Holiday Gifts & Gift Baskets Blog

Posts Tagged ‘cookie gifts’

If you asked grandparents what they would like for Grandparent's Day's, the answer you would hear most is "A Vist".  Spending time with your grandma and grandpa is the best gift you could give them.  But if they live far away, a heartfelt gift along with a message of love would also warm their hearts.

Here are some more Grandparent's Day gifts:

1. A Handmade Gift - Have children make a homemade card or poem for their grandparents.  Including pictures makes it even more special.  If you're an adult grandchild, you could make them a no-sew fleece project like a blanket, scarf, or pillow.  Anything you made yourself will be special to your grandparents.

2. A Photo Book - Companies like Snapfish and Shutterfly make scrapbooking easy!  Just upload your favorite photos, then pick fun backgrounds and add your own text.  A photo book with current photos, or one with past photos of family is a great gift for grandparents.

3. Classic DVD's - What TV show did your grandparent enjoy watching?  Many classic TV shows are now available on DVD, and are fun watching all over again!

4. Fresh Baked Cookies - Grandparents are known for having goodies on hand for the grandkids!  How about getting them a basket of goodies just for them?  At Holiday Gifts & Gift Baskets we carry a variety of delicious treats from cookies to snacks packagaged in "Happy Grandparent's Day" containers, like the ones shown below.

For even more great ideas, check out this Grandparent's Day Gift Ideas lens at Squidoo!

Are you ready for Mother's Day?  Do you have the perfect gift picked out for your mom?  Maybe she loves chocolate, or how about some cookies?  Or if your mom is anything like mine, she loves some pampering, so a spa basket would do the job!  You can find all those and more at Holiday Gifts and Gift Baskets!

Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs in my field, since the payment is pure love.  ~Mildred B. Vermont

The moment a child is born, the mother is also born.  She never existed before.  The woman existed, but the mother, never.  A mother is something absolutely new.  ~Rajneesh

A mother's happiness is like a beacon, lighting up the future but reflected also on the past in the guise of fond memories.  ~Honoré de Balzac

For even more Mother's Day gift ideas, check out Squidoo for lenses such as Honor Mom on Mother's Day.  And find hundreds of Mother's Day gifts on our website as well.

A homemade gift is a great way to let someone know you are thinking of them. My favorite homemade gift is a jar mix - from cookies to soups - the possibilities are endless! Jar Mixes make great gifts for teachers, your child's bus driver, the postal worker who delivers your mail . . . anyone!

The most common jar to use is a canning jar (also called a Mason jar). Before filling your jars, wash them thoroughly and make sure they are completely dry before adding ingredients. Each jar will be filled with only the dry ingredients. Using a small funnel or a rolled up piece of paper can help with getting the layers to lay just right (don't tip the jar while filling). To pack down your layers, a great item to use is a tart tamper. Other things that may work is a small ladle, a spoon, mallet or spatula.

You may want to decorate your jar before filling. If the jar is filled to the top so that the contents don't move much, then decorating afterward is fine too. One of most important parts of your jar is the Mixing/Baking instructions. You can attach this with a ribbon to your lid or glue it to the jar itself. You can have fun with this too! Use stamps or stencils to create a one-of-a-kind personalized label. You can also use your computer to personalize your instruction labels and print them on sticker paper.

Here is one recipe to get you started!

Decadent Brownie Jar Mix Instructions

Jar Ingredients:

* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1-1/2 cups sugar
* 1/3 cup HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Cocoa
* 1 cup REESE'S Peanut Butter Chips or HERSHEY'S Premier White Chips
* 1/2 cup HERSHEY'S Mini Chips Semi-Sweet Chocolate

Filling the Jar:
First stir together flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Layer the ingredients in a 1-quart glass canister or jar in the following order (from bottom to top): sugar, cocoa, flour mixture, peanut butter chips and small chocolate chips. Tap jar gently on the counter to settle each layer before adding the next one.

Instructions to attach to jar:

1. Heat oven to 350 F.
2. Grease and flour an 8x8x2-inch baking pan.
3. Combine 1/2 cup (1 stick) melted and cooled butter and 2 slightly beaten eggs in a large bowl.
4. Gently stir in jar contents.
5. Spread in prepared pan.
6. Bake for 35 minutes.
7. Cool in pan. Cut into bars.

Makes 16 Bars

Check out Squidoo for even more homemade jar mix recipes and tips!