Thank you to Rubbermaid® for sponsoring this post. All opinions are mine alone.
Chewy oatmeal cookies presented in a beautiful do-it-yourself gift pack. Share your love of baking with all of your friends this holiday season!
It’s almost that time of year again. The time where everyone starts to focus on the positive; spreading love, cheer, and happiness with friends near and wide. For most of us, that includes finding the perfect gift for everyone on your list.
After a little shopping at Target, I got inspired! So, this year, I’m calling on all of my baking lovers to make that gift a DIY cookie gift pack with Jenni’s Oatmeal Cookies. It’s a great way to share your love of holiday baking with all of your friends and can even be customized with the receiver in mind.
We will start with my recipe for Jenni’s Oatmeal Cookies: soft, chewy, and gluten free. With a little help from Rubbermaid® TakeAlongs holiday edition prints, a printable recipe card, and a festive bow, you have a gift perfect for all of your favorite cookie lovers.
I am so in love with these DIY holiday cookie gift packs! Previously, I have used canning jars to make these gift packs, but this year I wanted a more festive packaging and more space for customizing. Luckily, Target came to my rescue when I found these snow print, limited edition, 6.2 cup TakeAlongs containers from Rubbermaid®. These containers not only give me the perfect gift giving box, but the receiver can reuse them again and again.
If you aren’t familiar with Rubbermaid®, their TakeAlongs are my go-to plastic containers for taking food on the go. They are affordable, high quality, disposable containers, with an easy open Quick Clik Seal™ lid. They are also top rack dishwasher safe, microwaveable, and freezable. I keep a collection of them on hand to give away baked goods, store leftovers after a large holiday gathering, or taking my favorite treats to holiday parties.
For this year’s gift packs, I’m using my recipe for Jenni’s Oatmeal Cookies. This recipe was created for my friend Jenni, who cannot eat gluten. Whenever Jenni and I are home for the holidays at the same time, I like to take baked goods to her and her family. However, for the past few years, Jenni hasn’t been able to do much more than smell them. So I created these cookies just for her. Even after testing the recipe close to a dozen times, I still like them!
The instructions for these cookies are like most cookies. Mix the dry ingredients together. Mix the butter with the sugar, then add the vanilla, eggs, and milk. I have included step by step instructions, with important notes in the attached recipe card below.
When making these cookies gluten free, make sure that you are using gluten free flours and gluten free oats. Yes, oats are naturally gluten free, but unless they are labeled that way they can be cross contaminated in the factory.
In testing this recipe I found that you will get very different results from using all purpose flour instead of baking flour, and by using melted butter instead of softened butter. Here is the breakdown:
For a chewier cookie: use an all purpose, gluten free flour, xantham gum, and melt the butter to a liquid.
For a cake-like cookie: use a gluten free baking mix (check the label to make sure the xantham gum is included) and use butter that has been softened to room temperature.
If gluten isn’t a problem for you, this recipe works with regular all purpose flour too, no xantham gum needed. Use melted butter for a chewier cookie and room temperature butter for a cakelike cookie.
DIY Cookie Gift Pack Instructions:
My favorite part about these holiday gift packs is that they can be customized to the receiver’s needs.
Prior to assembling your cookie gift packs, decide if you want a complete gift pack, a partial gift pack, or if you just want to follow the recipe below and give the gift of homemade cookies!
Partial Gift Pack:
This gift pack is shelf stable, with no refrigeration necessary. It’s perfect for handing out at the office, or keeping on hand for any unexpected guests that may stop by. If you have friends that keep butter, eggs, and milk on hand, this is the gift pack for them.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl add the dry ingredients: 2 cups all purpose, gluten free flour; 1 cup gluten free oats; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 tsp baking powder; 1 tsp xantham gum.
- Stir to combine, then pour into the bottom of your Rubbermaid® 6.2 cup snow print TakeAlongs container.
- In a small mixing bowl combine together the brown sugar, white sugar, and vanilla. Whisk to incorporate the vanilla into the sugars, then place the mixture into a small zip top bag, placing the bag on top of the flour mixture.
- OPTIONAL: Include a couple of freshly baked cookies, wrapped in plastic, on top as samples to eat right away!
- Print off the gift pack instructions (print in landscape to create the size pictured) and attach it to the top of the container, or place it inside. Sample is printed on card stock.
- Finish off with a festive bow or ribbon!
Full Gift Pack (not pictured):
This gift pack is not shelf stable, refrigeration is required. Great for the friends that like to bake, but never have the ingredients on hand to actually do it. It won’t last as long as the partial pack, but it gives them everything they need outside of the mixing bowl and baking sheets!
- Follow the steps for a partial gift pack up through step 3.
- Add 2 sticks of butter and two eggs into the top of the container. (I like to put the eggs into a small zip top bag just in case they break.)
- Add a pint sized or larger container of milk on the side; 2 tbsp for the recipe, the rest to drink with the cookies!
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Follow steps 5 and 6 above.
Have a friend that loves to eat cookies, but doesn’t love to bake them? The ideal gift pack for them is a dozen homemade cookies! The 6.2 cup container holds them perfectly, just follow the full recipe at the bottom of the post.
No matter who is on your gift giving list this year, everyone loves holiday cookies! Pick up your own limited edition holiday Rubbermaid® TakeAlongs at Target or Target.com to create a personal gift for everyone on your list.
If you like this recipe, don’t forget to pin it for later! For more great recipes like this one, sign up for the Sunday Spotlight. It’s a bi-weekly newsletter with recipe updates, behind the scenes info, and exclusive bonus information. It goes great with your Sunday morning coffee and one of these cookies!!
Jenni’s Oatmeal Cookies Recipe:
Jenni's Gluten Free Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 2 cups gluten free baking flour*
- 1 cup gluten free old fashioned oats
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp xantham gum*
Wet Ingredients:
- 1 cup melted butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 TBSP milk
- 2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Measure the 5 dry ingredients into a medium sized mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer combine the melted butter*, vanilla, white and brown sugar. Mix then add the egg, egg yolk, and milk.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet in two parts, stopping between additions to scrape down the sides of the bowl. The cookie dough will be very soft.
- Place the dough into a resealable container or a bowl that can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 60 minutes.
- Heat the oven 325 degrees.
- Line a 12 x 17 baking sheet with parchment paper and bake approximately 12 minutes for 2" cookies, and approximately 15 minutes for jumbo 4" cookies.
- Prior to storing, allow the cookies to cool completely on a cooling rack.
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Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is for general information purposes only. For the most accurate information, calculate using your select brands and exact measurements.
I love making cookies for friends and family during the holidays! These Oatmeal cookies look like a great recipe to try out this season. I usually make the Neiman Marcus Cookie. So good!!!
Thank you! I hope you enjoy them!
These cookies look so delicious! Love that they are gluten free
Thanks Katrin!
I’m always on the lookout for oatmeal cookies and these look perfect!
Thanks Elaine! I hope you try them!
I love the texture and taste of oatmeal in cookies. A little old-fashioned but nothing wrong with that! I remember both grandmothers making similar cookies.
Yes! I find that some old fashioned things stick around because they are worth keeping around. I don’t remember my grandmothers making them, but an oatmeal cookie is just as classic as chocolate chip and sometimes even better! Thanks for stopping by Mark!
This is so cute, I can’t wait to make my foodie gifts this year…I’ll be adding this to the list, thanks so much!
Thanks Emily! I hope your friends and family enjoy them!
Such a nice idea to give these as gift packs! They look absolutely yummy.
Thank you Becca!
I love giving cookies as gifts during the holidays! These oatmeal cookies look so delicious, I just know my friends and family will be so thrilled to eat them!
Thanks you Luci! The only thing better than giving cookies is receiving cookies – I think I need to plan a cookie exchange!
What a sweet idea, I love oatmeal cookies and will choose them over anything chocolaty any day of the week.
Brian – you are speaking my language! Chocolate is typically my last choice when it comes to treats.
I love this idea and how lovely that it’s been made gluten free, too! What cute and Christmassy containers!! Perfect for gift giving!
Thanks Christina! I love that the containers can be re-used all season long too. Receive a gift, use it, re-fill it with another tasty holiday treat, and pass it on to someone else. It’s like a gift that keeps on giving!