3 Vegan Friendly Edible Holiday Gifts in a Jar

These edible gifts in a jar are so easy to make, perfect for any last minute gifts! So pretty; festive; and taste absolutely amazing too! Vegan or not, anyone you give these to will love them! And the best part about them is that they're consumables and the jars can be 100% repurposed so no waste! 🎁✨

Whatever you're celebrating this year, Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones! ☃️❄️

Candied Pecans

Prep Time: 10 minute

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 2 cups

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tbsp. coconut oil (sub for vegan butter or margarine)

• 2 tbsp. brown sugar

• 2 tbsp. maple syrup (sub for all brown sugar)

• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon (optional)

• 1/4 tsp. sea salt

• 2 cups pecan halves

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat a pan on a stove top at medium heat and add in all the ingredients except the pecans. Mix together till the sugar has dissolved.

2. Once the mixture is completely combined, add in the pecans and mix to coat the pecans evenly. This takes about 5 minutes, but make sure your pecans don't get too brown.

3. Take the pecans off the heat and mix in 1 tbsp. of granulated sugar till all the pecans are coated evenly.

4. Let cool completely and place in a jar if gifting!

Christmas Vegan Brownie Mix

INGREDIENTS

• Layers in jar:

Vegan Brownie Mix Base

Layer 1: 1/2 cup all-purpose flour + 1/2 tsp. baking powder + 1/2 tsp. sea salt

Layer 2: 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder + 1/2 tsp. instant coffee (coffee optional)

Layer 3: 1/2 cup granulated sugar

Layer 4: 1/4 cup brown sugar

Mix-ins:

Layer 5: 1/2 cup coconut flakes

Layer 6: 1/2 cup fresh or dried cranberries

Layer 7: 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Layer 8: 1/2 cup non-dairy chocolate chips

What the gift recipient will need:

• 5 tbsp. water + extra on hand

• 1/3 cup flavorless oil

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract (optional)

Notes:

• Feel free to change up or omit the mix-ins! If you don't want any mix-ins the vegan brownie mix alone works just as well but the base needs to be included.

BAKING INSTRUCTIONS TO WRITE ON TAG FOR GIFTING

1. Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.

2. Make your flax egg by mixing the flax seed meal in this envelope [or in whatever you use] with 5 tbsp. of water. Set aside for 5 minutes.

3. In a large mixing bowl, add in the flavorless oil and mix in the flax eggs.

4. Add in the vanilla extract if using and mix everything till combined.

5. Pour in the contents of the jar into the bowl of wet ingredients. Fold in the dry ingredients just till combined. The batter should be thick, but all of the dry ingredients should be incorporated into the wet ingredients completely. If the batter is too dry add 1 tbsp. of water at a time.

6. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes and let cool completely before cutting.

7. Enjoy!

DIRECTIONS FOR GIFTING PACKAGING

• Add each layer one at a time in a jar making sure to shake the jar a bit so each ingredient can settle.

• Alternatively, you can mix all the ingredients together or just layer in some and mix the rest. It is entirely up to you!

• In a separate container, add in the flax seed meal. I used a small envelope but you can wrap it in anything from parchment paper, foil, or even plastic wrap (although I do encourage using more waste-free packaging).

• Write out the baking instructions on the small envelope of that is what you're using to store your flax seed meal. Otherwise, you can write it on a tag or make your own tag using any paper you have at home!

• Attach the baking instructions and flax seed meal to the jar by tying a ribbon around the jar and use a clothespin to clip the container of flax seed meal and the tag to the ribbon. You can also punch a hole in the tag and tie it in with the ribbon along with the flax seed meal. Whatever you use, get creative and have fun!

Chocolate Peppermint Cracker Bark

Prep Time: 5 minute

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Yield: one 9"x11" whole sheet of bark

INGREDIENTS

• Enough saltine crackers (or any plain square/rectangular vegan cracker) to fill a 9"x11" pan

• 1/3 cup coconut oil (sub for vegan butter or margarine)

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

• 2 tbsp. almond milk (or non-dairy milk of choice)

• 1/2 cup non-dairy chocolate chips

• 5 chocolate creme cookies such as Oreos (I used peppermint Trader Joe's Joe Joe's)

• 1 candy cane or 5 pieces of peppermint candy

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.

2. Line a 9"x11" baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon mat. Do not skip this step or the bark will stick!

3. Fill in the baking sheet with rows of crackers all lined up and touching at the edges. You can break off pieces of crackers to fill in the gaps.

4. In a sauce pan or small pot on medium-low heat, mix in the first 5 ingredients till the sugar has dissolved, about 3 minutes. Work quickly and continue mixing so the sugar doesn't burn. If the oil separates, it's okay.

5. Once the mixture is done, pour it all over the crackers. With a spoon or spatula, spread the sugar mixture evenly and go ahead and tilt the pan any direction so that the sugar mixture and spread evenly throughout the crackers and fill in the nooks and crannies.

6. Bake the crackers for 10 minutes.

7. While the crackers are baking, crush your candy canes or peppermint candies into little pieces by placing them between parchment paper and rolling and stomping the candies with a rolling pin. For finer pieces, shake them in a jar with a closed lid. Save the bigger pieces that won't break to eat later or save them as an "after dinner mint" for guests!

8. Crush the cookies with your fingers and set aside.

9. Once the crackers are baked, top them with the chocolate chips and let it sit for just a minute before spreading the chocolate in one layer all over the crackers. The heat emitting from the crackers will melt the chocolate allowing for a smooth spreadable consistency.

10. Once the chocolate is spread evenly, top it with the crushed peppermint candy and the chocolate cream cookies.

11. Pop in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes to set.

12. Once the bark has set and hardened, break them into pieces at whatever size you want!

13. Enjoy!

MAKE THIS RECIPE?

Snap a photo and tag me on Instagram @samanthasambile and hashtag #eatwithsamsam. I'd love to see your creations!

Also, comment below to let me know how yours came out!