Cowgirl (boy) Cookie Mix in a Jar

As I was trying to figure out what to do for party favors for Annika's birthday, I stumbled across this darling idea at Bakerella.    I simply couldn't resist.
Her idea had pink M&Ms also, which really made the cookies so feminine and adorable - but I decided to go with regular ones because (1.) I couldn't find pink M&Ms  (2.) If I had found pink M&Ms, they would have been at least 3x as expensive and (3.) Annika likes rainbow colors anyways.
I don't think anyone minded.

So I made up a batch of the cookies so we could taste them and I could take photos of the finished product.
Oh my goodness.  They were even better than I was expecting.
Grant put them right up there in his Favorite category.  I couldn't blame him.
They're just fabulous.

Bakerella also has a free downloadable PDF file with the labels that you can print out  - with options for Cowgirl Cookies in pink and Cowboy Cookies in brown, along with the little instructions for baking to cut out and tie to the jars.

Cowgirl Cookies (Mix in a Jar)

1-1/3 cups all purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tap. salt

1 cup old fashioned oats

3/4 cup m&ms

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup white sugar

1-3 cup chopped pecans (optional, I did not include)

Stir all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.

Add in:

1 slightly beaten egg

1/2 cup (1 stick) slightly melted butter

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Mix together well.  You may need to use your hands to really get everything incorporated.  I did. 

Then roll the dough into 1-1/2 inch balls (or use a medium cookie scoop), place on a parchment covered baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes in a preheated 350° oven.  I got about 25 cookies.

To make each  mix in a jar, you'll need the following:

• 1 wide mouthed quart size jar
• A 6" square of desired fabric
• Ribbon or suede cord
• Labels printed out on cardstock
• A paper punch or decorative scissors for cutting out labels, if desired
• Double sided tape

Layer the ingredients in like this:

First: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt (mixed together in a small bowl first)

Second: oats

Third: m&ms

Fourth: chocolate chips

Fifth: brown sugar

Sixth: white sugar

Seventh: chopped pecans (if using)

Pack each level down really tightly.  Seriously.  In my first jar, I almost didn't even get all the white sugar in, so I was glad I wasn't using the pecans.  I honestly don't have any idea how Bakerella got pecans to fit into her jars, because mine were too packed.  But if you can do it, more power to you!!

Linked to Trick or Treat Tuesday