Cookie Mix in a Jar – A Mason jar filled with pre-measured dry ingredients for M&M cookies. Give the jar as a gift, and all the recipient has to do is add the wet ingredients and bake.
We’re in the thick of the holiday baking and gift giving season. I always think that sweets are the way to go when gifting something edible. This Cookie Mix in a Jar is the perfect way to give someone a shortcut to homemade cookies. And who doesn’t love freshly baked cookies?
My Soft and Chewy M&M Cookies are one of my most popular recipes, so I decided to make a few adjustments to turn them into this delicious and festive holiday gift.
How to Make Cookies in a Jar
To assemble the jars, all you do is measure the dry ingredients and layer them in a jar. It couldn’t be simpler!
Flour, Sugars, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Salt and M&M’s – that’s it! Feel free to swap out some of the M&M’s for chocolate chips.
Don’t have M&M’s? Just use chocolate chips instead!
Tips for Making Cookie Mix in a Jar
It is important that your ingredients are layered into the jars carefully so that the layers don’t mix too much; this makes for a prettier presentation.
- Roll up a paper plate to use as a funnel to cleanly add the bottom layer into the jar.
- Use a spoon to carefully place the M&M’s on top of the flour. Don’t dump them in too quickly or they’ll sink into the flour.
- Make sure you have a nice even base of brown sugar (lightly packed in) so that the granulated sugar doesn’t sink down into it.
- The cookie mix will be a couple inches shy of the top of the jar. You can increase the M&M’s by ¼ cup or add some tissue paper to the very top if you want the mix to reach all the way. Note: If you’re decorating with fabric (like I did) it will cover the top of the jar.
- Decorate the jar with fabric and/or ribbon. I use a 6.5 inch circle of fabric.
Be sure to include instructions on how to turn the contents of the jar into a batch of cookies (see my recipe for details). The recipient will love having this jar on hand to whip up a batch of homemade M&M cookies with minimal effort.
↓LOOKING FOR REGULAR M&M COOKIES? THIS RECIPE IS MY FAVORITE!↓
More holiday treats
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Recipe
M&M Cookie Mix In A Jar
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup Holiday M&M’s or chocolate chips, see note
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1-quart Mason jar
Instructions
Assembling jars:
- Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Pour into the bottom of a 1-quart mason jar (I rolled up a paper plate to use as a funnel). Top the flour mixture with M&M’s, dropping them in lightly, so that they don’t sink into the flour. Top the M&M’s with brown sugar, and then granulated sugar (use a spoon to carefully scoop the sugars into the jar). Seal with the lid and decorate with ribbon and fabric (see note).
Recipe to include with the jar (see note):
- In a large bowl, whisk ½ cup of melted and cooled unsalted butter, 1 large egg, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Add the contents of the jar and gently stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until combined (dough will be crumbly). Chill for 30 minutes.
- Form golf ball sized portions of dough, pressing firmly as you form the ball. Place the dough balls onto lined baking sheets. Bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers of the cookies are still slightly underdone. Place baking sheets on a rack to cool.
Notes
- I used a 6.5 inch circle of fabric to decorate each Mason jar.
- This cookie mix comes just short of reaching the top of a 1-quart Mason jar. I decorate the top of the jar with fabric which covers the inch of open space at the top of the jar. If you would prefer to fill the jar all the way, you can increase the amount of M&M’s to 1 ¼ cup.
- The color of the M&M’s will bleed slightly into the cookie dough (once prepared). It is inevitable with this type of recipe. If this is concerning, you can swap the M&M’s for an equal amount of chocolate chips.
Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Shirley
Hi, would you think that this recipe would still work if I added some nuts into the jar as well? Thanks!
Allison
Sure! You can swap some of the M&M’s for nuts. Enjoy!
katelyn
how long can the cookie mix be in the jar?
Allison
I recommend baking within 2 months (assuming all of the ingredients are fresh).
Karen Castonguay
Hello, is it 1/2 cup or 1 cup (total) of unsalted butter in the recipe?
Allison
1/2 cup
Kelly
It says half a cup melted butter.
Michelle
what size Mason Jar? 12oz? or 16oz?
Allison
A one quart jar is 32 oz.
Laura McCauley
Not sure you can answer this, but what is the approx. cost to make 1 jar? I am looking for staff gifts for work – approx. 65. and my budget is only $4 a person.
Allison
I don’t have that information. It would depend on how much your actual ingredients cost.
ADEANAH POOLER
I made 7 jars tonight and used 3 bags of 19 ounce MM’S that cost $4.50 a piece from Walmart. You can quart size jars from the dollar store but I bought a 12 pack from Walmart for like $9. All the other ingredients I had at home.
Grace
Hi Allison,
To make these gluten free, is it just a simple straight swap of the flour with gluten free flour?
Allison
You *should* be able to swap an equal amount of 1:1 gluten free flour blend. I haven’t tried it with this recipe specifically, but that is usually what I do.
rena
hi! how long will these stay good before baking?
Allison
I say up to 2 months for best results.
Jaime
How far in advance can I prepare these cookie jars?
Allison
They stay good for a couple months (assuming all of your ingredients are fresh).
Alicia
Hi there, great recipe. Can’t wait to try these for Christmas.
I had a question, how far in advanced can I put the ingredients in the jar before gifting them to people?
Thank you so much!!
Allison
You can make them a couple weeks in advance, just make sure your ingredients are fresh and that you seal the jars well.
Lesley Tiley
Easy to make and great recipe for kids
Ecky
Hi.. I am making this to give to husband’s colleagues, do you think I can add 1/2 cup of oats in this recipe just to make it a bit healthier haha. Should I adjust the recipe if I add the oats?
Allison
I would not tweak the ingredients unless you test it (actually making the cookies from the mix). If you just add oats without reducing another dry ingredient the dough will be dry and crumbly.
Awalk
Ecky – YES, you can add 1/2 cup of oats, but not more! Leave everything else the same. Just press a little more firmly when putting the dough together on the baking sheet. I test baked before putting the jar and wanted oats! I did 1/2C oats, 1/2C M&Ms, & 1/2C Chocolate chips. Also, it will all fit in the quart jar as well. One note, I forgot to chill my dough before baking but would recommend with the extra ingredient. Enjoy; Alison has a solid recipe.