This Christmas brownie in a jar recipe is a great cheap edible Christmas gift that can be prepared in advance, customized to tastes, and wrapped up with a cute ribbon and bow. Plus, it uses oat flour for a great gluten-free Christmas gift option this year. I mean, who doesn’t love brownies? I dare you to point me in the direction of someone who says they don’t. If that’s the case, they must have tried a bad recipe. Chocolatey, rich, and delicious so what’s not to like. For years now, I’ve loved spending time in the kitchen, making edible Christmas gifts for friends and family members. This year I was trying to come up with gluten-free gifts for a friend. Welcome the Christmas brownie in a jar. As much as I love preparing baked goodies for edible gifts, sometimes I need an option with a long shelf life. This brownie in a jar only needs the raw ingredients, a recipe card, and the packaging. Best of all, you don’t have to bake them yourself. As a gift, it is very budget-friendly but also a genuinely thoughtful gift for friends and family. I like to change elements depending on the recipient. For example, different ingredients to stir into the brownie or sprinkle over the top. Jar brownie mix recipes can also be adapted towards various dietary needs.
How to make this Christmas Brownie in a Jar gift
I’m used to writing long how-tos and recipes on my blog, so writing the method for this edible Christmas gift is surprisingly short. Simply add the dry ingredients into a glass jar, decorate it, and include a recipe card, and voila! For a beautiful presentation, layer the ingredients in the following way. First layer 1/2 the oat flour, the sugar, the remaining oat flour, and the cacao powder. Above that add the baking powder, salt, and vanilla powder. Note* I used homemade vanilla powder for this recipe. It’s super simple to make, and you can check out the three easy steps here: DIY: How to make Vanilla Powder. Finally, add the chocolate chips and top with crushed walnuts, and the jar is done. Next, it’s time to move on to the decorations. There are various elements to think about here: ribbon, recipe card, string, labels, material for the top of the jar etc. If you’re making a lot for different people, then you can use different decorative touches and customized recipe cards. This will surprise and delight your loved ones. I’m not going to tell you exactly how to do this part- let your creativity loose. personally, I wanted quite a rustic, natural ‘homemade’ look. I included hessian material with twine and a recycled brown recipe card. In terms of your recipe card – again, you have various options. Some people like to print a design out onto a card, and some do theirs handwritten on bought tags. For an even more sustainable version, then you can use leftover cards or materials from your home. In fact, this mason jar Christmas gift is a wonderful option for a sustainable gift giver. You can save up the jars throughout the year and use sustainable decorations such as recycled paper/card and materials. You can even use materials from old clothes otherwise destined for the bin, to make the ribbon and topper.
The Christmas Brownie Recipe
This brownie is gluten-free and packed with extra health benefits thanks to the walnuts. If you want to know more about the health benefits of Walnuts, then check out my Walnut Butter Recipe. It also works as an excellent gift for Vegan loved ones. The brownie mix itself is naturally vegan as long as you use vegan chocolate chips. It’s the wet ingredients that would be non-vegan so you can simply change the recipe card with Vegan suggestions. I’ve tested this recipe multiple times, and the brownies have come out perfectly moist and gooey every single time! Here’s the recipe for you to try yourself. Along with the dry ingredients provided in the jar, you’ll need:
Two eggs1/3 cup butter, softened
Note * Exact ingredient amounts are in the recipe at the bottom of this post.
To make vegan
Substitute the eggs and butter with:
flax or chia eggs ( 1 tbsp chia to 3tbsp water and left to thicken for at least 20 minutes)1/3 cup coconut oil
The first step to making the brownies is to beat the eggs with melted butter (or mix the vegan ingredients). In a separate bowl mix the dry ingredients and crush the walnuts into smaller chunks. Mix the wet and dry ingredients till thoroughly combined and pour into a lined 8″ square oven tray. Bake for fifteen minutes at 325ºF/170ºC (fan-assisted) and then leave to cool slightly before cutting slices. You can always make these brownies even more indulging. Just drizzle some melted dark chocolate and add some berries, frozen or fresh. Adding a bit of rosemary creates the perfect Christmasy touch.
Other Edible Christmas Gift ideas you may like
For other cheap edible vegan and/or gluten-free Christmas gift options then you have various options. If you want to make a Christmas gift basket full of food gifts, then you might like homemade nut & seed butters. These can be flavoured and adapted, as needed. You may also like to make a foodie gift basket including homemade vanilla extract, vanilla powder, candied pecans (or other nuts), and even rose water. As always, if you give this Christmas brownie recipe a go then let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Also, feel free to tag me in your recreations @AlphaFoodie.
