Today’s sugar cookie is as simple as it was when German Protestants in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, invented them. The sweet, simple treat, then as now, is made with flour, butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and baking powder or soda. Some bakers today give sugar cookies their own special twist with spices like cinnamon or cloves.
What makes sugar cookies so popular still, I think, is decorating them. This is often a holiday tradition that many families enjoy together. Whether with sprinkles, icing, or both, they become part of the holiday decorations. At least until we gobble them all up!
Many households not only put them out as holiday treats but package them up to share as gifts with loved ones near and far. Speaking of sharing, do you have a gift for the unexpected holiday visitor, or two?
We have all had that uncomfortable Christmas celebration moment when there was one more person than there were presents to open. The simple sugar cookie may help you reduce some stress and avoid the discomfort of a guest without a gift.
Of course, you could bake an extra batch of cookies to keep on hand. However, if you are running out of time at the eleventh hour of the Christmas countdown, worry not. You can create a gift with the dry sugar cookie ingredients.
For this easy gift, all you do is collect the ingredients and layer them in jars. Those jars can be put together in multiples and easily decorated. Then you have them on standby for the unexpected visitor or the Secret Santa gift you just found out you have to get.
The first thing you are going to do is pick a sugar cookie recipe. There are literally hundreds of them online. Of course, if you have a family favorite recipe, you can use that.
I picked one called “Easy Sugar Cookies” from Yummy Toddler Food. The name says it all. I’m thinking, if toddlers will eat them with their discerning palates, no one else will have a problem with it either. (For the full recipe, click on Easy Sugar Cookies). Bonus, there are options to make this recipe gluten and dairy-free.
The first thing to do in putting these gifts together is gathering the dry ingredients for the recipe.
For my recipe pick:
(Ingredients are per jar)
Cookies:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
Decorating:
¼ cup festive sprinkles
Decide how many jars you’d like to make up. Then you will be able to figure how much of each ingredient you will need to have on hand in total.
The next step is putting the ingredients in jars. Cooking with Carlee, recommends in her Sugar Cookie Mix in a Jar, using wide-mouth jars as well as a wide-mouth plastic funnel for the ingredients. This will make it very easy to get the ingredients into the jars.
Start with the flour and layer your dry sugar cookie ingredients in the jar. The last item will be the decorative sprinkles on top. When the gift gets put to use, all the dry ingredients will be poured into a bowl and mixed together. Put the lid on to seal the jar, and add a festive ribbon or two.
To finish this gift, you will want to include baking instructions that list the “wet” sugar cookie ingredients that the recipient of your gift will need to add.
There are a couple of options for this last step. You can create a printable tag to attach to the ribbon with easy instructions. You can also print out the sugar cookie recipe you chose and place it in a holiday bag with the decorated jar.
There is no wrong way to put these simple sugar cookie gift jars together. You can add personal touches with decorating, packaging, and instruction tags. You will have a stress-free yet thoughtful gift, or three, ready to go, making any guest’s time with you sweet.
Hoping your holidays are stress-free and create many beautiful memories for you and any guests that come to call.
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