small batch mason jar chocolate chip cookies

I love making chocolate chip cookies. I have way too many favorite variations, many of which are already here on my site. But as a nursing mom, my inclination is to eat way more cookies than is healthy for me. As soon as the pan is out of the oven, the cookies go straight to my mouth – I don’t even wait for them to cool.

To help me limit my cookie intake without banning cookies from my house, I’ve tweaked a classic recipe to make these small-batch mason jar chocolate chip cookies. I love that I can prep several batches in advance, and then bake them whenever I get the hankering.

Better still, the jars make for great gifts to friends and neighbors who have small families. No need to guilt a dieting in-law into making dozens of cookies all at once.

What You’ll Need

These small batch mason jar chocolate chip cookies are easy to put together and only require a few ingredients. But before you start, make sure to have the following items available:

Wide-Mouth Pint-Sized Mason Jar with Lid*
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Food Funnel (or Paper Towel)
A Cup, Spoon, or Spatula
item

If you have a bit of a creative streak, you can also grabs some twine, ribbon, buttons, tags, etc. to decorate the outside of the jar for a more visually appealing gift.

*As an Amazon Associate, I receive a commission for affiliate link purchases. This commission helps to keep my site running, but I am not paid to recommend or review specific products. I only share items I use and enjoy regularly that I think you may find useful as well.

Small Batch Mason Jar Chocolate Chip Cookies

Want to indulge in a classic chocolate chip cookie but you don’t want a big batch? These mason jar cookies are great for satisfying a small sweet tooth for for giving away as gifts.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 12

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 12 Cookies

Calories 122 kcal

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients for Cookie Jar

105 Grams All-Purpose Flour (3/4 Cup + 2 Tablespoons)
3 Grams Baking Soda (1/2 Teaspoon)
1.5 Grams Salt (1/4 Teaspoon)
62 Grams Brown Sugar, Packed (5 Tablespoons)
62 Grams White Sugar (5 Tablespoons)
86.5 Grams Mini Chocolate Chips (1/2 Cup)

Ingredients to Mix in Later

56 Grams Butter (1/4 Cup)
10 Grams Cornstarch (1 Tablespoon)
22 Grams Water (1.5 Tablespoons)
30 Grams Milk (2 Tablespoons)
2 Grams Vanilla Extract (1/2 Teaspoon)

Instructions

To Make the Cookie Jar

Use a funnel to pour the flour into the pint-sized mason jar*. Gently knock down and press the flour with a spoon or spatula to create the first layer.
Use funnel to continue to add the dry ingredients layer by layer as listed in the recipe. Gently press each ingredient as they are added to ensure they fit in the jar.
Seal the jar with the lid. Decorate the outside with ribbon, tags, or twine according to personal preference.

To Make the Cookies

In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients from the mason jar.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the cornstarch and water. Stir until mixture turns thin and watery rather than thick and tacky.
In a separate mixing bowl, combine the butter, cornstarch mixture, milk, and vanilla extract.
Slowly stir in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined.
Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit (176 Celsius).
Lightly grease or line with parchment a cookie sheet.
Use a cookie scoop to make 1 1/2 tablespoon-sized cookie balls. Be sure to leave room between each cookie to account for expansion.
Bake for 13 to 15 minutes until the edges have slightly browned. Remove from the oven.
Reshape the cookies before they have a chance to cool. Then let cool on the pan before serving.

Notes

*My food funnel was too small to adequately pour in ingredients without clogging. I improved and folded a paper towel into a funnel shape and it worked just fine.

*The cookie dough can be a bit dry and crumbly depending on if you used melted butter or simply room temperature butter. Feel free to add a tablespoon or two of milk to achieve your desired consistency.

*Cookies are easy to over bake. The middles may still be doughy and soft when you pull them from the oven. Let the residual heat from the pan finish baking the cookies for you.

*These cookies don’t have eggs. They use cornstarch as a substitute since 1 egg would be too much for this small-batch recipe. However, the cornstarch doesn’t hold the cookies together as effectively as eggs do. Reshaping after baking helps keep the final cookies from falling apart.

Keyword Chocolate Chip Cookies, Mason Jar Chocolate Chip, Mason Jar Cookies, Small Batch Cookies

Printable Instructions

I love having several small batch mason jar chocolate chip cookie mixes on hand. However, these jars are much more fun to give away during the holidays or for birthdays. If you plan to give these jars away as gifts, don’t forget to tell the recipient how to bake their cookies.

Of course, you could make a custom card by hand with the baking instructions. But if you’re like me and don’t have a lot of time or energy, you can just send the link to this post or you can hit the print button.

Have Fun!

Cookie mix jars are a great way to get a little creative in the kitchen. I have fun decorating the jars with my daughter, and together we have even more fun eating the cookies later. It’s also nice to have small batch mason jar chocolate chip cookies on hand to give away on those days I forget an anniversary or whenever a friend needs a pick me up.

I appreciate feedback on my recipes, however. If you have suggestions for making these cookies even better, feel free to share them in the comment section below. Or, leave a star rating to let me know how much you enjoyed them.

Don’t forget to check out my other mason jar recipes! They’re just as tasty.