A Different Type of 'Cup'-Cake

I have not done a lick of Christmas shopping, but I have been thinking of what to get for the various people in my life. The one that must be completed the soonest are the gifts for my co-workers. Now, I'm not the one to get a gift for everyone, but as I lead a team of math teachers, I can't give one gift without giving the entire team a gift. Well, buying for a team of nine could break the bank...so it had to be something inexpensive and the same for everyone.

Of course, the first place I looked was Pinterest. While I found lots of idea, I wasn't sold on any of them. I'm a thoughtful gift giver and wouldn't give anything that I wouldn't want to receive myself.

While browsing the isles of Target a few weeks ago, I came across some monogrammed mugs.

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I passed them up because I was on a mission for something else. I looked them up online and saw the pricing was $13.99. You know, I was done with that mug. No way was I buying nine mugs at that price.

So then, I thought back to last Christmas, when I bought adorable mugs from Anthropologie.

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They were regular $8 and on sale for half price last year. Unfortunately, they were regular price this year, and although the price was better than the mug seen at Target, it wasn't low enough for me.

I was still on a mission to find mugs, but wasn't going to give just a mug. I decided on a gift I had once received, a cake in a cup. I found a recipe I liked and just need the mugs to go with it.

Yesterday, I was back at Target for a baby shower gift and passed those mugs again. My attention was caught by the sale sign for $5.99. So, I started looking for the letters I would need and I can't believe it, but found all them at one store.

So, now you're probably wondering, how do you make this cake in a cup? Too easy... I found an easy recipe.

All you need is:
1 box angel food cake
1 box flavor cake
1 box instant pudding (same flavor as cake)

Mix all the ingredients in a freezer bag and you're done!

For the cake in a cup, mix 3 tablespoons of cake mix with 2 tablespoons of water, and microwave for 1 minute. Too easy! The result is a spongey little one-serving cake for you to enjoy!

I filled each mug with a candy cane, some Hershey's Kisses, and two little baggies of cake mix. (I had to make the second mix because one of my team members is allergic to chocolate.) I included a little note card with directions. You can download the file here. I printed them on Avery business cards.

Viola! Cute little gifts for my co-workers!

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