6 Tasty Homemade Food Gifts in Jars

Updated November 03, 2018

Need personal ideas for this year's gifts? Try filling jars with eye-catching creations.

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Gift in a jar: Chocolate-Nut Cookies

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Layers of flour, brown sugar, coconut, chocolate pieces and peanuts appeal to the baker who receives this gift in a jar. Include a cookie scoop for an added touch. Vary the color of candy with the season: red and green for Christmas, red and white for Valentine's Day, and orange and black for Halloween.

Check out this recipe at the link above, and click or tap to see five more recipes for tasty gifts in a jar. You can also download a PDF of recipe labels and directions or see our how-to video on layering food gifts in jars.

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Spicy Three-Bean Soup

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Here's dinner in a jar, the perfect gift for busy people. Dehydrated veggies rehydrate when cooked with beans and seasoning. Give along with a bag of corn chips or tortilla chips.

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Cranberry-Bran Muffins

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This gift in a jar has stripes of flour, whole bran cereal, apple pie spice, almonds, brown sugar and cranberries. Seal the streusel topping in a small sturdy plastic bag and enclose at the top of the jar. The jars/gifts keep at room temperature for up to a month.

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Blueberry-Ginger Hotcakes

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Add a bottle of real maple syrup when you give this layered pancake mix in a jar. The hotcakes are more flavor-packed than traditional pancakes.

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Fudgy Snack Cake

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This easy cake-in-a-jar is both quick to assemble and easy to bake. Candy pieces and chopped nuts add a tasty topping to this moist, easy cake—no frosting necessary!

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Fruit and Nuts Oatmeal

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Toasting the oatmeal before layering is worth the effort for added nutty flavor. Nuts, dried fruit, spices and wheat germ all add to the flavor of this robust oatmeal. Give with a small jar of honey.

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Assembling your gift

Once you've selected a recipe, you can make several jar gifts at a time.

The right jar Our dry mixes fit in a 1-quart glass jar or a 32-ounce food canister or container with a tight-fitting lid. Use new or antique canning jars.

Layering tips Form a funnel with waxed paper to ease pouring dry ingredients into the jar. Tap jar gently on the counter to settle each layer before adding the next. It's OK if layers don't fill the jar to the top. Just avoid shaking container and mixing up the layers.

Mini bags Some of our food gifts have a separate bag holding a portion of the recipe. Use a small plastic bag, or a square of plastic wrap closed with a twist tie.

Cooking directions Print directions for how to use the mix, and attach them to the jar. They include other ingredients needed. Use ribbons and labels to decorate the jar.

Storage If you like, add a "best by" date to the jar. These all keep at room temperature for up to 1 month.

Download a PDF of recipe labels and directions

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