Holiday Gifts: 8 Homemade Gifts in a Jar (with free printable gift tags)
- December 2, 2008 by Fox | Comments: 33
Homemade gifts in a jar are a fun, frugal, and easy holiday gift to share with loved ones. Over the years I’ve made several homemade Christmas gifts in a jar for friends, family, and neighbors.
There are endless possibilities with what can be placed in a jar. Soup mixes are super for those who like savory ingredients. Jars containing layered mixes for cookies, muffins, and brownies are yummy for those with a sweet tooth. I’ve also given quality chocolates, bulk candy, and nuts in decorated jars. (For more inexpensive gifts, click Holiday Gifts: 10 Frugal and Homemade Gift Ideas.)
Gifts in a jar are easy to make. Just take a glass jar (canning jars, mason jars, or even recycled mustard jars), layer with ingredients, and then top with a gift tag. Combine a bunch of jars together to make your own gift baskets. How’s that for a frugal gift idea? To help you get your jar-on this holiday season, I’ve created several free printable gift tags for download. You supply the homemade goodness.
Here are 8 frugal holiday gift ideas (and recipes) in a jar:
1. S’mores in a Jar
Kids love to help make and eat S’mores in a Jar. If you’re into seasonal gift recipes, find some marshmallow Peeps to match your holiday.
Or get fun and use teddy bear graham crackers to line the jar for decoration.
Ingredients:
Layer in a large wide mouthed 1 quart mason jar:
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (one sleeve of crackers, crushed)
- 1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows.
- Or substitute with 8 Peeps and 1/2 cup miniature marshmallows for seasonal fun. Line the jar with Peeps facing out.
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips or mini Hershey Kisses or M&M’s
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
Printable Gift Tags:
2. Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies in a Jar
This recipe makes about 36 cookies.
Ingredients:
Layer in a large wide mouthed 1 quart mason jar:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/4 cups rolled oats
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup chopped nuts
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Mix flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Pour mixture into a 1 quart (1 liter) mason jar and pack down. Mix oatmeal in a blender. Pack on top of flour in mason jar. Add white sugar and pack down. Add brown sugar and pack down. Layer chopped nuts on top of brown sugar. Finish layering jar with mini or regular chocolate chips.
Printable Gift Tags:
3. Ultimate Chocolate Brownie Mix in a Jar
This recipe makes one pan of chocolate brownies.
Ingredients:
Layer in a large wide mouthed 1 quart mason jar:
- 1 cup all purpose unbleached flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups vanilla sugar
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- Any combination of: mini chocolate chips, mini M&M’s, junior mints, chocolate candy bar
- 1/2 cup almonds
Layer ingredients in 1 quart mason jar. Tap gently on the counter after each layer before adding the next. Add additional mix-ins to fill any small gaps if necessary.
Printable Gift Tags:
4. Chocolate Chip Muffins in a Jar
This recipe makes a single batch of muffins.
Ingredients:
Layer in a large wide mouthed 1 quart mason jar:
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup chocolate chips, or substitute raisins, dried cranberries, or nut.
Combine sugar, flour, salt, and baking powder. Place in quart mason jar. Add chocolate chips.
Printable Gift Tags:
5. Chai Tea Mix in a Jar
This recipe makes 2, 6 ounce jars.
Ingredients:
Layer in 2, 6 ounce jars:
- 1 1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder
- 1/4 cup black tea leaves
- 12 cardamom pods
- 4 2 inch pieces of cinnamon stick
- 2 tsp dried lemon peel
Divide all ingredients and layer equally between 2, 6 ounce jars.
Printable Gift Tags:
6. Chicken Noodle Soup in a Jar
This recipe makes a pot of soup.
Ingredients:
Layer in a 1/2 quart (2 cup) glass jar:
- 1/4 cup of red lentils
- 2 tbsp dried onion flakes
- 1 1/2 tbsp chicken bouillon granules
- 1/2 tsp dried dill weed or dill seed
- 1/8 tsp each celery seed and garlic powder
- 1 cup medium egg noodles
- 1 bay leaf
In a 2 cup glass jar, layer from bottom in the order listed above.
Printable Gift Tags:
7. Minestrone Soup in a Jar
This recipe makes a pot of soup.
Ingredients:
Layer in a 1/2 quart (2 cup) glass jar:
- 1/4 cup red lentils
- 1/4 cup green split peas
- 1/4 cup barley
- 1/3 cup beef bouillon powder
- 2 tbsp parsley flakes
- 3 tbsp onion flakes
- 1/3 tsp thyme
- 1/3 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp basil
- 1/4 cup macaroni
In a 2 cup glass jar, layer from bottom in the order listed above.
Printable Gift Tags:
8. Bulk Candy, Nuts, or Chocolate in a Jar
Choose your favorite bulk candy, nuts, or chocolates and layer in a glass jar of any size! Use any recycled glass jar to contain any amount of bulk candy confection! Once filled, decorate and add a pretty gift tag!
Free Printable Gift Tags: blank template
There you have it, holiday gifts in a jar. I hope this gives you some gift ideas for the holidays. All of these recipes are good last minute gift ideas as well. So get creative and see what you can come up with. Jar’s the limits!
Looking for more holiday gift ideas?
Got any great jar ideas? Perhaps stuffing a glass jar with a toy or another gift? Go ahead, share your jarring gift secrets!
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Pings:
- Frugal Christmas Idea: Gift In A Jar | The Greenest Dollar December 3rd, 2008
- Link Love: I’m Overwhelmed Edition | Remodeling This Life December 6th, 2008
- Carnival of Personal Finance #182 is up! : Both Sides of the Pond December 8th, 2008
- Carrying on… December 9th, 2008
- Teacher Gifts On A Recession Budget | UpToUs Blog December 11th, 2008
- 25 Tips, Ideas, Resources for Frugal Holiday Gifts and Decorations — Broke Grad Student December 12th, 2008
Comments:
I’ve been toying with the idea of giving recipes-in-a-jar for a while so this will come in handy. Thanks! Now I want some soup…
My wife started doing this last year. Everyone that received one loved it! I’m going to send her this way to check out your ideas, as they look delicious and beautifully presented. Thanks for including nice recipe tags as well!
Seth
http://fun-dad.blogspot.com
@Unspender The soups look really pretty all layered in jars. Lentils look lovely.
@Seth So happy you like the recipe tags. I boggled some brain cells trying to make them just right.
Love it! I have 2 of those gift mixes in a jar cookbook. On year my sister and I got together and made tons of these to give out to everyone. They all loved them! I often make a patchwork soup in a jar mix (made with split peas, lentils & barley) and give as a quick soup recipe to be used with the holiday ham bone!
Thanks for these! I’d been trying to come up with some good, frugal Xmas ideas (for the family who doesn’t want anything), and these are GREAT!
What a beautiful idea. And especially appropriate this year with the now-official recession.
Wonderful. Thanks.
I love it!! Thanks for this.
Geez, these look delicious - I don’t know if we could make them up, and then NOT make them right away! And, they do really look like great ideas, especially for that hard to buy for person…
There’s always the pros and cons to a recession but maybe we will all learn how to give the little things that are personal made by us this year. These gifts are wonderful ideas!
Thanks for including one for Chai Tea - very unusual, straddles both the “healthy” and “treat” realms, and I wouldn’t have thought that one up on my own!
These are fantastic! I would love to give or receive any of these.
This year, I already have supplies needed to bake cookies and send them to people, but I’ll have to come back to this post next year and try some out!
These are great! I did a printable calendar for everyone this year & last and it went over really well. The template I use is here http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17956244
Great ideas! Definitely good on the wallet.
Thanks for these great ideas! They look gorgeous and I’ll definitely be sending my readers to your site to check them out. The one on chai tea is definitely unique; I might have to make that one for myself!
Thanks again for the wonderful gift ideas.
Heather
http://www.TheGreenestDollar.com
This year, for my friends with dogs, I will be making homemade dog treats and putting them in jars for gifts.
hi, this is a silly question, but…
when youre doing the ones with like the brownie or cookie mix…
would it be hard for the person to take out of the jar the flour?
i’m just a little bit confused, maybe someone could explain to me
thanks
These are really cool! I never thought of this.
Just to let you know (it’s kind of a pet peeve): “chai” means “tea”, so when you say “chai tea” you’re essentially saying “tea tea”. It’s kind of funny, though.
thanks for this! and I have a suggestion/question: for the jars with recipes, would we have the stuff already made and put in the jar, or would we have an ingredient?
These are really cool! I never thought of this.
Just to let you know (it’s kind of a pet peeve): “chai” means “tea”, so when you say “chai tea” you’re essentially saying “tea tea”. It’s kind of funny, though.
Nice variety! I’ve always been a fan of gifts-in-a-jar but never strayed far beyond the soup and cookie realm. Muffins and brownies will nicely expand the gift-giving horizons… and I’m making a Chai mix for myself!
I honestly thought that cookies (and whatever) in a jar was outdated. But seeing that people like these gifts, I may consider doing them myself.
Kellyg, a thoughtful, useful, homemade gift of food is never “outdated” IMO!
This looks fantastic! A great little treat for the holidays is always wonderful. Great frugal ideas for gifts.
Great ideas and thanks for the tags. Homemade gifts are always apprecitated.
I’m definitely going to link this post on my blog and will make some of your suggestions for gifts this year. So, so, sooooo cute! Thank you!
It’s an interesting idea, but won’t your friends feel like they’ve been shafted by you when they receive a jar full of cooking ingredients and a piece of paper?
I think it is best to buy your friends booze for christmas.
What a great website!!! Thanks so much for all the awesome recipe ideas. Also thank you for the recipe tags.