Welcome New Neighbors with Mason Jar Cookie Mix
With PCS season slowly creeping up on us, many military families are sure to begin noticing an influx of new families entering the neighborhood. PCS season is a personal favorite of mine, because I am always so excited to meet the newbies in the neighborhood in hopes of fostering close friendships.
Just last week, we had a new family move in two doors down. It was actually a little bit of a surprise, since only a few months before a different family had just finished moving in.
As the new family was moving in, I realized that there was no moving truck, so it was likely that they were just moving in from somewhere else on the island. That seems to be pretty common here, considering that we were the last “new” family to move in on our street, and that was over two years ago!
Since I know this family is not in need of toiletries or the like while they wait for their household goods, I figured a nice sweet treat would be perfect. The thought of a pineapple crossed my mind, because: hello, Aloha! Instead I chose to go with an Easter treat, since we’ll be celebrating this weekend.
In the past, I’ve seen posts on the wives pages about baked goods, and not necessarily trusting the cleanliness of the baker. For that reason, I decided to go with a jarred cookie mix, so that if there was any doubt, they could just bake out my germs. Because that’s how it works, right? At least that’s how I always see it!
Being the mason jar addict that I am, I had no troubles finding a quart-sized jar in my storage closet to put the dry ingredients into for these chocolate chip cookies. Everyone loves cookies, and you really can’t go wrong with adding some candy coated chocolates in there to add the holiday flair. I love to keep the candies on the top, so that should the recipient need a quick snack while unpacking, the candies will be easy to grab from the top.
Preparing your jar of goodies is so simple too! Some basic pantry staples, and you’ll be good to go! I adapted a recipe from here. The recipient is in charge of adding the wet ingredients, which includes 1/2 cup I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, an egg, and some vanilla.
Mason Jar Cookie Mix
Cookie mix in a jar makes the perfect gift for new neighbors!
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup candy coated chocolate
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add this mixture to a quart-sized jar as the bottom layer and pack it down.
- Add the brown sugar on top of this layer, then pack it down, followed by the granulated sugar.
- Finally, top the jar with your chocolates, and seal.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour cookie mix into a large bowl, and add ½ cup I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, 1 beaten egg, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Stir until mixed completely. Drop tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto a lined baking sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes. Enjoy!
Along with the gift and instructions, be sure to jot down your name and phone number, just in case the recipient ever needs to reach you. I loved that my neighbor did this when we first moved to Hawaii, because as a result, I was able to text her for play dates. She would text me to ask for a ball or toy that had gone over the fence, instead of knocking or ringing the doorbell, as to not wake a teeny tiny napping Ju monster.
The great thing about this gift is that you can easily use the available holiday themed candies, to make it a seasonal gift. Hey, and even if the jarred mix doesn’t get used, I love how pretty a filled jar looks on a counter top!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of MSB New Media & Unilever. The opinions and text are all mine.