It’s not the holidays without cookies, and giving the gift of homemade holiday cookies in a jar is such a fun and easy idea. This post has everything you need to make the best holiday jar cookies for gifts, including printable labels!

We’ve turned two of our most popular cookie recipes into holiday jar cookies for you to give to your friends and family this season.

If you’re looking for a fun holiday gift to give to friends and coworkers, our cookie jars are filled with sweetness, carefully measured out, and lovingly stuffed to the top of a 32oz Ball jar.

Each jar is adorned with a charming personalized, wooden Christmas tree ornament, tied with twine, and comes with a printable tag for instructions. 

They’re a total blast to make. It’s like being a kid again, layering all those vibrant ingredients in a jar. They can also be customizable. You can tailor each jar to the taste of your friend or family member. Grandma loves raisins? Throw them in! A friend loves walnuts add those in too!

They’re a gift that keeps on giving. Every time someone opens one of your jars and bakes up a batch of cookies, they’ll think of you.

I highly recommend the personalized wooden ornaments! An added touch of char.

How to Make Cookie Jars 

Cookies in a jar are an easy gift idea perfect for the holidays. Using our recipes below, you’ll layer in all of the dry ingredients and chocolate chips into the jars. Then, the gift recipient must only have the wet ingredients on hand and mix and bake!

Use our printable tags below so that guests know what ingredients to use and how to make the cookies. This is very important so don’t forget to print the tags and tape or tie them to the jars. 

How to Layer in Dry Ingredients 

You will work backwards when filling the jar with the cookie mix. What you use last in the recipe will be at the bottom of the jar, thus it will be what it filled first. Here’s how:

The chocolate chips and any other nut or berry are always folded into the recipe last. So keep them at the bottom of the jar. That way, the recipient can easily scoop each layer at a time into the mixing bowl and end with the chocolate chips.

The next dry ingredient that’s used is the flour and oats (if you’re making chocolate cherry chunk cookies) so the flour and any baking soda, powder or salt would be the ingredient to pot over the chocolate chips.

The very first dry ingredient that goes into a mixing bowl when making cookies is the sugar, brown or granulated. This is what you want to be at the top of the jar, so it can easily be spooned into mixing bowl with the butter. 

Then, screw on the lid and add a printable recipe tag to the jar. 

Products You’ll Need to Make Holiday Jar Cookies

• 32 oz Wide Mouth Ball Jars – Perfect for cookie jars and reusable for so many things after!

• Stainless Steel Measuring Cups and Spoons – These have a sleek, oval design and long handles that comfortably reach into tall containers.

• Cooking Twine – Perfect for tying around the jars to hold the ornament and tags.

• Personalized Wooden Christmas Tree Ornaments – These are adorable and personalize the cookie jar!

• Everyday White Bowls – For holding ingredients. 

• Printable Tags (see below to download) – Download and print our cookie tags, which give instructions on how to bake the cookies and the other wet ingredients required.

Chocolate Cherry Chunk Jar Cookies

These cookies are buttery and filled with chocolate chips, dried chewy cherries, and pecans! We used our original recipe but cut down a few ingredients to fit into a 32 oz jar. Here’s what you need to make this cookie jar.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cups chocolate chunks 
• 1 cup dried cherries 
• 1/2 cup pecans 
• 1 cup old fashioned oats 
• 1 cup flour + 1 tsp baking soda + 1/2 tsp salt (mixed together) 
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (pressed down as much as you can)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar. 

You will need to use a spoon to press each ingredient into the jar after filling so it will all fit! 

Directions 

Pour the chocolate chunks into the bottom of the 32oz wide mouth ball jar. 

Next add in the cranberries, then pecans. 

Measure the flour and add the salt and baking soda in with it. 

Then scoop the flour over the pecans. 

Add the oats and brown sugar and top it all with the granulated sugar. 

Close the lid and attach twine, a personalized ornament, and a printable tag on how to make the cookies.

Butter-less Chocolate Chip Cookies Jar Cookies

Our butter-less chocolate chip cookies are Sugar and Charm’s most popular cookie recipe!

In order for these to fit into a cute 32oz wide-mouth Ball jar, we cut the recipe in half, which still makes 18 cookies! The printable tag reflects the change, and these couldn’t be easier to make!

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips 
• 1 1/4 cup flour + 1/2 tsp baking soda + 1/4 tsp baking powder + 1/4 tsp salt 
• 3/4 cup brown sugar 
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar 

Directions

First, add the chocolate chips to the bottom of the jar. 

Next, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. 

Add in the brown sugar and then layer the granulated sugar over the top. 

Close the lid and using twine, attach a personalized ornament and a printable tag on how to make the cookies.

Tips for Making Cookies in a Jar

1. Carefully add each layer into the jar using a spoon so they don’t mix.
2. Ensure all ingredients are adequately sealed before giving them as a gift to avoid mess!
3. Include clear, step-by-step instructions on how to bake the cookies so that anyone can follow them easily. It’s also an excellent way to personalize the gift.
4. Use good quality ingredients when making your mix. This will ensure some delicious cookies!

Cookie Jar Printable Tags 

These tags are made for each jar so you can download and print them out to attach to the jar. They have the rest of the ingredients and the directions for each cookie recipe.

Click here to download our Butter-less Chocolate Chip Cookie Tags

Click here to download our Chocolate Cherry Chunk Cookie Tags

The tags are very important when gifting cookies in a jar, so don’t forget to download, print, and attach them to the jar! 

More Holiday Recipes You’ll Love!

The Best Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Lavender Chocolate Chunk Cookies in a Jar

DIY Pine Scented Soy Candles

Best Homemade Hot Chocolate Recipe

The Perfect Snickerdoodle Recipe

Let us know if you make these cookies in a jar by leaving a comment and review below!