DIY Last Minute Christmas Gift – Cookie Dough In A Jar

You probably know it already, but I’ll say it just in case: Christmas is just around the corner. Some of us have already finished their Christmas gift shopping. Others, perhaps, still haven’t even started. Whichever group you belong to, you might want to add some original, simple DIY gifts to your list. The idea I’m bringing you today will be perfect to use as a gift for someone who loves to bake. It’s very flexible too, so you can easily adjust it to further personalise this little present. The thing I’m talking about is a DIY cookie mix in a jar.

The idea is simple: put some of the basic ingredients of cookie dough in a jar and add a tag saying what should be added and how the cookies should be baked. Any cookie dough recipe can be used here, though I’d recommend using one with very few wet ingredients. That way, the vast majority of what’s needed to bake the cookies will be closed in the jar – the gift receiver will only have to add 2 or 3 things.

I will leave the recipe I used, but if you prefer to use your favourite cookie recipe instead – feel free to do that. There are only a few things to remember. First things first, aim to include all of the dry ingredients in the mix in the jar. Don’t add any wet ingredients though! It’s unlikely that the dough will be made on Christmas Day and you probably don’t want it to go off by the time it’s used! Finally, estimate how much cookie dough your original recipe yields and – if needed – scale down ingredients so they all fit in your jar.

The recipe I chose is a simple sugar cookie recipe, enhanced with festive spices and extras (smarties and mini meringues).

In the jar (~550ml):

1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
a pinch of ground anise
a pinch of salt
smarties and mini meringues

Instructions written on the tag:

To add:

60g butter
1 egg

Form cookies.

Bake for 10 minutes in 180C.

For best results, add the contents of your jar in neat layers. Try to fill the jar up to the brim, so the layers don’t move and mix up in transport. Using extras – such as smarties, chocolate chips, etc – is a great way to fill up any space left in the jar after filling it with basic ingredients.

Screw the lid on and decorate the jar with a festive ribbon. 🙂