Make It Yourself Monday- Gift in a Jar

I am sure that you all have seen at least one gift in a jar before, but when was the last time you did one up? Quick, easy, and oh so delightful, these make the perfect gift for almost any occasion. I made several different varieties for Christmas gifts this year for friends, neighbors, and even some delivery people. I especially enjoyed giving the Fast,Microwave Fudge, the Rocky Road Rice Treats, and the No Bake (Bailey's Irish Cream) Balls recipes in a jar. I am not sure where the original Irish Cream Ball recipe came from, but it is an interesting and tasty one, one that will surely please any lucky recipient.....if you can bear to give it away!

To prepare the ingredients, simply crush (finely) 3 cups of vanilla wafers (you can purchase 12oz size boxes) then place in the quart-sized jar. Then add 1 cup of chopped pecans and 1 1/2 teaspoon of unsweetened cocoa powder to the top of the jar, and you are just about done! All that is left to do is to screw the lid on, write the recipe on the back of a gift tag, and attach the tag, Whalah, your gift is ready to give! How fast and easy was that?! To jazz up the jar gift a little more, you can drop it into a gift bag or a colorful favor bag (you can get a pack of 10, in all sorts of themes, at the dollar tree)  use the accompanying tie closure or use a pretty ribbon, or you can do as I did, and take a material remnant, placing it over the lid and tying with a piece of raffia, ribbon, or string. .

Finished Gift Jar of Bailey's Irish Cream Balls

 The recipe that needs to go on the back of the card is; Pour the contents of the jar into a large mixing bowl, add 1/2 cup of Irish Cream and 3 Tablespoons of light corn syrup. Stirring with a wooden spoon, blend well. Once thoroughly mixed, allow to stand for 5 minutes, then shape into 1" balls. Roll the balls in confectioners sugar, then place on a wire rack to dry for one hour. Once dried you may, if desired, roll in the confectioners  sugar again. Layer the balls in between wax paper and place in an airtight container for storage. YUM, YUM!


Another ingredient gift that I had wanted to try myself, but haven't yet had the opportunity, is a CUP or MUG gift, especially the Baked Custard one. Have you seen these? You need a large, oven-safe cup/mug, one that will  hold all the ingredients once the liquids are added. Generally they recommend at least a 12 ounce size, and I am thinking that those cute min-crocks would be a good alternative for the [jar] soup ingredient ones, as well as this custard one. I found this recipe on a make it yourself gifts site, but forgive me, as I failed to note the site name. The recipe itself did not list an author or any reviews, but it sounds good to me!  Unfortunately, I won't have a pictures for you since I haven't made it yet, but I would love to hear from anyone who does make this. Pictures would be great too!

To make the custard mix, aside from the cup, you will need; 2 Tbs. sugar, 1 tsp. cornstarch, 1 Tbs. raisins, and 1/4 tsp. of nutmeg. Add all the ingredients and place into a zip-lock bag. Once finished, just seal and place the bag into the cup/mug that you are giving. You can either add the instruction card to the inside of the cup or attach it to the outside of your gift bag, with the twisty tie. The 10 cent favor bags work well for the mug/cup gift too!

The directions tag should say; Baked Custard. Preheat the oven to 325f degrees/165c. In a small dish, beat 1 egg yolk. In a medium saucepan, bring once cup of milk to a simmer. Take the custard mix from the cup and place into a bowl. Add to it 1/2 tsp. of vanilla and the beaten egg yolk. Mix well, then add 1 Tbs. of the heated milk, and continue to mix. Slowly add the rest of the milk until it is well incorporated. After it is stirred in, pour the mix back into the cup/mug and bake for 15 minutes.