Layered Jar Mix: Healthy Snack Bites

One of the simplest homemade gifts, and often times one of the most economical too, is a layered jar mix. As a bonus they don’t take long to make either and can usually be put together with familiar pantry ingredients. I guess that’s why I so often get the urge to start layering things in jars when the holidays roll around!

This year I once again have a few ideas for jar mixes to use as gifts, however I wanted to give you some options and ideas that rely a little more on whole food ingredients. First up are these jars for healthy snack bites.

You may have seen recipes like this before and they are often called Energy Bites. I’ve been enjoying making this type of snack for several months now but I honestly can’t say they give me any more energy. However I do really enjoy their taste and their healthy ingredients so instead of calling these Energy Bites I just call these my Healthy Snack Bites.

I’ve been making three variations of my Healthy Snack Bites recipe and I discovered that the dry ingredients for each of these versions fit perfectly into a pint size canning jar. And although these make very nice gifts, sometimes I make a few of these just for the convenience of having them in my own cupboard!

Related Reading: How to make homemade baking mixes from your own recipes

Each of these versions has base ingredients of quick oats, ground flax, and unsweetened coconut flakes. From there you can add some cocoa powder for a chocolate version; or some Rice Krispies and golden raisins for a crispy version, or some mini chips for a chocolate chip version. Or make all three!

When the recipient of the jar mix wants to make the snack bites, they will need to combine a 1/2 cup of peanut butter, 1/3 cup of honey, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Then the contents of the jar are dumped in and stirred into the mixture. You then just use your hands to roll the mixture into 1″ balls (the mix will make about 20 balls). No refrigeration is needed for the final snack bites.

So really, anyone can make these snack bites. It doesn’t take any special cooking or baking skills – just some stirring and some rolling.

If you would like to go the extra mile, you could also give a gift basket that not only contains all three of these jar mixes, but also includes a jar of peanut butter, a jar of honey, and a bottle of vanilla extract. Then you know for sure the recipient has everything they will need.

A Few Helpful Tips for Layered Mix Jar Gifts

When I make layered jar mixes, I’ve found that a few things help the process along.

First, I think the wide mouth jars make the layering process a little easier. (Of course the regular mouth jars will also work – the wide mouth is just my preference).

The funnels made for canning are super helpful for putting ingredients into the jars too. These have a wider opening so things like raisins or chocolate chips can be put through the funnel as well.

After each layer I usually give the jar a very small shake back and forth to even out the layer, however I’ve also found that the bulb end of a turkey basteris an ideal tool for pressing down the layers and getting things evened out. Sounds kind of strange, but really works well!

Finally, if you want to decorate your jars with a bit of ribbon around the top band, I’ve found that a few small pieces of double stick tape work great to hold the ribbon in place.

The Layered Jar Mix Recipes for Snack Bites

Here are the three versions for making your Healthy Snack Bites layered jars:

Click here for the printable pdf of all three recipes

Chocolate Snack Bites

• 1 cup Quick Oats
• 1/3 cup Ground Flax
• 1/4 cup Cocoa Powder
• 2/3 cup Unsweetened Coconut Flakes

Layer in a pint size jar as follows: 1/2 cup oats, the flax, the cocoa powder, the coconut flakes, and 1/2 cup oats.

Krispie Snack Bites

• 1/2 cup Quick Oats
• 1/2 cup Rice Krispie Cereal
• 1/3 cup Ground Flax
• 1/3 cup Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
• 1/3 cup Golden Raisins

Layer in a pint size jar in the same order as listed above.

Mini Chip Snack Bites

• 1 cup Quick Oats
• 1/3 cup Ground Flax
• 1/3 cup Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
• 1/3 cup Mini Chocolate Chips

Layer in a pint size jar as follows: 1/2 cup oats, the flax, the coconut flakes, the chips, and 1/2 cup oats.

Each jar will also need to include instructions for making the snack bites. I put together some labels for the tops of the jars and you can print those here – – > Printable Healthy Snack Bites Labels.

I have a label for each of the three versions and one generic label that can go on any jar.  And although I call these “labels” I just print them on regular paper, cut them out and attach them to the top of the jar with a few pieces of my double stick tape.

If you don’t want to use those labels be sure to add some other kind of label or tag that includes the following instructions:

Combine 1/2 cup peanut butter, 1/3 cup honey, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Add the contents of the jar and mix well. Roll the mixture into balls. Makes approximately 20, 1” balls.

(The Krispie Bites are pictured above)

A Few Final Notes

~ For the recipes that use 1 cup of quick oats, as you can see above I like to split that one cup by using a 1/2 cup of the oats for the first layer, and then finishing up with the remaining 1/2 cup as the top layer. This is just to add some interest and give yourself a few more layers. If I’m just making some for myself as a make-ahead convenience, I just put the whole cup of oats in as the first layer.

~ I prefer to use the unsweetened coconut flakes in my jars because the honey that will get stirred in adds enough sweetness. However if you have a hard time finding this product, the sweetened coconut flakes can be substituted.

~ I’ve been so happy that I can find ground flax at my local Aldi store. The Bob’s Red Mill brand is getting easier to find in many stores too.

More Jar Mix Recipes:

• Curried Rice Jar Mix
• Blondies Jar Mix
• Banana Bread Jar Mix