This newsletter is brought to you by Christmas-Cookies.com. For more information, see the bottom of this message.
Back to the newsletter archive page
In this issue:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Get up to $30 off your next purchase at Cooking.com
* Own the KitchenAid mixer you’ve always dreamed of
* Recipes:
- "Lots of Trouble" Cookie Mix in a Jar
- Christmas M&M Cookie Mix in a Jar
* Thoughtful homemade gift ideas for busy cooks
* New recipes at Christmas-Cookies.com
* Tips for making gifts in a jar
* Read our previous newsletters for more recipes and tips
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- Buy More Save More Event at Cooking.com
Limited time offer:
Spend $100, Save $10
Spend $150, Save $20
Spend $200+, Save $30
Use Coupon Code C88273 at checkout. Hurry, offer expires 12/9/01. For more information
or to start saving, visit
Cooking.com now!
--The KitchenAid
Mixer You’ve Always Dreamed Of
What baker hasn’t dreamed of owning one of the beautiful KitchenAid mixers
that we always see on shows like Martha Stewart’s? With the Buy More Save
More event going on now at Cooking.com, you too can finally have your very own
KitchenAid mixer for over $140 off! Regularly $330, the KitchenAid Mixer is
now only $189.95 if you use coupon code C88273 at checkout. Hurry because this
deal ends on December 9. Click
here to take advantage of this special offer.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
ADVERTISEMENT
Save $$$ at Over
700 Brand-name Stores Plus Earn Up To 25% Cash Back!
Stores include KitchenEtc, Domestications, The Home Marketplace, Ross-Simons,
Improvements, Brookstone, and more!
Click here to start
saving!
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
--Recipes
"Lots of Trouble" Cookie Mix in a Jar
Does this recipe look familiar? Yes, it’s that infamous (but delicious) $250 cookie recipe, downsized to fit into a 1-quart jar. But we won’t insult the fine folks at Neiman-Marcus by further spreading the urban legend that won’t die. We once heard someone refer to these as "Lots of Trouble" Cookies so that’s what we’ll call them.
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1-1/4 cup rolled oats
1 1.5-ounce bar of milk chocolate
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup chocolate chips
With wire whisk, mix flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Pour into a wide-mouth 1-quart mason jar, then pack down level with heavy object. Mix oatmeal in a blender. Grate chocolate bar and mix into the oatmeal. Pack on top of flour in jar. Add white sugar and pack down. Add brown sugar and pack down. Layer chopped nuts on top of brown sugar. Finish layering jar with chocolate chips until even with the top. Write out the following directions on a recipe card and attach it to the mason jar with some raffia or a pretty ribbon.
"Lots of Trouble" Cookies
Preheat oven to 375 F. Spoon chocolate chips and nuts into small bowl, set aside. Spoon brown and white sugar into mixing bowl; add 1/2 cup butter, cream well. Add one egg and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, mix well. Pour oatmeal and flour mixture from jar into bowl, mix thoroughly. Add chocolate chips and nuts, and mix until evenly distributed. Roll into walnut size balls, place on greased cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven. Let cool for 1 minute on cookie sheets and then remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Christmas M&M Cookie Mix in a Jar
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/4 cups red and green M&Ms
With wire whisk, mix flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Pour into a wide-mouth 1-quart mason jar, then pack down level with heavy object. Layer with the white sugar, the brown sugar, and the M&Ms, packing down the sugar layers tightly. Write out the following directions on a recipe card and attach it to the mason jar with some raffia or a pretty ribbon.
Christmas M&M Cookies
Preheat oven to 375 F. Empty jar of cookie mix into large mixing bowl. Gently stir together ingredients just to blend flour, sugar and M&Ms together. In another large bowl, cream together 1/2 cup butter softened at room temperature, 1 slightly beaten egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture until thoroughly mixed together. Shape dough into balls the size of walnuts and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for about 10 minutes or until edges are slightly browned. Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes then remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes 30 cookies.
For more tips on making cookies in a jar, see below.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
ADVERTISEMENT
Visit KitchenEtc,
the world’s largest on-line kitchen!
- Gift suggestions for every budget
- Holiday Dinnerware
- Hosting for the Holidays
- Let the Baking Begin!
- Gifts from the Kitchen
Order by December 10 for standard delivery in time for Christmas!
Visit KitchenEtc
now!
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
--Thoughtful homemade gift ideas for busy cooks
Think you’re too busy to make homemade gifts this year? Or maybe your recipient
is too busy to cook? "Cookies in a Jar" mixes like the ones featured
in our recipes section above are a great idea for a thoughtful homemade gift
that will be appreciated by everyone. These are standard 1-quart mason jars
filled with the ingredients to a cookie recipe placed in distinct layers that
make a pretty horizontal stripe pattern. To bake the cookies, your recipient
need only follow the simple instructions printed on the card you provide. Usually
this involves the stirring of the ingredients with butter, an egg, and vanilla
and then baking the cookies in the oven. Pretty, easy, and delicious! And hand
made by you just for them. What could be better?
If you’d like to make your gift just a little bit more fancy, make a whole gift basket out of it. Bake a batch of the cookies and put them in a cellophane bag tied with a ribbon. Then, using the same recipe as the cookies you made, create a "gift in a jar" by layering the ingredients in a mason jar. Tie that with a ribbon with the directions for making the cookies attached. Print up the actual recipe on a card for them to keep, and round out the gift basket with a large mixing bowl, a wooden spoon, and any other item needed to make the cookies such as a cookie cutter, cookie press, Springerle roller, etc. Place all this in a large wicker basket and wrap the whole thing in cellophane tied with a fancy bow.
For more tips on making cookies in a jar, see our "tips" section below. For lots of great recipes for cookies in a jar, visit our Gifts in a Jar category.
--New Recipes at Christmas-Cookies.com
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
ADVERTISEMENT
** Sur La Table
**
Fine Equipment for Cooks and Professional Chefs Since 1972
A paradise for Christmas cookie bakers worldwide
-- Huge assortment of fancy Springerle molds
-- Rosette irons in more than a dozen different shapes
-- Copper cookie cutters in beautiful and unusual shapes
-- Cookie stamps and molds for every occasion
-- Cookie presses with 20 designs
Get equipped to make the most impressive Christmas cookies ever. Visit Sur La Table now!
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
--Tips on making cookies in a jar
While these gifts are very simple to make, there are a few rules to follow to
make them work properly. Here are some tips on how to make your gifts in a jar
tasty and beautiful.
* Start with the freshest ingredients. Your gift in a jar will have a shelf life of 3 months in most cases. If you use fresh ingredients they will keep that long and still taste delicious.
* Layer the ingredients properly. To prevent the different layers sifting down into each other so that they remain distinct, place the ingredients with the finest grains at the bottom, then add ingredients with larger grains, and finally top them off with any large chunks. Pack down each layer tightly before adding the next layer. Also, your gift will look prettier if you layer light and dark-colored ingredients alternately. Usually, your layers will go something like this depending on the ingredients:
- Bottom: flour, cocoa powder, powdered sugar
- Middle: brown sugar, white sugar
- Middle: oatmeal, ground nuts
- Top: chocolate chips, raisins, chopped nuts, candy pieces
* Dress up the jar
Take some pretty fabric and cut out a 9” circle with pinking shears. Place
the circle on the lid of the jar and secure it around the neck of the jar using
raffia or a ribbon. Print out the instructions on fancy paper using a decorative
font.
* Turn any recipe into a "gift in a jar." You can do this with any
of your favorite recipes as long as the total of dry ingredients is 1 quart
(4 cups) or less. You may have to cut your current recipe by half or one third
to get the correct amount of dry ingredients but it will work. Remember to adjust
the amounts of wet ingredients needed when writing out your directions to place
on the jar. Or, rather than cutting your recipe you can use the larger 2 quart
mason jars and if there is any space left at the top of the jar, pack it tightly
with tissue paper or add a few extra nuts or chocolate chips.
* For lots of great recipes for cookies in a jar, visit our
Gifts in a Jar category.