Holiday Cookies in a Jar

Cookies make the sweetest gift, but it’s even more fun when you give the gift of baking! These holiday cookies in a jar provide all the dry ingredients needed to make brown butter chocolate chip cookies. Make your gift even more special by etching a short phrase or image on the glass jar. Finish by adding fabric and ribbon to dress up the jar, and a tag explaining the recipe.

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What You’ll Need:

32-ounce smooth-sided mason jar
Armour Etch Glass Etching Cream
rubbing alcohol
gloves
canning funnel or any funnel with a wide mouth
paper towel
two small paintbrushes
adhesive, reusable stencil, like one of these
6-inch square of fabric
small ornament
24-inch piece of ribbon
scissors
recipe tag (see printable PDF below)
single-hole puncher
1 1/8 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup instant vanilla pudding mix
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
1/3 cup milk chocolate chips
1/3 cup M&Ms

Let’s start with glass etching. You’ll want to do this before adding any of the ingredients to the jar. First, use rubbing alcohol and a paper towel to clean the outside of the jar where the image will go. Then firmly adhere the reusable stencil to the jar. Press it firmly so that there aren’t any gaps between the stencil outline and the jar. Wearing gloves, use a small paintbrush to completely cover the stencil with the etching cream. Let the cream sit for 10 minutes. Then use a second paintbrush to rinse off the cream with water. Carefully remove the stencil and continue rinsing until the excess cream is gone. The etching will remain even if you wash the jar!

Now it’s time to add the dry cookie ingredients to the jar. Use a canning funnel to pour each layer into the jar: flour, baking soda, brown sugar, pudding mix, dark chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips and M&Ms.

Top with a fabric square, and tie the tag and ornament on with a piece of ribbon. You can create your own recipe tags, or print off the ones that I made. Click here for the pdf: Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Consider making the cookies first and gifting those along with the jar so that the recipient knows what they’re supposed to look like. Don’t be intimidated by browning butter or encouraging your loved ones to try it. The deliciously nutty flavor of brown butter is worth the effort of learning how to make it! Here’s how to do it:

To brown butter, melt it on the stovetop over medium heat, stirring frequently. The butter will foam as it begins to melt. Once the foam begins to disappear you’ll notice the milk solids settling on the bottom of the pan and beginning to brown. As the butter browns you’ll start to smell a nutty aroma. When the melted butter turns a light brown color quickly remove it from the heat and pour into a glass bowl. There’s a fine line between brown butter and burnt butter, so be careful. Place it in the refrigerator for an hour or two to solidify.

Tag me @rosesandwhiskers on Instagram if you make it and use the hashtag #rosesandwhiskers. Cookie jars would make a cute gift for any occasion!

Happy crafting! 🙂