Convenience is often a critical factor in our busy lives. Often, it seems like there’s more that needs to get done in a day than 24 hours can accommodate, and the holidays just up the intensity. There’s gifts to select, parties to attend, decorating to do—the list never ends. Yet we all want to slow down and be a little more thoughtful, crafting that perfect handmade present.
Homemade cooking mixes offer a solution to both problems: You can give something delicious and heartfelt that didn’t take days of work to make, while offering up a dash of convenience at a busy time of the year. Whether you keep a jar on hand for yourself or bring a bottle as a hostess gift to the next party, these easy mixes are sure to delight. We’ve even put together some suggested tea pairings to round out a quick gift basket—just layer the ingredients in a jar, add a tag with cooking instructions, and pick out a complementary tea for your friends to enjoy along with their soup or cookies.
Chaidoodles
Warm, buttery, spicy snickerdoodles are a natural pairing with a delicious cup of masala chai, so why not bring some tea action straight to the cookie? Finely ground spiced tea ups the oomph of an already tasty treat.
Pairings
Makes 1 quart jar; 5 dozen cookies
Ingredients
- 2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 Tbl loose-leaf masala chai blend
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 Tbl cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 cup granulated sugar
Method
- Grind the masala chai blend to a fine spice-like consistency using a spice grinder, coffee grinder, or mortar and pestle.
- In a 1-quart glass mason jar, layer the ingredients: Put flour in the bottom of the jar. Top with brown sugar. Sprinkle with ground masala chai, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cream of tartar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and black pepper.
- Put a folded dishtowel on the counter. Gently tap the jar on top of the towel to pack the ingredients down.
- Top with granulated sugar. Tap gently to fit, if necessary.
- Seal the jar with its lid and add a label with cooking instructions.
Instructions
Soften two sticks of butter. Put the butter in a bowl and pour in the sugar from the top of the jar of mix. Cream butter and sugar together well, until slightly lighter in color and fluffy. Beat in 2 eggs, mixing well. Add the rest of the mix from the jar and blend well. Scoop the dough into 1-inch balls; if desired, roll each ball in cinnamon sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.
Gluten-Free Chaidoodles
Want to enjoy our tasty, tea-laced snickerdoodle mix, but you’re watching out for gluten in your diet—or giving the mix to someone who’s gluten-free? Don’t worry; this mix has all the flavor and none of the problems. But be sure to use gluten-free baking soda.
Check the specialty section of the baking aisle in your grocery store for specialty flours like rice flour and potato starch flour. Can’t find them? You can order online, or use 2-3/4 cups of a premade gluten-free baking mix like Bob’s Red Mill.
Pairings
Makes 1 quart jar; 5 dozen cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups white rice flour
- 1/4 cup tapioca flour
- 1/2 cup potato starch flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 Tbl loose-leaf masala chai blend
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 Tbl cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 cup granulated sugar
Method
- Grind the masala chai blend to a fine spice-like consistency using a spice grinder, coffee grinder, or mortar and pestle.
- In a 1-quart glass mason jar, layer the ingredients: Put rice flour, tapioca flour, and potato starch flour in the bottom of the jar. Top with brown sugar. Sprinkle with ground masala chai, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cream of tartar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and black pepper.
- Put a folded dishtowel on the counter. Gently tap the jar on top of the towel to pack the ingredients down.
- Top with granulated sugar. Tap gently to fit, if necessary.
- Seal the jar with its lid and add a label with cooking instructions.
Instructions
Soften two sticks of butter. Put the butter in a bowl and pour in the sugar from the top of the jar of mix. Cream butter and sugar together well, until slightly lighter in color and fluffy. Beat in 2 eggs, mixing well. Add the rest of the mix from the jar and blend well. Scoop the dough into 1-inch balls; if desired, roll each ball in cinnamon sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.
Herbed Tomato Risotto
Risotto has a reputation for being fussy—all that constant stirring is enough to discourage anyone. Fortunately, this mix takes out all the effort, but leaves in the big flavor of traditional risotto, and even amps up the brightness by adding a shot of lemon-infused green tea. Be sure to use Arborio rice, since it cooks up the creamiest.
Pairings:
Makes 1 pint jar; 4 servings
Ingredients
- 2 cups Arborio rice
- 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes (not oil-packed), minced
- 4 tsp powdered chicken bouillon
- 1-1/2 Tbl dried minced onion
- 1 Tbl lemon-infused green tea or lemon-ginseng green tea (try Adagio Citron Green or Davidson’s Organics Lemon Ginseng)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp lemon-pepper seasoning blend
Method
- Grind the lemon-infused green tea to a fine spice-like consistency using a spice grinder, coffee grinder, or mortar and pestle.
- In a glass mason or pint jar, layer the ingredients: Put 1 cup rice in the bottom of the jar. Top with minced sundried tomatoes, then sprinkle with powdered chicken bouillon, ground tea, dried minced onion, oregano, garlic powder, rosemary, basil, parsley, and lemon-pepper seasoning blend. Top with remaining 1 cup rice.
- Seal the jar with its lid and add a label with cooking instructions.
Tip: To easily mince the sundried tomatoes, use kitchen shears to snip them into tiny pieces.
Variation: No sundried tomatoes? Swap them for 1/4 cup of dried porcini mushrooms, chopped fine.
Salted Caramel Chocolate Bars
Sweet and salty; is there any better pairing to take care of every craving at once? Sure there is—just add chocolate, then boost the richness with a deeply flavored tea! And with only one pan to clean, the lucky recipient of this mix will spend more time enjoying and less time in the kitchen.
Pairings:
- Caramel Sundae Escape, by Talbott Teas
- Salted Caramel, by DAVIDsTEA
- CocoCaramel Sea Salt Herbal, by Teavana
Makes 1 quart jar; 12 servings
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 Tbl loose-leaf Russian Caravan tea
- 1/2 cup caramel bits, such as Kraft
- 2/3 cup cocoa powder
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
Tip: Can’t find caramel bits? Chill about 20 caramel candies in the fridge for an hour, then unwrap and chop them. If they still stick to the knife, try spraying the blade with cooking spray every so often.
Method
- Grind the Russian Caravan tea to a fine spice-like consistency using a spice grinder, coffee grinder, or mortar and pestle.
- In a 1-quart glass mason jar, layer the ingredients: Put 1 cup of flour in the bottom of the jar. Top with brown sugar. Put granulated sugar on top of brown sugar. Sprinkle with ground tea and caramel bits.
- Put a folded dishtowel on the counter. Gently tap the jar on top of the towel to pack the ingredients down.
- Add the cocoa powder on top of the caramel bits; sprinkle with salt and baking powder.
- Top with the remaining 1 cup of flour. Tap gently to compress all the ingredients to fit in the jar.
- Seal the jar with its lid and add a label with cooking instructions.
Instructions
Pour contents of jar into a 9×13-inch baking pan, then add the following ingredients:
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tsp white vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups water
Whisk ingredients together well in the pan, making sure they’re completely mixed; don’t worry, some fizzing is normal. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool and cut into bars.
Smoky Lentil Soup
Using three different kinds of lentils and split peas gives this soup a nice variety of textures. Smoky lapsang souchong adds depth, but keeps things vegetarian, making it a perfect gift for anyone on your list. Sweet, spicy, smoky, savory—this soup has it all, and it’s even fast to cook up!
Pairings:
- Lapsang Souchong, by Harney & Sons
- China Pu-Ehr Leaf, by Upton Tea
- Doomni Estate Assam, by Simpson & Vail
Makes 1 jar; 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup red lentils, sorted
- 2 tablespoons loose-leaf lapsang souchong tea
- 1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup brown lentils, sorted
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 cup yellow split peas, sorted
- 2 teaspoons dried minced onion
- 1 tablespoon parsley flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Method
- Grind the lapsang souchong tea to a fine spice-like consistency using a spice grinder, coffee grinder, or mortar and pestle.
- In a glass mason or pint jar, layer the ingredients: Put 1/2 cup of red lentils in the bottom of the jar, then top with ground tea and chopped apricots. Sprinkle on curry powder, garlic powder, and salt. Top with 1/2 cup brown lentils, then add the bay leaf. Top with 1/2 cup yellow split peas, dried minced onion, parsley flakes, cumin, and black pepper. Top with remaining 1/2 cup of red lentils.
- Seal the jar with its lid and add a label with cooking instructions.
Instructions
Place lentil soup mix in 2-quart saucepan with 5 cups water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 20 to 30 minutes until lentils are tender, stirring occasionally. Makes 4 cups soup.
