On this last day of October, I thought I would share with you a treat I made for a few friends of mine. I’ve been making these “Deep Dish Brownies in a Jar” gifts for years and they are SO SO good! I didn’t have any pictures in progress so I went to town and bought the stuff to “show” you first hand how these are made….and my hubby will be SO pleased I did. Do you smell D-E-S-S-E-R-T tonight? They are very easy to make for any celebration you have in mind… Christmas, Birthdays, Valentines Day, Easter, etc. All you need are the ingredients placed in layers in the mason jars and then a pretty topper decorated with some flowers or leaves. Tie on a printed card with the directions and you are set!
If you’d like to try my recipe, here it is with a few instructions on the way I do it.
Take a quart jar, (I generally use the regular sized quart jars, but the wide mouth jars can be used too… just don’t pack down your ingredients so tightly) and start at the bottom with these ingredients and work your way to the top:
Add to the bottom of the jar:
1/2 cup chopped pecans, tap the jar so they level out evenly in the bottom of the jar.
On top of that add:
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips, and tap the jar again to level the chips out.
Next add:
2/3 cup of brown sugar, and use something to push it down and make it even across the top. I use an empty spice bottle to smash it all down evenly. Just reach down into the jar and push it down, going around the glass jar edges until you have it flat across the top.
Next pour in:
3/4 cup sugar and tap the jar again to level it out. (I like my jars to have perfectly level rows of the ingredients. It just looks prettier to me.)
Next you are going to mix together a few things to make a sort of cocoa colored mixture:
1/3 cup cocoa, 1 & 1/2 cups flour, a dash of salt and 1/4 tsp of baking powder.
I used my Nutri Bullet to mix up the flour and cocoa, but you can just use a spoon to smash out any lumps of cocoa. I like the mixture to be evenly colored, with no dark cocoa lumps or white flour showing through.
Spoon this cocoa like mixture into the jar last and use a spoon and the spice bottle to push it down as you add it. It’s a tight fit but if you use the bottom of the spice bottom to push it all down in there, it will fit. You want it to be tight so it doesn’t shift around.
Trust me, it fits if you measure correctly as you go.
Screw on the lid and now you’re ready to decorate. I cut a circle about the size of a luncheon plate from my fabric using pinking shears to give it a finished zig-zaggy edge. Put it on top of jar and use a rubber band to hold it in place. Fluff it out a bit and then tie a ribbon or a piece of jute around it.
You’ll need to add the directions to the jar for your recipient to know how to make them. I use card stock and print out 6 of these at a time.
Here are the directions:
Add to Mix:
2 eggs
10 Tbsp Melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
Stir until ingredients are well mixed. It will
be thick and gooey.
Bake @ 350 degrees for 30 minutes in
a buttered 8 x 8 pan.
Tie this tag onto your jar and you’re almost done. Add whatever kind of decoration you like using a hot glue gun: flowers, leaves, acorns, Christmas sprigs, costume jewelry etc. Make it your own and give it with a smile on your face. The person who gets it will be thrilled! I guarantee it!
Okay, do you want to see what happened with mine? Here is how they look before going into the oven…nice and gooey!
Here they are fresh out of the oven…the smell is outstanding!
Served on a plate for my hubby…
See…I TOLD YOU THEY WERE GOOD!
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Oh, what a wonderful idea Jeanne! That is darling , and I bet I will be making those for gifts this holiday season! I guess changing up the material and leaves for the season, can make it work for any holiday! These will be perfect, especially for people who live alone.
Thank you for the wonderful idea, you certainly come through with everything! Your hubby is a very lucky man—-as if he doesn’t already know!
HI Linda,
I’m so glad everyone liked the post today… I knew it wasn’t dolly related, but hoped it would be well received and it has been so far. YAY!
Yes, these gifts in a jar make wonderful gifts for those who need a gift but you just don’t know what to get them. One year I gave 6 jars to my brother with a cookie scoop…( I make all different kinds of them… cookies in a jar, brownies in a jar, etc.) and he LOVED them.
I always give a gift to my top three “buyers of my doll dresses” from the year and one year I gave them a jar of my brownies. I give them as prizes and all sorts of things.
Hope you have fun with the ones you make.
Blessings, Jeann
Yum!!! They look delicious! This is really a great little gift idea. It would be fun for bake sales too. Thanks for the tutorial.
Happy Halloween, Jeanne. We’ve already been tricked this morning…snow!…the rooftops are all white. 🙁 It’s too early!!! Still feeling like it should be summer.
HI Cindy,
They are fun to make and fun to eat! I used to sell them at my local Farmer’s Market and they are a hit for someone who needs a gift but doesn’t know what to buy…
One year for Father’s Day, I even made up some “already made” cookies and put them in the jars, all decorated with “ties” and sold them. I used a mini cookie scoop so the cookies were about 1″ big and they were a hit.
I can’t believe you got snow! EEP… I’m not ready for that yet!
Blessings, Jeanne
That is such a great idea ! I can think of a few neighbors, the mailman, (who delivers your dresses with a smile) and some employees who would love receiving this. Thank you for the recipe and how it gets put together. Looks so yummy. Loved the final picture of the empty plate and glass!!!! So clever.
Well, it’s time to peruse your blogs and look at all the pictures of your dresses. (It reminds me of being a child again looking through a Sears or Penney’s Christmas catalog). Love doing this over a cup of English Toffee coffee. Boy, that brownie dessert would be great with it. Blessings
Thanks Paula,
So glad it was a fun post for everyone. I wasn’t sure if everyone would like it, but hey, who doesn’t like brownies? I’d share a brownie with you for your “coffee time” but mine are ALL GONE! Yikes!
Whenever it gets closer to Christmas, I buy a dozen jars at a time and do my jars assembly line. I like to give them away as prizes! So glad you liked them.
Have fun reading!
Blessings, Jeanne
Wow! Had heard about these but never really tried them. Thanks for the idea and recipe. Great with the holidays coming up. We live in am 55 + community and they will make nice Christmas gift for neighbors , friends along with house gifts. Thanks
so much again for your site as I really enjoy it and appreciate the time involved!
HI Sylvia,
So glad you learned about Brownies in a Jar from me. Glad to be of help! Hope you try them and have fun giving them away. It’s truly a wonderful thing to give and I’ve never had a recipient do anything but ooohhhh and aaahhhh!
Blessings, Jeanne
Awesome idea!
Thanks Kathie,
I hope you give them a try! Well worth the effort!
Blessings, Jeanne