So, it's been a SUPER long time since I last posted! Like, a crazy long time. I'll address our goings on another time.... And I plan to be back in full force (I hope)! Today I want to share with you a cute Christmas gift idea. If you're looking for teacher gifts, neighbors, etc., this is a perfect solution. It's no secret that the Smith family is on a major budget. We also have a ton of people to gift this year between the hubby's coworkers, school teacher, dance teachers, etc. I was totally freaked out trying to come up with something affordable for so many people. Baking always comes to mind, so I searched Pinterest (duh) for a yummy cookie recipe. But how to package them in a cute, creative way? Mason jars! They are too cute, and you can do just about anything with them. So here's what I ended up doing.
I chose a recipe that I found on Pinterest for soft and chewy dark chocolate sugar cookies as my main cookie. You can link to the pin here. I totally wish I could take credit for this deliciousness, but all the glory goes to The Baker Upstairs. Genius! As a backup I used a recipe for chewy brown sugar cookies, also from Pinterest (here), thanks to Sally's Baking Addiction. Both cookies turned out AMAZING! The chocolate cookies were the standout though. I did love the brown sugar cookies, but the chocolate got RAVE reviews from everyone my husband works with, so I'm making another giant batch this week. You could bake just about any cookie for this.
Besides the cookies, the only other things you need for this little project are Mason jars and ribbon. I always use grosgrain. Just a personal preference. Anything works. I didn't measure, but I would estimate I used about 2 feet of ribbon per jar. Also, make sure you buy wide mouth jars, otherwise you'll be making some tiny cookies. :) Once you're done baking and everything has cooled, put your ribbon inside the jar like this.
This is for decoration, but it also helps to get the cookies out when you're ready to eat them. Load your cookies in one at a time. I did some jars with just chocolate, and some with alternating chocolate and brown sugar. Anything goes!
When you've filled your jars to the top, take a break and let them settle for a bit. I noticed that a little while after I filled and sealed the first batch, they settled so much I could have added 1 or 2 more cookies in some jars. You just want to give it a few minutes so you don't end up with a big empty space at the top of your jars. Then the tops can go on, and you can tie a pretty bow! Viola! I also added hand stamped Christmas ornaments that I made to the bow for an extra something. You can be creative!
I'd love to hear some of your creative gifts on a budget! And if you try this, let me know!
xoxo,
Summer
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