Cookie Mix in a Jar is such a fantastic gift for Christmas! Just add melted butter and an egg, then mix with a wooden spoon – no beater required. Forget the generic boxes of chocolates from the supermarket. THIS is the gift that will make you stand out from the crowd! (Plus it’s super good value too 🙂 )
This recipe is 3 years overdue.
Really.
I gifted this exact Cookie Mix in a Jar to friends 3 years ago. And every year come Christmas, I get harassed by my darling friends for the recipe.
Finally! I’m sharing it!!! I wasn’t hoarding it. Really and truly. I just kept forgetting. 🙂
I think everyone has one of “those” friends in their lives who has everything. You know who I mean, don’t you? That person who wants for nothing, whether it be because they have the luxury of being able to afford everything their heart desires or they just aren’t the material sort who values things.
I have both types of friends in my lives. Thus the reason why I started to do homemade gifts.
When it comes to Cookie Mix in a Jar, I have one very specific requirement – it has to be easy for the recipient to make the cookies. No stand mixers, no electric beaters to cream butter.
Nope, just add melted butter and an egg, mix, refrigerate then make your life easy by using an ice cream scoop to dollop the dough onto baking trays (why get your hands dirty rolling balls?? 😉 ).
And this is what comes out of the oven: big, soft White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies. Swoon….. (or in Dozer’s case, massive drool…)
PS Quick baking nerd moment: because these cookies are dump and mix cookies, the surface is nubbly rather than smooth. To make White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies with a smooth surface, you need to cream butter and sugar with an electric, then add egg etc. So it doesn’t work for Cookie Mix in a Jar recipes. 🙂
I like to make mine big. As in – 8cm/3″ rounds. This makes 12 large cookies. Or if you are so inclined, you can make 18 sensible sized ones. 🙂
I don’t have fancy schmancy graphic design skills so I’ve done up a basic tag for the instructions to attach to the jar. I don’t even have a colour printer, so I designed it for the purpose of pasting inside small Christmas cards, like shown in the photo collage above. Or you could just cut, fold and then glue together so you have a double sided tag to attach to the jar. Click here to download a PDF of the instructions.
Oh! I almost forgot – the jars! I got these jars from Kmart in Australia. It comes with the bow and red elastic band which is thin so it makes it easy to thread into even a small hole on the card or tag. These jars were A$3 each. They are a tiny bit too large for the mix but not so much that it will jostle around. I just had a quick peek at the US Kmart website and there are quite a few cheap mason jar options for less than US$1 per jar (jealous!). 🙂
Whether as gifts for co-workers, teachers, friends or family, I truly think that a homemade gift is one that will make you stand out from the crowd. Oh – if it’s for your boss, add some extra chocolate chips hmm?? 😉 – Nagi xx
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Cookie Mix In a Jar: White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
Ingredients
Cookie Mix
- 1 litre / 4 cups / 1 quart / 32 oz mason jar
- 1/3 cup / 70g white sugar (granulated, super fine or caster)
- 1/3 cup / 70g brown sugar (normal or light)
- 3/4 cup / 113g plain flour (all purpose flour)
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup / 90g quick cooking oats
- 1 cup / 120g dried cranberries
- 1 cup/ 180g white chocolate chips
To Bake
- 1 stick / 4 oz / 125g unsalted butter , melted
- 1 large egg (around 60g / 2oz)
Instructions
- Layer Cookie Mix ingredients in the jar in the order listed. I don't have anything to tamper with so I just shake / spread out with spoon (see video below recipe).
- Seal and attach baking instructions - print here.
To bake:
- If your tray is prone to sticking, lightly grease with butter or line with baking / parchment paper (I do not bother). You will need 2 trays.
- Add Cookie Mix, butter and egg in a bowl. Mix with wooden spoon. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375F/190C (standard) or 340F / 170C (fan / convection).
- Scoop dough with ice cream scoop, level and press in with fingers, then drop onto tray 5cm / 2" apart (makes 12 large cookies, 8cm/3” rounds). Or measure heaped tablespoon and roll into balls (makes 18 small cookies 5cm/2”).
- Optional: If you remember, pick out some choc bits and cranberries and use to stud the top of the balls. For aesthetic reasons only. 🙂
- Bake 8-10 minutes (small), 12-14 minutes (large) until light golden, swapping the trays at halftime. Rest 2 minutes then transfer to cooling rack.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Recipe video! I don’t use a tamper, I just shake the jar or use a spoon to even out the surface of each layer.
LIFE OF DOZER
He’s counting down the days to Christmas for a totally different reason to me…
Just made this for a couple of friends. You know those friends that are hard to buy for, That don’t need /want anything. Thanks Nagi
What a perfect gift idea – thanks for the recipe!
Delicious! I trialled these before gifting them and they were so tasty. I’ve made up 18 of these now to gift. I used the 800ml Christmas jars from Kmart and they just about fit. The jars look beautiful all made up and the biscuits taste even better!
Nagi how long in advance could I “make” this gift? I have oodles to do before Christmas so would like to make this two weeks before Christmas. Would that be ok?
Nagi you have done it again!!!! Not only do you find solutions for my meals but now you have sold my teacher gift problem too
So amazing!! I will be making these all year round!!
I made these today, I used 90g of macadamia nuts instead of white chocolate chips, and when I started mixing the dough I realized I probably should have gone by volume and worried that I was going to end up with cookie coated macadamias and cranberries, but they turned out fine, light layer of crispiness outside, soft on the inside. It really is a forgiving recipe!
I meant 180g macadamia nuts, it was a lot of nuts!
Would love to use this recipe this year. However, for my gf friends, can I just swap the plain flour for gf plain flour?
Check out “Iowa Girl Eats” as she’s the GF pro!
Hi Phil – you can try that but I haven’t tested it and g/f flours vary widely between brands. Most of the ones I have tried have not worked so well in cookies. N x
I made these as Christmas gifts. I substituted some of the cranberries for macadamias. They looked awesome.
Hi Nagi! Is it ok to use regular rolled oats instead of quick cooking ones? Cheers
Hi Jeannie, yes I use rolled oats here – N x
Hi! These look fabulous.. could I sub self raising flour for the flour and baking powder in this recipe? Also, will these cookies work with whole meal flour as well? Thank you!
Great idea for those “hard to buy for friends”. I think the “guys” on my list will enjoy being able to easily bake cookies!
Hi Nagi, Thank you for this very special gift of DIY Cookie in a Jar. I love this cookie recipe so much. My girls cannot keep their hands away from the cookie jar. The semi tart cranberries paired with the white choc buttons and chewy oats made this cookie that much more delicious. I LOVE home-made gifts like this and the colour combination of white and red is so fitting as a perfect xmas gift. You have the BEST ideas Nagi… I LOVE reading about your new ideas and learning from you. Thank you so much for sharing!
I’m so glad you and the girls enjoyed it Ada! Thanks for sending the pic! N xx
I want to make this for someone that doesn’t like cranberries so I thought replace with raisins but they don’t like raisins sooo wondering if you have a suggestion for something else I can use. I thought maybe chocolate chips but thought it might be too many with the white ones too. What do you think? I love this whole idea of making these and the print out for directions is so nice.
I love cranberries and will make them for me. Yum. Thanks
Hi Beth! Macadamias would be wonderful, white choc and macadamia is also a classic flavour combo 🙂
Perfect suggestion. Thank you so much.
do you need quart jars or pint size jars?
Hi Jan! I’ve got the jar size in the ingredients 🙂
Such a cute idea, Nagi! Also, who doesn’t love a cookie recipe that requires minimal labor and delicious results. Can’t believe the holidays are so soon!
I know right?? What happened to 2016?? 🙂
Hello Nagi, Dozer, bravo for making home gifts, have Done IT so Many times and 2014 have recived endless home gifts Inc. Friend Done Cooking in my plaše and so on. Nagi RE:Cooking whole fish my PARENTS Like EVERYONE else Would pick smaller fish-brim and prawns Grill/BBQ in prepar soup Or vege Stew than YOU put IT together to GET good meal. Nagi, on TV on Tuesday Rick Stein has traveling Cooking from Venice to Istanbul. This week was Adriatic Coast, and that is My Way Of Living. They showa ALL those Sea Food steps Ive grown up, ALL very Fresh, from scratch, stew even in summer with Vegies from garden and always add smoke paprika Inc. in home Made Tomato sort Of Sauce. Loved when shown Old fashion pasta for soup, young goat Stew, Spit lamb roast, fish Stew with Fresh berlloti beans, prawns Stew with Vegies from garden and03types Of curing meat/ham, interesting. Regards, Vera.
I LOVE Rick Stein! I watch all his shows! Oooh, everything he makes is amazing. I especially love how much seafood he cooks!
Hi Nagi–
Great idea and so beautiful too! Trader Joe’s in the US (do they have TJ’s in Australia?) just came out with a similar product and called it “It’s sedimentary, my dear.” I thought about getting them as gifts, but now I can make my own! Thanks so much for the idea and recipe and especially for the photo of Dozer! The cookie mix brought a smile to my face–Dozer made the smile even wider!
Oh! I don’t think I’ve ever seen these sold in Australia!! Glad that Dozer has the same effect on you too…. 🙂 N x
Like the look of the cookies but can you give me the amount of the oats in grams please. Much happier using grams than cups. Many thanks
Done! 90g 🙂
Just the kind of recipe I am looking for. I am not one of those crafty ladies who makes all of those handcrafted dainty ornaments but I can measure and dump into a jar… My kind of craft..one you can eat!!! Dozer looks just like Buddy who is equally thrilled to be wearing his Santa suit… Sharing, of course!
OMG you crack me up! I am totally with you – not into fiddly pretty things but bring on measure and dump!!!! N xx