`Sand' cookies; pasteurized eggs.(Chicago Tribune)

Q: I want to make and give a recipe for "sand" cookies. The dry ingredients are layered in a Mason jar, to which you add a liquid and eggs. The recipe is provided on a card. Do you have such a recipe? _ Mae Schwab, Buffalo Grove, Ill.

A: A holiday gift of "sand" cookies is a wonderful idea. Recipients know that the gift-giver took the time (time being a most precious commodity, especially around the holidays) to make something just for them.

What's more, you don't need Martha Stewart-like skills. What you do need, though, are the cookie ingredients, a 1-quart canning jar or canister (available at supermarkets, department stores and cookware stores), and a gift card or tag on which to write the recipe.

Consider decorating the jar: Cut paper or cloth large enough to overhang the lid by a few inches and, if desired, trim the edges …