Because Baking is Creative: Just Add Butter

Sometimes I think I'd like to institute "bake break" in addition or in place of "lunch break." There's just something so satisfying about baking...you have the ingredients, follow directions, make something, it smells good, and tada, you're done (unlike most art projects). Last week I had an itch to bake something, but I didn't have ingredients nor much time. I remembered a fabulous party favor from a lovely baby shower I attended recently, I was saving it for the perfect moment and this was the moment.



Cookie mix in a jar--great for party favors or holiday gifts (and perfect for when you want to make cookies on a whim!). The fine gals that put these together gave their gifts a personal touch with a sweet swatch of pale pink fabric and a porcelain spoon. Even the Kerr jar gave it a nice old fashioned look. I've included the directions for the cookies that I made below (I added coconut, too). You can find many more cookie mixes to which you can add your own personal touch, here.





Country Oatmeal Cookies in a Jar

3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup rolled oats
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Using a 1 quart or 1 liter jar, layer in the ingredients in the order given. Pack down the jar after each addition. Put the lid on, and cover with an 8 inch circle of fabric. Secure the fabric over the lid using a rubber band, then cover the rubber band by tying a nice piece of ribbon or raffia around the lid.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium bowl, cream together 3/4 cup of softened butter, with 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Add the entire contents of the jar, and mix by hand until combined. Drop dough by heaping spoonfuls onto an unprepared cookie sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven.