holiday cookie mix gift bags
Monday, December 10, 2012 at 06:01AM You may have seen this project last week over at The Ribbon Retreat blog, as well as some additional bag toppers here, but I wanted to make sure everything got posted in one place, so here it is!
Well, we're down to T minus two weeks guys. Crazy or what? That means it's time to start rustling up gifts for teachers, neighbors, etc. Here's a very simple (and inexpensive!) project that looks like it took a lot of work that's sure to be appreciated: chocolate fudge mint cookie mix in a cute holiday sack.
I love giving homemade treats to friends and neighbors during the holidays, but sometimes we receive so many treats during those few shorts weeks that some of them end up in the trash. Cookie mix makes a great gift because the recipient can make them whenever she wants - if she has guests showing up she can mix them together and have hot fresh cookies in about 15 minutes, or she can tuck the cookie mix away until January and bake them up then. And did I mention these cookies are really, really good? It's win-win for whomever you give these to!
It's win-win for you as well. You can make up the mix with just a few ingredients, then slide it into a simple fabric sack, print out a topper (12 varieties below!), and you're through! If you have lots of these to make you can do them assembly-line style and get a bunch of gifts taken care of in under an hour.
Here's what you need for each cookie mix:
Pour the entire contents of one Duncan Hines devil's food cake mix into a QUART size ziplock bag. Add 1/3 C cocoa, 1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips, and 2/3 C mint chips (there are 2 cups of mint chips in each bag, so you can make three cookie mixes with one bag of mint chips). Zip up your bag and assemble a quick fabric sack.
I used fabric from Moda's Oh Deer Line (from the same layer cake I used for last weeks fabric ornament decals project) because I think it looks holiday-ish even though it's not Christmas fabric. (Go check out The Ribbon Retreat's selection of gorgeous fabrics!) For each sack, you need two rectangles measuring 10 inches tall and 8.5 inches wide.
Lay the rectangles right sides together and sew down one long end, across the bottom, and back up the other long end, leaving the top open. Cut across the top with pinking shears if desired to prevent fraying (not totally necessary). Clip the bottom corners of the sack and turn right side out.
Slide your cookie mix right inside...
...and print out the topper of your choice (all found below). Find the "tasty" versions pictured below right here: blue | green | red | yellow.
The toppers have a thin rectangle around the edge - use a trimmer to cut just outside the rectangle, then fold in half, slide over the fabric sack, and staple to secure. You could also punch holes and thread ribbon or twine through and tie in a bow to secure.
Each topper has a sentiment on the front and the super easy directions for baking the cookies on the back (all the recipient has to add is margarine and two eggs!). If you're interested in seeing what the cookies look like all baked up, click here for a photo of the Reese's version of these cookies.
And here are the toppers! Each topper is made to fold over the top of the cookie mix gift bag and has a holiday sentiment on the front and simple baking directions on the back. Click on the links below the photos to be taken to the topper of your choice, then right click it to download:
Merry Little Christmas topper: red | green | yellow | blue
Very Merry topper: blue | yellow | red | green
Tasty topper: blue | green | red | gold
Cookie mixes are fun to give so the recipient can bake up a batch of treats whenever she or he wants, but if you want to do you own baking, check out this post for free printable templates for four different individual size treat packages:
Linking to some of these parties:
Monday: Skip to My Lou | Brassy Apple | Craft-o-Maniac
Tuesday: Tip Junkie | Ladybug Blessings | Sugar Bee Crafts | The Blackberry Vine | Hope Studios | Funky Polkadot Giraffe | Not JUST a Housewife | Homework Today's Assignment: Be Inspired | Shwin and Shwin
Wednesday: Handy Man, Crafty Woman | Southern Lovely | Sew Much Ado | SNAP | Someday Crafts | The NY Melrose Family | Printabelle | Simply Kierste | Lil Luna
Thursday: Somewhat Simple | House of Hepworths | Momnivore's Dilemma | The Shabby Creek Cottage | Yesterday on Tuesday | Fireflies and Jellybeans | The Taylor House | The 36th Avenue
Friday: Chic on a Shoestring Decorating | The Shabby Nest | Stuff and Nonsense | Naptime Crafters | It's a Hodgepodge Life | At The Picket Fence | 504 Main | Blissful Bucket List | Whipperberry
Weekend: Tatertots and Jello
Reader Comments (9)
Do you have a party link up somewhere on your blog? I am not seeing it anywhere or COM-Mon. anywhere. I so badly wanted to share these in a round up. ;/ very cute idea. jen
These are adorable. Thanks for putting this together. Definitely making these to give out :)
These make adorable and tasty little gifts!
What type/brand of mint chips did you use? I found Andes, but not sure if this would work
Thanks for the wonderful, easy, friend-teacher-neighbor gift idea!
I used Guittard green mint chips, but I have used Andes before and they work well too! If you use Andes, I would use a full cup of them, so 1 bag on Andes mints could be split between 2 cookie mixes. Good luck!
What a brilliant idea. I am visiting you via Somewhat Simple. I look forward to seeing you at My Dream Canvas. Happy Holidays. Anu
oh yum yum. i always love receiving these as gifts! i looove the reindeer print. your graphics are so cute! do you design them in photoshop?
Yup, I use Photoshop Elements. Thanks for your kind comment!
What awesome ideas for gift wrapping! I love the boxes!