Homemade Christmas Cheer

Two weeks ago, I had to host a gathering of Catholic ladies. We call ourselves "Mother's Fellowship" and we gather once a month to talk about things spiritual and not-so-spiritual. My hosting duties followed shortly after the latest priest pedofile scandal in the news and I wasn't too gung-ho to discuss anything related to my disappointing church (see my previous rant on this topic here). Instead, I thought I'd share ideas of homemade gifts that I've gathered from places like Family Fun, blogs (I love this idea from Chef Messy), and magazines. I gathered the supplies to make this yummy cookie mix which everyone got to put together and take home.

I'd tell you what craft magazine I got it from but I left it at my mom's house over Thanksgiving and I can't remember. Here's the recipe, though:

Layered Jar Mix

Ingredients:

All-purpose flour, 1 c
Salt, ½ tsp.
Baking soda, ½ tsp
Granulated sugar, ¼ c
Firmly packed brown sugar, ½ c
Toasted wheat germ, ¾ c
Quick-cooking oatmeal, 1 c
Dried cherries, ½ c
Golden raisins, ½ c
Sweetened flaked coconut, 2/3 c
Instructions:
Wash and thoroughly dry one-quart wide-mouth canning jar: Add ingredients to jar one at a time in the order listed(beginning with flour and ending with coconut), pressing primly with a flat-bottom glass or some other tamper after each addition. Be sure to make the layers as even as possible. Secure lid and decorate as desired.

Card Instructions for Jar:

OATMEAL FRUIT COOKIES

½ cup (1 stick) butter softened
¼ cup milk, 1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place jar ingredients in medium bowl & stir. Set aside.
2. Place above ingredients in a large bowl and cream with a fork. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture and blend with a spoon.
3. Drop dough by heaping teaspoons onto an ungreased baking sheet, spacing cookies 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.