Money can get a little tight for all of us, especially around the holiday season. One way to help keep your budget under control is to make homemade gifts for friends, coworkers, and other special people in your life, rather than purchasing ready made gifts from a store. That’s why I’ve chosen this recipe for brownie mix in a jar for this week’s #SundaySupper event, “Gifts from the Kitchen.”
This recipe is simple enough for children to do, yet the finished jar can be elegant and worthy of presentation to anyone. Just follow these steps, and you’ll have a whole batch of beautiful gifts in no time!
And don’t forget to check out all of the other “Gifts from the Kitchen” written by other #SundaySupper contributors! The links are located below the recipe. Happy gift-making!
What You Need For Each Brownie Mix in a Jar
Craft Supplies
- 1 wide mouth glass jar with lid, 1 qt (32 oz) size
- Sandwich baggie
- Decorative ribbon
- Paper to print the recipe instructions shown below OR a gift tag (I cut up an old Christmas card) to just write the URL of the recipe
- Optional decorative band
- Decorative paper (I’ve cut up old Christmas cards for this, too)
- Double-sided tape
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process)
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips in a sandwich baggie
How to Assemble & Decorate the Brownie Mix in a Jar
- In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Pour 2 cups of sugar into the jar. Shake gently to settle evenly.
- Carefully spoon the cocoa into the jar on top of the sugar. Smooth the top as best you can with your spoon, then use the bottom of a glass or bottle to gently press down on the cocoa and make it more compact.
- Carefully spoon the flour mixture into the jar on top of the cocoa. Smooth the top as best you can, then use the bottom of a glass or bottle to gently press down on the flour mixture and make it more compact.
- Remove excess air from the baggie of chocolate chips, seal it, and twist up the excess plastic tightly so that the package is small. Place the baggie of chocolate chips on top of the flour mixture. It should be a relatively tight fit. If there is extra room, add more chocolate chips to the baggie until it fits snugly in the jar but does not overflow the top. Place the seal over the top of the jar and screw on the lid tightly.
- Tie a bow with some ribbons around the top of the jar, and attach the brownie mix in a jar recipe instructions from below, or the just the URL of the recipe (https://recipeforperfection.com/gift), whichever you prefer.
Optional Decorative Band
- Cut a strip of decorative paper about 1 inch wide that is long enough to fit around the jar. If you are using old greeting cards, you may need to tape two strips together to make it long enough.
- Put double-sided tape on the inside of the band, then wrap it around the jar in the middle of the sugar section (see photo for approximate placement).
Printable Brownie Mix in a Jar Recipe Instructions
[yumprint-recipe id=’32’]
Beverages:
- Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate by Supper for a Steal
- Cranberry Infused Vodka by The Redhead Baker
- Cranberry Pomegrante Vodka by Recipes, Food and Cooking
- Creamy Coconut Liqueur by Manu’s Menu
- German Egg Liqueur (Eierlikör) by Magnolia Days
- Holiday Sangria Surprise by Momma’s Meals
- Homemade Kahlua by Country Girl in the Village
- Homemade Organic Lavender Honey by An Appealing Plan
Bread:
- Homemade Pumpernickel Bread by The Foodie Army Wife
- Pumpkin Beer Bread Gift Basket by The Girl in The Little Red Kitchen
Appetizers and Snacks:
- Boozy Olives by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
- Cookie Butter Puppy Chow by Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
- Reindeer Snack Mix by MealDiva
Condiments and Sauces:
- Butterscotch Sauce {Low Carb} by Nosh My Way
- Cranberry Hatch Chile Salsa by The Texan New Yorker
- Ginger Jam by What Smells So Good?
- Lemon Ginger Marmalade by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Microwave Caramel Sauce by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Slow Cooker Apple Butter by Shockingly Delicious
- Sweet-Hot Red Pepper Jam by Delaware Girl Eats
Savory and Sweet Mixes:
- Creole Jambalaya Mix by Nik Snacks
- Gingerbread Hot Chocolate Mix by Feed Me, Seymour
- Homemade Brownie Mix in a Jar by The Perfect Brownie
- Homemade Sazon Seasoning by The Little Ferraro Kitchen
- Skinny Mocha Latte Mix by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
Desserts and Sweets:
- Assorted Macaroons by Take A Bite Out of Boca
- Bacon & Mixed Nuts Caramel Corn by Brunch with Joy
- Brandy Truffles by Food Lust People Love
- Carob Peanut Butter Cups by Pies and Plots
- Chocolate Cranberry Nut Candy by Peanut Butter and Peppers
- Cinnamon Candied Pecans by Noshing With The Nolands
- Coconut Oil White Chocolate + Chocolate Chip Cookies by Wallflour Girl
- Ho Ho Oreo Bark by Seduction in the Kitchen
- Homemade Marshmallows by Curious Cuisiniere
- Maple Chocolates by Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
- Matcha Green Tea Holiday Wreath Cookies by NinjaBaker
- White Chocolate Lollipops by The Life and Loves of Grumpy’s Honeybunch
- White Christmas Fudge by Rhubarb and Honey
Renee
Nice gift and great job with the instructions and printables. You really made it easy for people to do this for gifts.
a possible fantasy
such a lovely idea! thank you for sharing!
following you on bloglovin’ and twitter. hope you’ll look for me too. see you around!
♥
a possible fantasy
Katie
Thank you! I’ll look for you, too. 🙂
Tara
I have given cookie mixes away before but never brownies, what a great idea!!
Katie
Ooooh, cookie mixes! Never done those. Must try sometime!
[email protected]
I love giving out jar gifts! this sounds so yummy!
Shannon @VillageGirlBlog
Love the layers in the jar. This is a perfect gift!
CakeSpy
OMG!! I love this idea. I am going to include it in next week’s links!!
Katie
Woohoo! You’re a sweetie! 🙂
Shelby
nice gift idea and I always love the packaging for these type of gifts!
Liz
Such a cute idea! And a gift I’d love to receive 🙂
Betsy @ Desserts Required
I would LOVE to receive this gift. Really, beautiful and I love that it is cost effective!!
MealDiva
I really don’t think there is anything better then homemade brownies! This is a yummy gift that everyone will love to bake up! Yum!
Mary Ellen
I’ve done brownies before and everyone loves them! It is a perfect gift in a jar for a chocolate lover.
Ala
I’ve always wanted to gift brownie mix! It seems like such a simple and elegant thing to do, especially when folks want to wolf down brownies at their own pace instead of–erm–in one sitting. Lovely lovely idea! And your packaging is just so darn cute!
Katie
Thanks Ala! They turn out so tasty, too- I served my test batch at Thanksgiving.
Sarah
I did brownie mix last year and it was a TOTAL hit, yours looks a bit more refined though!
Katie
Nah, it can’t be refined if it’s made from cut up Christmas cards, can it? 🙂 Do you have the recipe on your blog?
[email protected]
Great gift idea and cool to have on handy to quickly whip up a batch of brownies!
Sarah | Curious Cuisiniere
This is such a clever idea! I love how pretty the jar looks with the layers of ingredients.
Jane
Wow, this is a fantastic idea. Something different to giving homemade pickles etc.
I am going to make it a New Years resolution to back read your recipes . Just found your blog love it
Katie
Thanks! Try Ultimate Chewy Brownies, Incredible White Chocolate Brownies, or Champagne Brownie Cake. They’re my favorites so far.
Julie @ Texan New Yorker
I have so many people on my gift-giving list who would go absolutely nuts for one of these jars!! As would I. 🙂
BritishMumUSA
Thank you Thank you Thank you, I have ALWAYS wanted to do this for my kids teachers but did not know how. Don’t laugh….. I did tell you I’m not a baker 🙂 This will be a blast on Sunday!!!! i will send a picture!! 🙂 Thanks
Katie
Yay! Another brownie convert. 🙂 The jar you see in the picture is going to a teacher here, as well!