Brownies

Christmas Gift Idea: Mason Jar Brownies

12:00:00 PM



Here we are, back again. In the spirit of Christmas (and a small wallet) I decided to make all of my Christmas presents! Mostly using Mason Jars. Because for some odd reason, I have a slight obsession right now. 
Last time I told you all about the Happiness Jars. This time I'm going to tell you about the Mason Jar Brownies. I found this recipe over at iheartnaptime.net and you can visit the exact page here!
Though that recipe is almost the same as this one, I did have to add my own twist to it!
Making these was not an easy task. Let me warn you. 

You'll need:
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 cup sugar 
1 cup Andes crushed mints. (on the website it says peppermint but they were no where to be found!) 
1 1/4 cup flour 
and a pinch of salt

When you do make this, I would suggest putting down an old newspaper because it got quite messy when I gave it a go. 
 I also didn't have a mason jar big enough for the last 1/4 cup of flour but for the second one I did, the jar happened to be big enough! So if you can't fit anything just add it to the tag. 
The tag is what you use to write down the "wet" ingredients of the mixture and the directions at which to cook it. 
1 cup melted butter (2 sticks)
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
Bake in a 9x13" pan at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 25 minutes and 
voila! 
This jar also doesn't have to be a Christmas present, though if you do use peppermint then it would imply that it is, but it would be a cute birthday or Mothers Day or even Fathers Day gift as well! 
I hope you give it a try! Let me know what you think!
xx
Kenzie

Christmas

Christmas Gift Idea:Happiness Jars

12:00:00 PM


It's finally almost here. 
It's almost Christmas! 
Being a college student who loves writing cards, and having Christmas as an excuse for giving people gifts..actually affording to give gifts can be pretty tough!
If you're looking for some great DIY Christmas-y gift ideas, you're in luck..I've got a few! 
The first one I chose to do, was a Happiness Jar. 
Happiness Jars have been going around for ages, you write down happy things you've done throughout the year and read them at the end of it to remind yourself of what a great year it has been.
I decided to put my own twist on it and create Happiness for people. 
Things that will make people happy in case they're ever upset or sad or even lonely, they can just pluck one of the color strips of paper from the jar and hopefully
 it'll make them smile!
You will need:
-A mason jar (or a couple, depending on how many you're going to make)
-Colored pens or markers
-Labels (I used chalk labels because they seemed fun!) 
-Tags
-Tissue Paper
-Colored Paper

Make a list, on a separate paper. I had the bright idea that I was going to do 365 happy things. It's harder than it looks, but it's also good to list them before putting them in so you don't have repeats! 
I used a small variety of colors for my colored paper pieces and wrote from the list what the happy moments or things or quotes were. 

After you've put everything inside, put on the label and write Happiness, or the persons name if you'd like. Then grab the tissue paper. It doesn't matter what color it is, I found some sparkly paper and decided it was perfect. I took the middle part of the lid out and dabbed a bit of glue inside the lid, setting the tissue paper inside. 
Careful it doesn't rip, tissue paper is very..fragile. 
Tie your tag to the bag after putting in the jar, or before, don't forget to write the name! 
I made two of these jars and each person had different happiness things in them. As they're two very different people!
I hope you give these a try and let me know what you think! 
My next idea is coming up soon! 
xx
Kenzie




Cookies

Banana Oatmeal Cookies

12:30:00 PM


You should probably, if you don't already, know that I love trying out new things. 
 As I was searching for new things to try, mostly cooking, I came across this recipe on Pinterest! It looked delicious and my massive sweet tooth definitely told me I had to try it out! Being on Spring Break this week gave me the perfect opportunity to give it a go!
There are a lot of ingredients in this one, but you don't use a big amount of them all. 
You'll need



 1.5 Cup of Flour
 1 teaspoon baking powder
 1 teaspoon baking soda
 1/2 teaspoon salt
 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 banana
1 egg
2 tablespoons oil
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup regular granulated sugar
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1 and 3/4 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup chocolate chips

 First get two large or medium sized bowls. I used similarly sized bowls for this. In one bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

  Then set it to the side. 
In the second bowl mash the banana then add egg, oil, brown and granulated sugars, yogurt and vanilla then whisk the ingredients together. 
 After whisking, add the banana/egg mix to the flour mix and stir until combined. 
Then you get to have a little more fun by adding in the oats. This is where I decided to put in raisins and chocolate chips, splitting what would be the 1 cup of chocolate chips into 1/2 a cup of raisins and 1/2 a cup of chocolate chips!

  
On a prepared baking sheet, I placed the parchment paper before putting the dough on as it's easier to clean up after. The recipe says to space the dough 2 inches apart and the balls should be about a tablespoon. To get cookies that don't flatten, put the baking sheets into the oven for about an hour. 

  Then preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then bake your cookies for 12 minutes, or until slightly golden. They smell amazing and taste great too! 
  

The recipe I made actually made 28 cookies. Which seems like a lot but maybe that's because they're small. I hope you get to try it out! :)
xx

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