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.
Prep ahead update: I’ve now refrigerated the batter for as long as three days, and the cookies still turn out great.
When baking the refrigerated portions, you may find the cookies spread less than usual. If so and you prefer more spread, reduce the oven temperature by 25℉. This will allow the butter to melt and spread the cookie a little more before the heat of the oven sets the cookie.
Can these chocolate chip cookies be made gluten-free?
The short answer is yes, absolutely. Simply replacing the all purpose flour with a cup-for-cup gluten-free flour will do the trick. But…
How do I make a better gluten-free chocolate chip cookie?
Though a good gluten-free blend (I like King Arthur Flour’s Measure for Measure or my homemade blend), I can detect a hint of “gluten-free flavor,” which I attribute to the rice flour. (It can lend a gritty, chalky nature to the flavor and texture.)
Because I think a gluten-free recipe should taste just as good as its glutenous counterpart, I have experimented a lot. Short of creating a cumbersome homemade blend of several alternative flours, my best solution to date is to replace 25% of the GF flour with super fine almond flour. So in this case, you’d use 1½ cups (190g) GF flour and ½ cup (56g) super fine almond flour. I’ve served this to many gluten eaters, and they raved as usual, not noticing a difference. (Love it when that happens!)
Download printable gift tags with instructions here:
Click here: Printable Chocolate Chip Cookies in a Jar Tag Sheet
Chocolate Chip Cookies in a Jar
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.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (254g) all-purpose flour (see notes below for gluten-free option)
- 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
- In a mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients and pack firmly into a quart-size jar.
- Cover with the lid.
- If you prefer to make these cookies right away, there is no need to store to the ingredients in a jar first. Simply follow the instructions for a delicious batch of classic chocolate chip cookies!
Attach card with the following directions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉.
- In a mixing bowl, beat ¾ cup (12 tablespoons) softened butter until creamy. Add 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and beat until incorporated.
- Add the contents of the jar to the mixing bowl.
- Mix by hand until just combined.
- Drop by tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes or until just set.
- Enjoy with a glass of milk, coffee, or tea! (Yield: 24 cookies)
Notes
Recipe first posted December 6, 2013
Shots from years gone by…
A cookie cake is a fun and festive option…
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