Gifts in a Jar: Gingerbread Cookie Mix

Gingerbread cookies are a delight to make around this time of year! Mixing and rolling out the dough is a fun family tradition to start with your children. Cookie cutters bring the dough to life and eating the ginger treats makes it feel like Christmas! This gift allows you to prepare the ingredients for a friend and it makes the gingerbread baking process simple and fun.  The list of ideal recipients is not limited to friends who like to bake—this makes a sweet gift for teachers, neighbors, hostess gifts, co-workers, and it is especially nice to have a few on hand as a last minute gift.

The recipe belongs to Kraft but I found it recently through the blog Nine and Sixteen. There is a secret ingredient: butterscotch pudding mix! What? Yup, try it and you’ll see, this is the easiest gingerbread dough that you’ll come across. It has no trace of stickiness, it rolls so smoothly, and you will love the cookies.

I recycled a Costco cashews container to hold this gingerbread cookie mix. You can put the ingredients in layers, which is quite pretty, or you can separate the ingredients into the steps listed in the recipe (i.e. mix the flour and spices in one bag, the brown sugar in another, and leave the pudding mix separate). Decorate the container or jar with wrapping paper, burlap, or ribbon then add a cookie cutter to finish the gift. Please note, if your recipient has nut allergies, do not use a cashew container. Try a large mason jar or a cookie jar would be a special way to present this gift.

Print off the recipe, which I’ll include for you to download, and add it to the container or change the recipe's shape to fit on top of the lid.  Make sure to emphasize that butter and eggs need to be added to the mix.