Everyone needs an easy DIY from-scratch homemade brownie mix in a jar. One that tastes better than the store-bought processed version, whips up super quick and doesn't use any special ingredients.
I've long been looking for the perfect brownie recipe and have tried out numerous different recipes (oh, darn, mom, we have to try another brownie recipe tonight, said no child ever). Yeah, it was really tough taste testing let me tell you.
Why I Love This Recipe
I did need to find the perfect brownie recipe. And there was some criteria this recipe needed to meet:
- Use ingredients I always have on hand
- Use ingredients that are healthy and I approve of (in short, all ingredients I can read and pronounce!)
- Whip up in 5 minutes or less
- No melting chocolate over a double broiler (now, I do love a good ganache, but when I'm in a hurry or want to give the mix as a gift, ain't no one got time for that in their brownies)
- Be gift-able! Whether it's a dessert I bake up and take to a friend, or whether I add the mix to a jar and gift it, it has to be delicious, memorable, and cute!
I much prefer to give gifts I can make, that people will enjoy, and they will consume and use. And those are the ones I like to receive, anyone else?
If you're here for the DIY Brownie Mix in a Jar, you may also want to check out my DIY Artisan Bread in a Jar, and my DIY Cake Mix in a Jar. All are delicious and all meet the criteria listed above!
Thankfully these brownies are good all year round (and can be gifted for birthdays, Valentine's Day, Easter… or just a thank you hostess gift!), but they're hard to beat for a Homemade Christmas gift. Plus, it means we get to pretty up the jar.
Be forewarned, these are addicting. Like ooey-gooey fudgy can't eat just one unless it's one whole pan!
When doing mixes in jars, wide mouth is your friend. Actually, wide mouth is also your friend when eating said brownies…
Supplies
- Mason Jar – As mentioned before, a wide mouth Mason jar works best. Really, can you ever have too many of these wonderful things?
- Funnel – If you don't want flour and sugar glitter on your kitchen counter, you'll also want to use a funnel. A canning funnel works great. I've got this stainless steel one, because the less plastic the better (I tend to break plastic), but whatever you have will work.
- Tags – If you'd like to add decorative tags that include the instructions for baking the brownies
Ingredients
- Cocoa powder – Organic and fair-trade are recommended. But you can choose your favorite cocoa powder, whether Dutch-processed, regular, raw, or dark cocoa powder. I haven't personally tried dark cocoa. If you do, you may want to test a batch and adjust the cocoa and sugar levels as needed. (The best deal I've found on organic cocoa is this 2 pound raw cocoa powder.)
- Sugar – Any granulated sugar will do. I like to use evaporated cane juice. But maple sugar, coconut sugar, sucanat, rapadura, plain old white sugar, they'll all work!
- Flour – I typically reach for my all-purpose organic white flour. However, pastry flour or even a gluten-free flour blend will work great.
- Sea salt – Don't skip the salt! A brownie without salt is just sad (and lacking that deep chocolate flavor we all crave in a brownie).
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips – I like semi-sweet so they're not overpoweringly sweet. But if milk chocolate is all you have, by all means, use it! You could also go decadent and grab the dark chocolate chips. If you do this, I'd recommend using the full amount of sugar.
Assemble the Jars
When assembling the jars, you can choose to layer these ingredients one by one, or just dump them all in a bowl, whisk them around, then add to the jar that way. Personally, I think layering is a prettier way to go.
I also think when making multiple jars at a time, layering is the way to go because you just do each ingredient at a time in all the jars, then move on to the next.
Once all ingredients are in the jar, add a two-piece lid, some twine and my printable tags with baking instructions.
Baking Instructions:
Don't forget to include those baking instructions on the jars so the gift receiver knows what to do!
- Combine the dry ingredients in your mason jar with melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract (we make our own homemade vanilla extract around here.)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Add the above liquid ingredients to dry ingredients and mix it all up until just combined. Don't overmix or brownies will be tough.
- Pour into an ungreased 8×8 pan (parchment paper is your friend and is what I line my pans with).
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Take it out while it still seems kind of almost gooey in the center. The magic happens in this recipe by not over baking them. Let cool before cutting.
Feel free to double the recipe for 9×13 pan, but remember, I warned you, it'll be hard not to eat it all at once.
How Long Will This Recipe Last?
This brownie gift jar will last on the shelf for up to a year (maybe even longer depending on the age of your ingredients when assembled and if stored in a cool, dark, dry area).
To be honest, I'm not sure I could have a jar of this brownie mix in my pantry and NOT eat it within a few months!
Other Homemade Mix Recipes:
- DIY No-Knead Bread Mix Recipe in a Jar
- Homemade Cake Mix Recipe in a Jar
- Homemade Pancake Mix
- DIY Homemade Pantry Mixes
- Homemade Spice Mixes and Herb Blends + Free Printable Tags
Did you make this recipe? Snap a photo and tag me on social media, I'd LOVE to see your cute gifts! Then be sure to rate this recipe by clicking the stars in the recipe card below!
Homemade Brownie Mix in Jar
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1.25 cups sugar (or evaporated cane juice/sugar in the raw) can increase sugar to 1 1/2 cups is preferred
- 1 cup flour
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or more if you're a die hard chocolate fan
- 1 cup butter, melted for dairy-free folks, 2/3 cup melted coconut oil
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
To make the brownie mix in a Mason jar:
- To make the mix in the jar for gift giving, layer sugar, cocoa powder, flour, salt, and chocolate chips in a 1 quart wide-mouth Mason jar.
To bake the brownies:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Add melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract to dry ingredients and mix it all up until just combined. Don't overmix or you'll end up with tough brownies.
- Pour into an ungreased 8×8 pan (parchment paper is your friend and is what I line my pans with) OR a 10 inch cast iron skillet. You can also double the recipe and use a 9×13 pan.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Take it out of oven while it still seems kind of gooey in the center, but not raw. The magic happens in this recipe by not over baking them.
- Let cool COMPLETELY before cutting. This step is important. If you want amazing gooey brownies, you cannot cut them when they're still warm or they'll crumble!
Video
Notes
- When making up the mix in the jar you can either stir all the dry ingredients together or pour them in one at a time to create a layered look. Either is fine.
- This brownie mix is good for up to 1 year on the shelf depending on the age of the ingredients when making.
- To make this gluten-free, use a gluten-free flour blend.
- For dairy-free, use coconut oil instead of butter.
- Be sure to take the brownies out of the oven when they're slightly under-baked, still gooey in the center.
- Let cool COMPLETELY before cutting or you'll end up with a mess! Trust me, it's worth the wait!
Nutrition
mmm, these look so yummy! what type of flour is to be used?
Hey, Joanna,
I used organic all-purpose instead of fresh ground for shelf life. But you could use Spelt or whole wheat pastry as well! If using the Spelt, I’d add an extra 1/4 cup of flour.
This is an amazing idea to add to my already homemade Christmas Crochet display and snack trays! But which size jar works best with this Brownie recipe, pint or quart?
Thanks so much for all your creative ideas and for sharing them with us!
Cathy,
So glad you’re enjoying them! I used a quart sized jar, so I had room for the chocolate chips. If you’re not adding the chocolate chips, or not many, I think it would fit in a pint sized jar.
What size jar does this go in? Thanks,
I used a quart sized jar.
I just assembled this and the no knead bread for my daughter Sarah, who has three under three, works at thier daycare part time and just graduated earning her Bachalor’s in education, having been full time student. Luckily one child came at the beginning of a semester so took that off, another came at end of semester so took next off, the last was smart and came at begining of summer break!She still took online classes during those breaks. She says there is now way she could have done it with out co-sleeping, nursing, her Joe and the lord. Point is she’s busy and wish I had made these for her before! Thinking of Mexican wedding cakes also and a whole bunch other of my recipies that would work. Have a Merry Christmas and thank you!
Gaye,
Thanks so much for sharing and what a great gift to give your daughter. Once you get going, it’s hard to not put everything together ahead of time in a jar!
Oops I meant three under five!
I think three under three would be a miricle!
Oh Melissa — YUM!
These sound delicious ~ THANK YOU!!
I’ll be testing this recipe out very soon.
Then I plan on making these up in jars for Christmas Gifts.
I also love your Mayonnaise Cake Mix as well. My husband has been telling me for years about his Mother’s Mayonnaise cake and asking if I would please try to find the recipe. FOUND IT RIGHT HERE on your blog. I’m going to surprise him by cooking your cake. He’s going to be one very happy man when he takes a bite of this cake!
I wish I could express to you how much I appreciate you taking the time and energy to share all your wonderful recipes with us. You are my favorite blog and I am often reading over old blog entries here to see what I have missed before I found you.
Heartfelt Thanks!
Bobbie
Bobbie,
I’m so excited for you to try the cake for him!! Please let me know how you guys enjoy it. And I’m so happy you found my blog too. 😉
You’re recipes sound healthy and wonderful. I just got your book in the mail today. I would love to make brownies….but my youngest son (37) ha! Has to be dairy free….no eggs, special butter and mayo, etc. can cover mayo and butter but what about the eggs?? Really make him sick! Karen
I love these gave them for Christmas last year. just finished 6 jars of chicken and rice soup in a jar today, tomorrow is potato soup in a jar
Yay, and your soup sounds great, too!
How about a paleo version?
Melissa–I want to put these jars together for Christmas gifts. How much sugar do you recommend I add? How sweet are they if I stick with 1 1/4? Thanks!
I tend to cut back the sugar by a 1/4 cup in most of my recipes and if I don’t tell, my family never seems to notice. However, the original recipe from my Mom called for the 1 and 1/2 cups. I personally use the 1 and 1/4 cup and they’re sweet.
Thank you for all you share! Especially your love for Jesus! I’m wondering about the butter coconut oil ratio. I know the coconut oil says 1 cup butter = 1 cup coconut oil but your recipe uses 2/3 cup coconut oil. I’m just wondering how they turn out with the 2/3 cup coconut oil? Thank you!!! God bless you.
Hi Aline,
I’ve found that a straight sub of coconut oil in place of butter is usually too much. It tends to make it more goopy. You could try 3/4 cup or even the full 1 cup if you wanted of the coconut oil. It’s just been my personal preference when using it in different recipes.
just curious, shouldn’t there be baking soda or powder in this?
No, these are a fudge type brownie so no leavening agents.
Thank you for asking! Was thinking the same thing.
The link to the e-book is not working
Just got it fixed, thanks for the heads up Marilyn!
Your recipe calls for cocoa powder but the link on Amazon goes to cacao. They aren’t the same are they? If not, are they interchangable? Thanks! Linda
I use them interchangeably without issue.
Melissa, are sugar and evaporated cane juice used in same quantities? Where do you purchase the evaporated cane juice? I’m a new reader, and loving your blog!
Yes, they’re used the exact same. Costco, Amazon, or our local food co-op carry the evaporated cane juice.
If I plan to just make a batch vs putting it in a jar as a gift, would fresh ground Einkorn flour work? Would the amount of flour change?
Thanks!
As long as they bake it within a few weeks, fresh ground can go rancid quickly.
There is no link for the gift tags. There is darker text that says click here, but no link to click.
Just got that fixed!
Is there a way to convert these to more of a chewy brownie? We’re not very fond of the undercooked fudge texture.
Yes, increase to 3 eggs, add 1 teaspoon baking powder, increase flour to 1 and 1/2 cups, if it’s too thick to spread/pour batter, thin with a small amount of water.
Wow I love how you have on your recipe where you can 2x or 3xbox the recipe. That is so helpful for making big batches for family. I love all that you share and thank you for sharing!
These brownies in a jar mix are incredible! I was skeptical but they truly are the best ever! Thank you for all the wonderful things you share.
These brownies are delicious but this amount of sugar makes them way too sweet.
I’m getting ready to try these and I love the idea of the candy canes crumbled on top. At what point should I add them?
Right at the end of baking, you can press them down lightly into the brownies (obviously being careful of the hot pan/brownies) 🙂
One place for the brownies in a jar it says greased pan and another it says
ungreased. Could you clarify so I’m clear on this. Thank you so much!
Also, I am new to a lot of this and I was wondering how you keep your own rings and lids from getting rusty? Thank you!!
I made the brownie mix in a qt. size jar and it didn’t come to the top like yours. Wondering what I did wrong. Anyone else have this happen?
Hi Paul, mine did the same. It didn’t quite go all the way up. I haven’t had any issues with it. I think it’s just the density of the sugar, cocoa powder and flour being a little different among different brands. 🙂