Cranberry-Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies in a Jar

Need an easy, last-minute, but thoughtful gift? Look no further, because these Cranberry-Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies in a Jar are fun, festive, thoughtful and are so simple to make.

Alright, I’m back again with another DIY gift idea for your friends and family. Just yesterday, I posted these Buttery Soft Jam Thumbprint Cookies and today I’m presenting, these Cranberry-Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies in a Jar! It may be a tongue twister of a title, but they are so easy to make & ridiculously delicious!

With the holidays just around the corner, finding the perfect gifts for everyone on your list can become overwhelming & stressful. You’ll be asking yourself “will they like it?“, “will they use it?“, “can I afford this?” and that can take the joy right out of gift-giving season. Not to mention the ginormous crowd of people at the store on the same mission. Bah humbug!

For the holiday time, I enjoy giving handmade items and my friends & family look forward to them every year. They are unique, fun and bring tons of smiles. This year I’ll be handing out these Snowmen Meringue Cookies, my super hydrating Body Butter and this Pumpkin Spice Latte Sugar Scrub and of course these gorgeous & tasty, Cranberry-Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies in a Jar.

Why is DIY the way to go?

DIY gifts are becoming increasingly popular over the years because they save time, money and are extremely thoughtful & fun to give. The other big reason…. is because of Pinterest. There are so many eye-catching, creative ideas on there, and the photos make us feel like DIY superstars, until the finished product doesn’t quite look the same 😉 I couldn’t tell you how many times this has happened to me. I’m crafty, but I’m no Martha and perfection isn’t my forte.

So, with that said, I promise this isn’t some Pinterest fail setup. What you see, is what you get and it’s so darn easy for you, and for the gift recipient. So, you can put the fun back into gift giving with these adorable cookies in a jar. It’s creative, unique, edible & tasty! It’s the perfect DIY gift for the cookie lover in your life or the cookie lover in you. Yep, you can gift these to yourself, because…why the heck not?

This is what you’ll need:

Just a few common baking ingredients, a sealable jar, your best decorating skills, and some holiday spirit!

You can find a jar at Target, grocery stores, hardware stores, dollar stores or just use a clean sauce jar. It all works! Jars are great because they can be reused over & over until they are eventually recycled. I love when gifts are eco-friendly, too.

For the jar contents, you’ll need all-purpose flour, baking soda, white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, rolled oats, dried cranberries and vegan chocolate chips. You might have everything in your pantry already, but if not, you will most likely find it all at your local grocer.

For the decoration, you can use festive ribbon & bakers twine to attach name tags, small ornaments, cinnamon sticks, candy canes or anything that strikes your fancy.

Can you believe it? That’s all you’ll need to make a festive, fun and gorgeous gift!

It’s so easy to assemble – almost as simple as just adding water!

1- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together. Add contents carefully to bottom of the jar (a funnel can be used for easy pouring). Pack down each layer gently with the back of a spoon.

2- Gently pour the white sugar on top as evenly as possible.

3- Add brown sugar and cinnamon on top.

4- Pour rolled oats on top.

5- Pour a layer or cranberries and then the chocolate chips.

6- Close jar and dress up with some ribbon. Tie on a name tag and write the baking ingredients & instructions on the back.

*Note: if you have terrible handwriting like me, you can print out the recipe on paper & attach it to the back of the name tag, or make a mini scroll and tie it on. There are also free printable tags online, but I’m too lazy for that. They are super cute though!

If you’d like to add a fun fact to the recipe card, you can write that the cookie dough is completely edible in the raw! This will amaze your non-vegan gift recipients and maybe plant a little seed 😉

Let’s talk more about the end result. How do these cookies taste?

These Cranberry-Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies in a Jar have a classic taste and texture that we all love. They are lightly crisp on the outside, and soft & chewy on the inside. They are sweet, chocolatey, oat-y & have a slight zing from the dried cranberries (I highly recommend them). They are hearty enough for dunking and soft enough for that classic melt-in-your-mouth feeling!

Alright, let’s get cracking on one of the easiest gifts you’ll find and give this season!

5 from 1 vote

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Cookies in a Jar

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

Total Time

20 mins

 

Need an easy, last minute, but thoughtful gift? Look no further, because these Cranberry-Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies in a Jar are fun, festive, thoughtful and are so simple to make.

Course: Dessert

Recipe Type: Vegan

Servings: 25

Calories: 149 kcal

Author: Melissa | Vegan Huggs

Ingredients

Ingredients For Jar:

• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup vegan sugar
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips

Items Needed:

• 1 liter jar (or 1 quart)

Ingredients For Gift Recipient

• 3/4 cup softened vegan butter
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup plant-based milk (or water)

Instructions

Instructions For Gift Giver:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together. Add contents carefully to bottom of jar (a funnel can be used for easy pouring). Pack down each layer gently with the back of a spoon.
2. Gently pour the white sugar on top as evenly as possible.
3. Add brown sugar and cinnamon on top.
4. Pour rolled oats on top.
5. Pour a layer or cranberries and then the chocolate chips.
6. Close jar and dress up with some ribbon. Tie on a name tag and write the baking ingredients & instructions on back.

Instructions For Gift Recipient:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Pour the jar contents into a large bowl and combine well. Set aside
4. In a medium bowl, cream the butter, vanilla and milk together until smooth.
5. Add the butter mixture to the large bowl and combine until a dough is formed. Dough will be slightly sticky & slightly crumbly. If dough is too crumbly, add 1-2 teaspoons of milk & combine.
6. Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls, and place onto baking sheet. Bake for 9-12 minutes, or until edges are light golden brown. Don't over cook. They will look slightly undercooked on top & that's normal. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack. Enjoy right away or store in air tight container.

Recipe Notes

*Makes about 25-30 cookies

 

 

Nutrition Facts

Cookies in a Jar

Amount Per Serving (1 Cookie)

Calories 149 Calories from Fat 63

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 7g 11%

Saturated Fat 1g 5%

Sodium 139mg 6%

Potassium 33mg 1%

Total Carbohydrates 20g 7%

Dietary Fiber 1g 4%

Sugars 11g

Protein 1g 2%

Calcium 1.4%

Iron 4.6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Looking for a recipe for your holiday morning? You might be interested in these Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal Muffins. They are easy, delicious and will feed a whole herd of house guests.

If you make these Cranberry-Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies in a Jar, I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below and let me know what you think. It would really make my day. You can also follow me on Instagram and share your creation with me, Just tag me @veganhuggs and hashtag #veganhuggs.