Shelly’s Friday Favourites gives you the gift of holiday mason jars

I was a bit of a mason jar hoarder long before I moved to the property we live on now. I love blue mason jars, and I’ve made them into everything from tooth brush keepers to utensil holders.

For a long time I found myself wishing for even more mason jars, just because I wanted to expand upon my mason jar crafting. But when I moved here I quickly learnt to be careful what you wish for, because the previous owner left me 20 flats of mason jars. That’s 20 flats with 12 mason jars in each.

Because we’ve been renovating and I wasn’t even sure what to do with that many mason jars, I kept them in boxes in our storage shed. There they sat until the day that big wind storm hit, and when the shed came down so did the boxes. Have you ever seen mason jars roll all over your yard? I have, and it’ s a strange sight. There must have been close to 50 making their way around the yard when the gusts of wind hit, and I had to wait for the storm to settle down before I went out there to pick them up.

Sadly, some didn’t survive, but these jars are surprisingly hardy and I was able to collect a lot of them and put them in bins. I couldn’t figure out what to do with them until Christmas hit, but as I was looking out the window at my buckets of mason jars, suddenly everything made sense. Why? Because I’ve solved my mason jar overcrowding issue along with checking off everyone I have to buy for this year. I’m giving the gift of a mason jar cookie recipe Christmas to everyone I know.

I’ve never tried these types of mason jar crafts, and I’m excited to try different recipes. I even have a holly tree growing right outside my front door, so I can garnish every jar with a little sprig of greenery. You can also decorate them with labels, stickers, or just a little festive ribbon. I like the idea of using a Cricut to design and cut out the recipe cards, and then attach them with a bow.

Holiday mason jar recipes are everywhere online if you look for them. Here are a few I’m going to put together this year.

Cowboy Mix in a Jar

For a great basic cookie anyone can throw together, look no further than the Cowboy Cookie Mix in a jar. It’s easy and it looks nice when layered in a mason jar. Photo and recipe from allrecipes.com

Directions

Layer the ingredients in a 1 quart jar in the order given. Press each layer firmly in place before adding the next layer.

Include a card with the following instructions: Cowboy Cookie Mix in a Jar 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. 2. In a medium bowl, mix together 1/2 cup melted butter or margarine, 1 egg, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Stir in the entire contents of the jar. You may need to use your hands to finish mixing. Shape into walnut sized balls. Place 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. 3. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes in the preheated oven. Transfer from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.

White Chocolate Chip Cookies in a Jar

This is my absolute favourite cookie, and when I make them there are never any left to share with friends who stop by. Giving them their own jar to take and bake at home is the perfect solution. Photo and recipe from Christmas.organizedhome.com

Directions

Sift flour before measuring. Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder together in a small bowl.

Layer ingredients in quart-size canning jars: flour mixture, packed brown sugar, white sugar, nuts and baking chips. [Hint for FoodSaver brand vacuum sealer owners: use the jar sealing attachment to seal jars for longer storage.]

Cut appropriate number of 7-inch circles from cotton fabric. Top each jar with fabric circle, and tie with ribbon.

Print appropriate number of gift tags with recipe instructions. Cut gift tags apart and attach to jars with ribbon. Or, hand-write recipe tags with recipe below.

White Chocolate – Macadamia Nut Cookie Recipe

Empty cookie mix into mixing bowl; use hands to thoroughly blend mix.

Add: 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened, 1 beaten egg, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Mix until completely blended.

Shape into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes until tops are very lightly browned.

Cool 5 minutes on baking sheet. Remove to racks to finish cooling. Makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

Illuminated Snow Scene in a jar

This one isn’t a recipe exactly, but it’s still a great mason jar craft for the holidays. Because it uses a battery operated tea light, you can add a festive glow to your shelves or use it as a nightlight for your kids. Photo and idea from bitzngiggles.com

Directions

The first thing you want to do is grab your mason jar and put the faux snow inside. Put in just enough to be able to cover the bottoms of your figures.

Now place your figurines or items in your jar. If you really want to secure them well, you could glue them to the bottom of the jar before you add the snow,

Pick up your tealight and adhere the magnet to the back with glue. Position it so you can still open the back to remove the battery if needed. The button magnet fits perfectly to allow access to the battery.

Now, place your tealight on the inside portion of the mason jar lid. I turned my tealight on to make sure it was working properly, as well. Turn the lid upside down and give it a good shake. Does the tealight stay attached to the lid? If so, it means your magnet is strong enough. If not, you may need to try and find a stronger magnet.

All you really need to do to turn your tealight on and off is to unscrew the top of the jar and flick the switch on the back of the tealight.

Tie a bow around your jar to dress it up and you’re all set.

Mason jars—they’re really the gift that just keeps on giving aren’t they? I hope these ideas help you put together something special for someone special this year. Here are a few ideas of other things you can put in mason jars.

Planning on giving a gift card? Dress it up in a mason jar

For the baker, a mason jar full of Christmas cookie cutters is a great gift

For the kids in your life, why not load a mason jar with lego?