I'm a little late joining this conversation because I just joined BCO but. If you are looking for a FAST way to make several easy to use Recipes in a Jar for cookies, brownies, et all, just use Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix or Brownie mix or something like that.
No, I am not a shill for Betty Crocker. I have a book (somewhere here... rummmaging) called Recipes in a Jar or Cookies in Jar and it's really cool. The recipes are all from scratch and my issue with it is layering the flour mixture and blah, blah. I'm almost always making a mess and it does take a lot of time especially if you are making more than one. I am always making more than one jar. If you are running short on time, use the cookie mixes in the Betty Crocker bags. It's PERFECT. Especially the Peanut Butter cookie mix. I then add a cute little decorative bag of chocolate kisses so my recipient can make peanut butter blossoms.
For sugar cookies, all you have to do is copy the baking instructions from the package as well as the little blurb about adding a little extra flour to make rolled cookies out onto to your computer in a cute font. Get some adhesive backed label paper (the larger size, for shipping labels) and print out those instructions on your printer in a cute font and paste to the back of the jar.
You can always attach a small decorator bag of candies or whatnot to decorate the cookies with. For fundraisers or office gifts or what have you, search out the pink plastic ribbon cutters or even the metal ribbon cutters, attach pink sprinkles and cover the jar with some kind of pink fabric and you have a fab gift for Breast Cancer Awareness. I donated twelve of these jars to the organizers at my former company (I'm a housewife now) for their fundraiser table and they all went for upwards of $20.00 a jar.
As for Christmas, good Heavens, there are a DOZEN cool ideas. Get some Betty Crocker cookie mix or brownie mix, attach your favorite candy or sprinkles or even BC icing squirty package thingies, get some cute Christmas fabric, some raffia, cookie cutters and make your own fun labels like Myrtle's Holly Berry cookies for the front (attaching red hots, some green icing package thingy {terrible of me, I forgot the name} and some red hot candies) and then the instructions for baking the cookies on the back of the jar and you've got a something that NO ONE is going to re-gift.
Hope this helps. Email me if you have any questions.
Merry Christmas.
Elizabeth