Everyone loves the aroma of cookies, cakes, and muffins baking in the oven. But with today’s busy lifestyles, homemade desserts are for special occasions only—or they were, until Mason jar mixes came along. Decorated with a square of fabric and a brightly colored ribbon, each container holds the nonperishable ingredients—flour, sugar, and the like—needed to create a wonderful dessert. All you have to do is follow the simple instructions on the attached card, and you have a batch of yummy cookies, a pan of fudgy brownies, a warm coffee cake, or an array of tempting scones. No fuss. No bother. Just sweet satisfaction.

If you have ever wanted to create beautiful Mason gift jars in your own home, or try your hand at making the desserts yourself, here’s the good news: You don’t have to be a craft expert to assemble the containers, nor do you have to be a culinary school graduate to make the recipes in your own kitchen. The Mason Jar Dessert Cookbook will show you just how easy it is. Within its pages, you’ll find recipes for fifty delectable desserts, including cookies, brownies, muffins, scones, quick breads, cakes, and cupcakes. These sweet treats are easy to make for even the novice baker, and are guaranteed to please family and friends alike.

The book begins with a chapter called “The Basics.” The first part of this chapter guides you in buying the best ingredients and equipment for your dessert-making adventures, and provides tips for getting successful results. It then covers all the ins and outs of creating the jars, including what size jar to use; how to make neat, even ingredient layers; and how to add those finishing touches that turn the jar into a beautiful gift.

Following the “Basics” chapter are fifty recipes for heavenly baked treats such as Oatmeal Scotchies, Easy Chocolate Lover’s Bars, Banana Snack Cake, Chocolate Chip Cupcakes, and more. Because this book is designed for both the baker and the crafter, most recipes have been presented in a two-page spread. Intended for the home baker, the left-hand page contains the recipe itself. Kitchen-tested, each recipe is simple to follow and yields simply scrumptious results. Intended for the crafter, the right-hand page provides directions for creating the jarred mix. For each dessert, a diagram shows you how to layer the ingredients for attractive results, and a box neatly displays the baking instructions you’ll want to include on your gift tag.

For the more adventurous baker, the book also includes recipes for five jar cakes —unique cakes that are actually baked in Mason jars. Unique, certainly—but wonderfully simple, too. The easy-to-follow instructions guide you in making a batch of jar cakes in your own kitchen. Then, as the occasion arises, you either present them as ready-to-eat desserts, or you happily eat them yourself. The jar cakes, which vacuum seal as they cool, stay fresh for months in your pantry, waiting to be enjoyed.

So take out your mixing bowl and get ready to experience the joys of Mason jar desserts. Whether you want to fill your kitchen with the aroma of home-baked goods; you’d like to give distinctive Mason jar mixes and cakes to dessert-loving friends and family; or you’re searching for a unique fund-raising idea, The Mason Jar Dessert Cookbook is all you need. Enjoy the experience!