Gift jars are perfect for recipe gifts, whether you're helping your friend make cookies or soup. Making gifts in a jar is surprisingly easy and inexpensive.
Jar Decorating
Use scrap fabric cut with pinking shears to cover the jar lid. You can also sew a nice soft drawstring bag to slip the jar into instead, and your friend can use the bag later on. Tie ribbon around the top of the jar or bag to create a pretty presentation. Tying a mixing spoon or spatula to the side of the jar is a nice touch.
If you are feeling ambitious, placing a few different jar mixes into a basket or mixing bowl makes a stunning gift. You could also make one large batch of ingredients for a recipe, like brownies, and distribute the ingredients equally among several small jars for fun party favors. Simply serve the dish at the party, and give the gifts in jars so guests can make the recipe at home.
Packaging
You can layer each ingredient of your recipe so that it looks like sand art, or simply mix all ingredients together if you're not using a clear container where the layers will be seen. A clear glass jar is a classic, but cookie ingredients in a cookie jar would be a fun surprise for anyone with a sweet tooth.
You don't have to stop with jars. You can place ingredients into zip-top bags placed into small cookie tins or plastic bags tied with ribbon. The choices are endless. Just consider how the guests will get the gifts home and if a glass jar is the most practical method of transport. To avoid breaking the jar, you could wrap it in a bag or cushion it and place it in a basket.
What You'll Need
Jar Packing
Many recipes, such as brownies, cookies, chili or bean soup, will fit into a one-quart or one-liter wide-mouth canning jars, as long as you pack the ingredients in as tightly as possible. One quart equals 4 cups; one liter equals just over 4 cups. Even if the ingredient list adds up to more than 4 cups, if packed correctly they will fit. Careful packing is important. After placing one ingredient in the jar, press it down with a utensil with a fairly wide, flat bottom. Do this after each ingredient, especially after ingredients such as brown sugar, oats, and nuts.
Layering Tips
When making food jar gifts, it is better to put finer grain items such as sugar and flour nearer the bottom if you have items like nuts or chocolate chips to add. Putting the sugar layer over the nuts will cause the sugar to seep through and look messy.
Try to layer in alternating colors (e.g. brown sugar, white sugar, cocoa powder, and then flour). When using cocoa, wipe the inside of jar before adding another ingredient to keep jar looking clean. When adding flour, powered milk or powdered sugar, gently tap the bottom of the jar on the counter to help settle the ingredient to create more room.
Shelf Life
If stored in a cool, dry and dark place, these gift jars can last for up to 6 months, as long as all of the ingredients used to make it were fresh. However, if the mix contains nuts, they should be used within three months.
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