Chocolate Chip Cookies in a Jar

A popular hostess and holiday gift and a great project for kids to make for friends, Chocolate Chip Cookies in a Jar are fun to bake, give, and eat. Printable tags included! 

A delicious cookie-in-a-jar recipe was harder to devise than I expected.  Not only did the cookie have to taste great, the mix had to fit in a standard size jar!

While layering the ingredients creates a pretty effect, the dry ingredients will fit better when mixed as described below. The prep is also less fussy, and more importantly, the brown sugar won’t clump if the mix isn’t made right away.

As an added bonus, this recipe can be made in one 32-ounce jar or two 16-ounce jars. Half batches allow for economical gift giving and freshly baked treats with minimal effort. If cutting the recipe in half, just remember to halve the ingredients on the attached instructions. 

When I started making (and giving) this chocolate chip cookie recipe somewhere around 2012, my sister-in-law, Melissa, deemed it her favorite chocolate chip cookie. High praise for such a classic cookie! 

Crispy or chewy? 

Since the texture of chocolate chip cookies tends to vary from recipe to recipe–some like thick and chewy, others thin and crispy–I should mention that the following recipe lies somewhere in the middle.

I used to bake the cookies at 375℉ for 8 minutes, which produces a cakier cookie that does not spread very much. Over time, I reduced the oven temperature to 350℉, baking for 10 minutes (or 11 minutes for my husband who prefers a crispier cookie). The lower temperature allows the cookie to spread more–but not too much–and crisp just a touch. These parameters may be helpful if you’d like to experiment and achieve the texture you most prefer. 

The batter may be portioned and refrigerated for several hours or overnight and baked later. Simply cover to avoid drying out the dough. While you could refrigerate the bowl of batter and scoop later, the batter will become rather firm. In this case, the bowl would need to let it sit at room temperature for a while to make scooping easier.

When baking the refrigerated portions, the cookies will spread even less and could be baked at a temperature of 25℉ lower than the above-mentioned temperatures to achieve similar results. 

Chocolate Chip Cookies in a Jar

Yield: 24 cookies

For twice as many gifts, divide the dry mixture evenly between two pint-size (16-ounce) jars. If you do this, remember to cut the additional ingredient amounts in half and write your own instruction card rather than using the printable gift tags.

For those who enjoy the salty-sweet combination, a light sprinkle of flaky sea salt adds a little something special to the freshly baked cookies.

Print

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (254g) all-purpose flour
• ½ cup (96g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (100g) packed brown sugar
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1½ cups (255g) semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 (32-ounce/quart-size) jar

Instructions:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients and pack firmly into a quart-size jar.
2. Cover with the lid.

Attach card with the following directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350℉.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine ¾ cup (12 tablespoons) softened butter, 2 eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
3. Beat until creamy.
4. Add the contents of the jar to the mixing bowl.
5. Mix until just combined.
6. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
7. Bake for approximately 10 minutes or until just set.
8. Enjoy with a glass of milk, coffee, or tea! (Yield: 24 cookies)

Notes

• If making a half batch, use 6 tablespoons softened butter, 1 egg, and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract.

• I’ve also used the recipe to make a Chocolate chip cookie pizza (see photo below). To do this, spread the batter evenly over a pizza pan and bake at 350℉ for about 15 minutes. I like to line the pan with parchment for easy removal. Once cooled, you may decorate with icing as you would a birthday cake.

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Recipe first posted December 6, 2013

Shots from years gone by…

My then 4-year-old niece, Evie, helping to bake the chocolate chip cookies!

…and Evie at 9, with older sister Grace, 12. For added fun, this recipe can be made as a chocolate chip cookie pizza, which is quicker than making individual cookies and can be decorated for a crowd-pleasing alternative to a birthday cake. Bake at 350℉ for about 15 minutes. I like to line the pan with parchment paper for easy removal.