Christmas Cookie Mix Gift

Ingredients(Makes 30 cookies) For a 1 litre capacity jar. 100ml SPAR white sugar 75ml SPAR pure brown sugar 61g box Smarties 250ml (120g) SPAR cake flour 1.5ml Bicarbonate of soda 175ml SPAR breakfast oats 175ml Caramel or chocolate Rice Krispie cereal 175ml Coconut 40ml Cocoa powder

Method Wash the jars and lids thoroughly with hot soapy water, rinse and ensure they are completely dry before use. The entire list of measured ingredients must all go into one jar otherwise the proportions will be incorrect when mixing and baking later. Collect these ingredients together and carefully measure into each jar, in this order, to create compacted, visually defined layers, reaching the brim to prevent the ingredient layers mixing. Cover with a square of wax paper and close the lid securely. Include the mixing and baking instructions provided, and print onto a Christmas tag attached to the jar with ribbon. A paper or Christmas fabric doily will hide a branded lid effectively.

Baking Instructions (for label) Set oven at 180 ºC. Pour the entire contents of this jar into a bowl. Work in 90 g softened margarine or butter, 5ml vanilla essence and 1 large beaten egg. Roll large-marble-size balls and place well spaced apart, onto greased oven pans. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Transfer to cake rack when slightly cooled and firm enough to lift. Yield: 2 ½ dozen

Hints and Tips You can use a bigger or smaller jar - just scale the ingredients accordingly. A clean dry empty 175ml yoghurt tub is helpful for measuring some of these ingredients. For children needing to keep costs lower for preparing gifts for their friends, keep all empty, large, wide-mouthed glass food jars after use. Any food glass jar with a 750ml capacity is fine eg. large peanut butter, mayonnaise, instant coffee. Soak off the labels and scrub off any remaining glue. Pour ingredients such as both sugars and the flour, through a funnel resting in the jar opening, to ensure their addition is controlled and no mixing occurs. Pat down each ingredient once it has been added, to settle it further. Pour the Smarties around the jar edge only to maximize the visual effect.

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