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
To make this cute gift, I have included a FREE MONSTER COOKIE PRINTABLE for your jars! Because this gift in a jar is a mix, you want to be sure the recipient knows how to bake up a yummy batch! Click the image below to print a page of 5 labels.
click to print your FREE Monster Cookie Labels
GIVEAWAY!
To make your gift even sweeter…….I’m giving away 3 copies of my book, Desserts in Jars: 50 Sweet Treats that Shine available at Target, World Market, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and your local bookseller.
GIVEAWAY has ended. Congrats to #41 Emily, #192 Micky and #207 Dallas
Find more details on DessertsinJars.com
To enter, simply leave a comment on this post, telling me your favorite cookie.
Official Rules: No purchase necessary. Open to US residents only . Must be over 18. Giveaway begins on December 5, 2012 will end on December 12, 2012 at 5:00 pm CST. Prize value $16.95. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Three winners with a valid entry will be selected at random using random.org. Winners will be notified by email by December 15, 2012 and will have 48 hours to claim their prize or another winner will be selected. TidyMom, and Harvard Common Press are not responsible for lost or undelivered emails. Winners will be posted on this blog post by December 30, 2012. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. By entering this giveaway, you have agreed to these rules. Giveaway sponsored by Harvard Common Press .
Good luck to everyone!
Shaina Olmanson is the cook, freelance writer, and photographer behind Food for My Family, which was named one of the top ten Top 100 Mom Food Blogs by Babble.com in 2010, 2011, and 2012. She is the author of Desserts in Jars: 50 Sweet Treats that Shine, has served as the food editor for LifetimeMoms and daily contributor to Babble’s Family Kitchen, and contributes regularly to FoodYourWay.net and SimpleBites.net. She lives in Minneapolis, MN with her husband and their four kids.
Tidymom is a participant in the amazon services llc associates program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Please respect my work, recipes and photographs. If you do use a recipe in your own writing, please give proper credit and link back to the original post.
my favorite cookie of all time is chocolate chip.
I love double chocolate chip!
I like sugar cookies, my kids LOVE snickerdoodle, but seriously,nothing beats chocolate chip!!!
I LOVE snickerdoodles. Partly because my grandmas taught me how to make them when I was young and in Girl Scouts!!
My mom makes the best magic cookie bars…I love them!!
My favorite cookie would have to be chocolate chip!!
I love shortbread, melt in your mouth buttery love.
My favorite cookies are chocolate chip cookies when they’re just out of the oven and the chocolate is still melty!! Yum.
I love Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. My mom gave me the best recipe ever…..:)
Peanut butter kiss cookies!
The favorite cookie of my family is actually the Monster cookie. My daughter often makes them as gifts. I personally lik a butter cookie, plain and simple. I am usually out voted in what we make. But as long as my family is satisfied, it’s good.
My favorite kind of cookie would have to be the original chocolate chip!
Gingerbread cookies. Especially making ’em with my kids. Best time of the holidays.
I love double chocolate chip cookies.
Macadamia nut!
My mom makes “marine cookies.” They are a delicious shortbread cookie cut into different marine animal shapes- fish, dolphins, seahorses, etc- and then coated with bright blue icing. They are delicious, but they also take a ton of time and love to make which is why they really are special!
My favorite cookie can vary depending on my mood. My top picks at any given time could be chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, or snickerdoodle. And how crazy is it seeing this post the day after deciding to do the mix-in-a-jar for gifts this year! I was planning a trip to the store to buy the jars at lunch today. Last year we made everyone homemade vanilla. 🙂
My all time favorite – Chocolate Chip!
My favorite cookie is peanut butter with Snickers inside. I’m not sure of the name but they are delicious!
Love many cookies- but one i love (probably b/c i never make it) is white chocolate macadamia
Snickerdoodle cookies — no wait! Chocolate chip cookies with nuts — no wait! Peanut butter cookies — no wait! Oh heck … I have 3 favorites!! LOL.
hard to beat snickerdoodles
Sour cream rolls! My grandmother, mother, and various aunts all make them and they are to DIE for. I have yet to make them….Hmmm…maybe for the holidays!
Oh come on!! All cookies are my favorite. Have not found one I didn’t like. But if I have to choose, it’s a toss up between snickerdoodles and white chocolate macadamia nut. Yummmmm!! I think I’ll go to the kitchen now.
I have to choose just one favorite cookie?? 🙁 haha. I love all cookies! (: The last cookies I made were Malt Whopper Pudding Cookies, and they turned out great!
My favorite cookies are still my mom’s homemade oatmeal cookie recipe! You can change it in so many ways to fit your mood! I would love this cookbook…I plan to give only this kind of gifts for Christmas this year!
monster cookies!!
My favorite cookie is sugar cookies with royal glaze icing. Thanks for the giveaway.
sugar cookies
I love cookies of all kind. The ones I reach for the most are oatmeal raisin with walnuts.
Sweet. My favorite cookies are Triple Chocolate Almond Cookies. I make them all the time, not just during the holidays.
Chocolate Chip!
Chocolate chip for sure!
I love frosted sugar cookies!
My favorite cookie is a tender little cream cheese cookie that my grandma taught me to make many years ago. Love your recipes, Shaina! Thanks for the generous give-away.
Turtle thumbprints. YUM!
My favorite cookie I haven’t had since I was 16 because you can’t find them around were I like its an oatmeal and cranbarry cookie!
My favorite cookie is white chocolate macadamia
Loved this post and the smaller version recipe of Monster Cookies. My go to favorite big, easy batch of cookies is a cookie named Pop Newman Cookies (it is an oatmeal cookie).
Thanks for the printables.
Myrna
I love chocolate chip!
Mine didn’t show up but sugar cookies are my favorite.
my favorite cookie is the sugar cookie, they are sweet and simple 🙂
sugar cookies — love this idea —thank you for sharing.
Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies are a winner with me!
I love Peanut Butter Blossoms! I also loving making/giving gifts in jars!
Definitely Chocolate Chip!
My favorite cookies are peanut butter chocolate chip.
My moms shortbread is my favorite cookie ever!
I love Gingerbread Men!
As an Aussie, it would be hard to pick between ginger nut bikkies and Anzac bikkies. Ginger nuts are harder to make, but for Anzacs you need Golden Syrup (made from cane sugar) which is impossible to find here in the US. Corn syrup just don’t cut it.