12 Mason Jar Gift Ideas for the 12 Days of Christmas [with recipes!]

This article about mason jar gift ideas is sponsored by Western Nut Company.

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Nothing beats a handmade gift, and mason jars are an easy thing the whole family can help create. There are so many clever mason jar gift ideas to gift something thoughtful. 

Read for some recipes or easy things to put together for your friends, neighbors, colleagues, or family. Tie them up with a colorful ribbon, write a nice card, and your holiday list is set! 

Puppy chow

Puppy chow  (also called muddy buddies) is a favorite of many, and for good reason! This sweet treat is easy to make and delightsome to eat. This recipe comes from Joy Food Sunshine. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 6-7 cups Rice Chex Cereal
• 1-2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions:

1. Melt peanut butter and chocolate together.
2. Add half of the cereal mix to a large bowl and pour 1 cup of the chocolate/peanut butter mixture over it. Add the other half of the cereal mix to the bowl, and then pour the remainder of the chocolate/peanut butter mix on top. Stir until the cereal is evenly coated. 
3. Let the mixture cool slightly by putting it in the fridge or outside for a while, but don’t let it harden. 
4. Once your mixture is at or below room temperature, add 1 cup of powdered sugar. Mix until combined. Let cool again for about 15 minutes.
5. Add more powdered sugar ¼ cup at a time until your cereal is coated to your satisfaction.
6. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Jam

This mason jar gift idea to create a berry jam comes from The Kitchn. It does not require any special canning equipment! 

Ingredients:

• 5 cups or 1 lb of berries, such as blueberries, blackberries, or strawberries
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Pinch salt

Instructions: 

1. Cut the berries into large chunks, discarding any heavily bruised sections. Place a few clean metal spoons in the freezer.
2. Combine the fruit and sugar in a saucepan. Place the fruit, sugar, lemon, and salt in a 2- to 3-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat and mash the fruit a little with a potato masher or large fork until you get a chunky texture.
3. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently. Continue to boil while keeping an eye on it, frequently stirring, until the fruit thickens. Give this about 20 minutes.
4. Check to see if the jam is set. To do this, remove a spoon from the freezer and dribble several drops of the jam onto the spoon. Wait a few seconds, and then run a finger through the jam. If it leaves a distinct track in the jam, it is done. If it runs back in on itself, keep cooking the jam and test again a few minutes later.
5. Cool the jam and move it to two jars. Turn off the heat and carefully transfer the jam into 2 clean 8-ounce glass jars. Let it cool to room temperature, and then seal, add a label with the ingredients and date, and store it in the refrigerator. The jam will be good for up to 3 weeks.

Hot chocolate

This hot cocoa recipe from the Food Network is sure to delight your friends. Layering the ingredients gives it a visual appeal, and marshmallows on top make it an extra special treat. 

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 4 pinches salt 
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder 
• ½ cup instant-dried milk 
• ¼ cup shaved semisweet chocolate 
• 48 mini marshmallows 

Instructions: 

1. Using a funnel and four 4-ounce mason jars, layer the ingredients in each jar as follows: 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, a pinch salt, 2 tablespoons cocoa, 2 tablespoons instant dried milk, 1 tablespoon shaved semisweet chocolate and 12 mini marshmallows. Seal the jars.
2. To serve: Tip the hot chocolate mix from 1 jar into a mug and top up with 1 cup boiling water. Mix.

Pancake mix

Delight someone with a holiday breakfast ready to go! This pancake-in-a-jar recipe comes from Mason Jar Recipe.  

Ingredients:

• 4 cups flour
• ¾ cup of non-fat dry milk
• ⅓  cup sugar
• 2 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp baking soda

Instructions: 

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, milk, sugar, baking powder, and soda with a whisk until the mix is fully blended.
2. Gently shift through the mix a few times to remove any lumps and make sure that the consistency is smooth.
3. Once smooth, transfer to your large-sized mason jar for storage, or measure out into smaller mason jars for gifts!

Instructions to attach:

1. Mix 1 cup of the pancake mix with 3/4 cup of water.
2. Pour ¼ -½ cup of batter or your own desired size into the skillet for cooking.
3. Top with butter, syrup, berries, or whipped cream!

Trail mix

This gift idea is easy: grab a trail mix in bulk, and split it up evenly among your mason jars. 

Or get creative and come up with another nut and candy combination! You can use what you already have on hand or shop in bulk for a special combo of your own. Western Nut has a variety of mixed nuts and dried fruits to make something truly unique.

Dried fruit

Dried fruit is another great gift since it lasts for a longer amount of time than fresh produce. Pack your mason jars with a handful of dried mango, strawberries, blueberries, apricots, and figs to create a colorful combo, or stick to one type of fruit per jar. 

Candied nuts

This recipe from Inspired Taste features candied pecans, but feel free to experiment with other types of nuts! Almonds, walnuts, peanuts, and cashews all make delicious treats. 

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1½ tablespoons water
• 2 cups (6 ounces) pecan halves

Optional:

• 2 teaspoons orange zest
• Pinch cayenne pepper

Instructions: 

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
2. Add brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, cayenne, vanilla, water, and the orange zest to a medium skillet. Place the skillet over medium heat and stir until the brown sugar melts into a bubbling sauce, about 1 minute.
3. Stir in the pecans so that the brown sugar sauce coats them. Cook, stirring until the pecans look candied and smell nutty, for 2 to 3 minutes. As the nuts heat up in the pan, the sauce will slowly coat them and become shiny. Watch closely as the nuts cook so that they do not burn.
4. Transfer the candied pecans to the prepared baking sheet and spread them into one layer. Allow the pecans to cool down and break them up before serving.
5. Store cooled candied nuts in your sealed mason jars. Label them with the date and ingredients. They will last at room temperature for one week, in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.

Syrup

Another recipe from Mason Jar Recipe is about how to make homemade syrup. Or, keep your gift shopping simple and divvy a high-quality maple syrup from bulk! For a killer combo, pair it with a pancake mix or jam. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ⅔ cup water
• ½ tsp vanilla extract

Instructions: 

1. Take a medium-sized saucepan and add all of your ingredients to it. Whisk well.
2. Place the pot on medium heat on the stove and continue mixing until the ingredients start to boil.
3. Once boiling, remove from heat and let it cool.
4. Transfer to an airtight container or mason jar for storing. As the syrup cools, it will thicken.

Popcorn

Another easy mason jar idea is to fill it with popcorn. This can be as simple as purchasing premade, or, just like with the trail mix, feel free to get creative! Check out this post from Insanely Good Recipes to brainstorm different flavored popcorn ideas.

Cookie mix

This recipe for a chocolate chip cookie mix comes from Very Best Baking. 

Ingredients:

• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups (9 ounces) chocolate chips
• ¾ cup packed brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ cup (1 ½  sticks) butter or margarine, softened
• 1 large egg
• ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup chopped nuts (optional)

Instructions for mason jar: 

1. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. 
2. Place flour mixture in a 1-quart jar. 
3. Layer morsels, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in the order listed above, pressing firmly after each layer. 
4. Seal with lid and decorate with fabric and ribbon.

Instructions to attach:

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. 
2. Beat ¾ cup (1 ½  sticks) softened butter or margarine, 1 large egg, and ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract in a large mixer bowl until blended. 
3. Add cookie mix and ½ cup chopped nuts (optional); mix well, breaking up any clumps.
4. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. 
5. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Yogurt pretzels

This salty and sweet treat is a huge crowd-pleaser. Though you can purchase yogurt pretzels ahead of time, Stony Field Organics shares this simple, three-ingredient recipe to make your own. 

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of miniature pretzels
• 2 cups whole milk yogurt
• 5 cups confectioners’ sugar
• Optional: peppermint candy chunks

Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 250°.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix the confectioner’s sugar into the yogurt one cup at a time with a hand blender.
3. Using tongs, chopsticks or tweezers, dip the pretzels, one at a time into the frosting and place them on a wire cooling rack.
4. Place a baking sheet under the wire rack to catch the excess frosting that will drip from the pretzels.
5. Once all pretzels are coated, turn your oven off and place the wire rack and baking sheet in, leaving the oven door slightly open. The excess heat will help the frosting dry without leaving the pretzels soggy.
6. Optional: add peppermint chunks after cooking and while the frosting hardens. 
7. Allow frosting to harden for 3-4 hours, remove from oven, and store pretzels in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Candles

This short video from HGTV Homemade uses mini mason jars to create adorable candles. Once you have gathered your materials, putting these together is not so complicated. 

Ingredients:

• Soy flakes
• Candle wicks
• Fragrance oil
• Hot glue gun

Instructions: 

1. Use the hot glue gun at the bottom of the wick and place it at the bottom center of the jar, holding the wick up with a clip
2. Place a cup of the soy flakes in a microwavable-safe container, adding your essential oils of choice. Heat until it is fully melted. 
3. Pour the melted wax into the jar. 
4. Let it set overnight, then cut the wick. 
5. Decorate the jar with ribbons, stickers, fabric, or whatever your heart desires!

Related articles:

• 5 Nutty Holiday Gift Ideas From Western Nut Company
• Oh No! I Forgot the Neighbors!: 5 Easy and Creative Neighbor Christmas Gifts That Will Brighten their Spirit This Holiday Season
• Pack your bags! Extended stays at Bear Lake await you

This is a sponsored article brought to you by KSL News Radio in conjunction with the advertiser. The advertiser paid a fee to promote this article and may have influenced or authored the content. The views expressed in this article are those of the advertiser and do not necessarily reflect those of KSL News Radio, its parent company, or its staff.