Homemade Christmas gifts!

This year I decided to do mostly homemade gifts, for fun and also to save a little money. I made three different types of cookie mix in a jar, which Kevin and I gave to friends, family, and coworkers. I decorated these with fabric circles and made a tag with baking instructions, which I tied with a ribbon around the top. I also made two different types of flavored cooking oil for my dad. (Also a no-sew fleece blanket for my brother, but that doesn't really belong here!)

M&M Cookie Mix in a Jar
Source: About.com

Jar Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• * M & M's

Filling the Jar:
Layer the ingredients in a quart size canning jar in the order listed. I used a small funnel and it worked pretty good for most of the ingredients! Use enough candy pieces so the jar is full to the top. You can use regular M & M's (I used the red and green ones) or the mini M & M's made for baking. Pack down all indredients, especially the brown sugar!

The website has printable tags that include baking directions for the recipient!

Decorative Brownie Mix in a Jar
Source: About.com

Jar Ingredients:

• 1 1/8 cup flour
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup vanilla chips
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• walnuts

Filling the Jar:
Layer the ingredients in a quart size canning jar in the order listed. I used a small funnel and it worked pretty good for most of the ingredients! The walnuts are optional. If you use the walnuts, use enough to fill the jar to the top. If you do not use the walnuts, use extra chocolate and vanilla chips so the jar is full to the top. Pack down all indredients, especially the brown sugar!

The website has printable tags that include baking instructions for the recipient!

Snowball Cookie Mix in a Jar
Source: Gifts From Your Kitchen

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts

(4 1/4 cups are placed in quart jar.)

Place 3/4 cup sifted confectioners' sugar in a separate packet to attach to jar with recipe.

Attach the following instructions to the jar:

Snowballs
Cream 1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter or margarine with 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract. Gradually stir in the Snowball Cookie Mix until ingredients are well combined. Dust your hands with a little of the confectioners' sugar and roll the dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on baking sheets and bake, in a preheated oven, for 5 minutes at 325 degrees F or just until light brown. Transfer to racks to cool for 15 minutes, then roll in the confectioners' sugar.

These cookies keep well in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Do not freeze them.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

First I used measuring cups to figure out the volume of my bottles; they held just under 2 cups. Then I adjusted the amounts in the recipes accordingly. The bottles came from the Dollar Tree.

Hot Chile Oil
Source: Whole Foods Market

Makes 3 (8-ounce) bottles of oil

Ingredients
3 teaspoons peppercorns (white, black or pink)
3 teaspoons cumin seeds
3 teaspoons red chile flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 (25.4-ounce) bottle extra virgin olive oil or canola oil
10 whole dried chile pods

Method

Wash 3 glass bottles with hot soapy water, rinse well and set aside to dry. Once dry, place 1 teaspoon peppercorns, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon red chile flakes and 1/2 teaspoon salt in each bottle. Heat olive oil and chile pods in a sauce pan to 150°F, turn heat off and allow oil to sit for a half hour. Carefully strain out chile pods. Place funnel in the bottle opening and pour oil in the bottle, leaving about 1 to 2 inches at the top. Shake to mix well, seal and store in a cool dark place for 1 week before enjoying. Package with a stainless steel spout around the neck of the bottle for easy dispensing.

Basil Oil
Source: Food Network - Michael Chiarello

For soft herbs, such as basil, parsley, cilantro or tarragon: Use 4 cups packed leaves to 2 cups pure olive oil.

For woody herbs, such as rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano or lemon verbena: Use 1 cup packed leaves to 2 cups pure olive oil.

In a blender, puree the herbs and oil until completely smooth. Put the mixture in a saucepan and bring it to a simmer over moderate heat. Simmer for 45 seconds, then pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Don't press on the mixture, but you can tap the strainer against your hand to get the oil to drip through faster.

Immediately strain the oil again through a flat-bottomed paper filter. If the filter clogs, you may need to change the filter partway through. It's okay to pick the filter up and squeeze it gently to get the oil out faster, but be careful not to break the filter.

(Sometimes a little dark liquid comes through the filter first. Don't worry; that's water. It will settle to the bottom because it is heavier than the oil.)

Let the filtered oil settle for a few hours, then pour it off the dark liquid. Store in an airtight jar in a cool, dark place.

Cook's Notes: The oil passes through the filter faster if it's filtered while still hot, so set up your filter before you start the recipe. You'll need a flat-bottomed paper filter, like those used for some drip coffee machines. Cone-shaped filters tend to get clogged.

Yield: about 1 1/3 cups