Give the always welcome gift of delicious cookies with this cranberry white chocolate cookie mix in a jar. Quick to make and inexpensive to give, it makes a great gift for Christmas - or any time of the year.
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Here's another quick and easy gift in a jar cookie mix for you that makes delicious cranberry and white chocolate cookies.
Made with whole wheat flour, oats, and less sugar than typical (because of the white chocolate and cranberries), you will feel good about giving these, too.
While I have a long-time favorite cranberry oatmeal cookie (so crispy on the outside - probably from the roll in sugar...), these run a close second.
When I was making the test batches, Brian couldn't stop eating them - and his favorite cookie is plain chocolate chip, so that is saying something (I think he ended up eating four!).
So, yeah, these are pretty good.
This is yet another 10 minute gift idea that comes in at less than $5 for the ingredients. I've got a set of labels for you to download and print to add to the jar with a bow, so you can give these to neighbors, teachers, family, and anyone who'd enjoy them.
Notice the similar tags with the Snickerdoodle Cookie Mix? Not only is it easy for me to create similar tags for various mason jar mixes, but it also coordinates the jars if you'd like to give a gift of two or more!
This recipe is part of The Sweetest Season, an annual virtual cookie swap co-hosted by Erin of The Speckled Palate and Susannah of Feast + West. Every year, food bloggers get together to share new holiday cookie recipes to make and give.
This year, The Sweetest Season is raising money for Cookies 4 Kids’ Cancer, which is a recognized 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to funding research for new, innovative and less-toxic treatments for childhood cancer.
Help us raise money for this important cause! Donate through our fundraising page.
Cookies for Kids’ Cancer is in a matching window with their friends at OXO, meaning OXO will be matching every dollar raised through the end of 2022, up to $100,000. Whatever money raised will automatically double on our fundraising page!
Cranberry White Chocolate Cookie Mix
Ingredients & Supplies
- Whole wheat pastry flour
- Oats, either rolled or quick
- White sugar
- Brown sugar
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Cranberries
- White chocolate chips
- Chopped walnuts or pecans
- Quart size jar with lid
- Large funnel (I use a canning funnel, which I use all the time, not just for canning)
- Ribbon or twine, scissors
- Printed direction tags (below)
Directions
Cookie mix jars are so easy to make - layer the ingredients in the order listed in the recipe card below, tamping the jar down on the counter (or wood cutting board if your counter is hard like quartz) after each layer is added.
The tamping is important, since you will think the ingredients won't all fit after adding them through the funnel. They will - trust me.
PRO TIP: For distinct layers of even small amounts of ingredients, measure out the baking soda (or baking powder or cinnamon, etc.) in a small bowl, then take a long handled spoon and spread a little at a time evenly all around the edge of the previous layer, like shown above, leaving the center free of that ingredient.
Once your layers are complete (aren't they pretty?) and the jar sealed, you simply print out the tags I've made for you (the directions for making the cookies are on the back) and attach one to the jar.
You can add a bow or just use baker's twine to attach the tag - it's up to you.
Free Cranberry White Chocolate Cookie Mix Gift Tags
Click on the image of the tags below to open in a new window and download to your computer. (Or click here to open.)
How to Print & Cut Out Tags
- There will be two pages, the cookie name on front and the baking directions on the back - print back to back on a colored printer to get the kraft paper tag color.
- Use a heavyweight paper or light cardstock for best results.
- You may notice that the front and back tags don't match up exactly (a-hem), but it doesn't matter after cutting. Cut from the front side first along the lines and then trim any white you see on the back after cutting out. It all works out!
- Use a hole punch on the white circle for the tag hole - it should match up perfectly.
If you like, you can make up a batch of cookies and give a few along with the jar so they can have cookies now and later.
I don't know about you, but having easy cookies to make after the busy holidays when we're not full of all kinds of treats is a very good thing.
TIP When Baking: Since the cookie mix is made with melted butter, they will need to be shaped a bit more when scooping onto the cookie sheet - the pieces of chocolate, nuts, and berries tend to fall out. Press all the goodies into the dough with your fingers into a ball shape after scooping out onto the cookie sheet. (I did test batches with both softened butter and melted and the melted won big-time, so it's worth it!)
Cookie Mix FAQs
Since the mixes are made with dry pantry ingredients, they will last as long as the ingredients themselves (flour, sugar, etc.). Since baking powder is often the first ingredient to lose it's potency, a rule of thumb is about 6 months stored in a cool, dark place. If there are nuts in the mix like this one they should be used in 3-4 months.
Mixes with only pantry staples like this snickerdoodle mix come in around $2 a jar. Cookie mixes with dried fruit, chocolate chips, and/or nuts are more expensive, but still are around $5 a jar - still a great budget gift option.
This recipe has been tested as written, so I can't say for sure what other sugars and flours would work as well. Regular whole wheat would result in a denser cookie, though mixing half whole wheat and half all-purpose flour may work.
You can change out the dried fruit, nuts and baking chips though - use whatever combo you'd prefer.
Ideas for Packaging
You can always give the jar as-is, but if you'd like to add a few other cookie-related items here are a few ideas:
- Wooden spoon and tea towel.
- 1-inch cookie scoop (the KEY to uniform, round cookies!).
- Box of coffee or tea, depending on what they prefer.
- A bag of freshly made cranberry white chocolate cookies so they can "taste test" what their jar will be like.
Cranberry White Chocolate Cookie Mix
Equipment
- quart jar
- large funnel
Ingredients
For Quart Jar (layer in order given):
- 1 ⅛ cups whole wheat pastry flour (or whole wheat white flour)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup oats (both whole rolled oats & quick oats work)
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup white chocolate baking chips
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
To Add Later:
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Layer Dry Ingredients:
- In a clean, dry quart-size mason jar add the dry ingredients in the order listed (flour, soda, salt, sugars, oats, cranberries, white chocolate, nuts) using a large funnel and tapping the jar on the counter between each layer to settle.
- Add lid to jar, print out direction tags and attach tag to the jar with ribbon or twine.
When Ready To Bake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease or line two cookie sheets.
- In a large bowl mix the melted butter, egg and vanilla. Add the contents of the cookie mix jar and stir well until everything is combined.
- Use a small cookie scoop to portion out dough onto the prepared cookie sheets, 2 inches apart. You will need to shape the dough a bit, pressing the fruit, nuts and chips into the dough and making small round balls.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely before storing in an airtight container (or freezing for longer storage).
- One jar makes about 24 cookies.
Notes
Nutrition
More Mason Jar Gifts
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amy says
Thank you, Jami! These are so delicious. I baked a test batch and my husband, neighbors, and plumber were all very happy! These will definitely be on my "give list" this Christmas. I only had regular all-purpose flour, and it worked fine because I was very careful not to overmix the dough; that's where using all-the-way melted butter was extra helpful!