Christmas Present Cookie Boxes

Christmas Present Cookie Boxes are a sweet baking project and gift idea in one! Brown sugar cookies are formed into boxes and decorated to look like Christmas presents. Fill them with your favorite treats, like candies, cookies, cupcakes and more!

What are the two best parts of the holiday season? Baking and gift-giving, of course! (Some people might say that eating and gift-getting are the best parts, but around here we’re trying to get on Santa’s Nice List, so let’s keep things selfless, okay?)

What if I told you that we could combine both baking and gifting in one fun—and delicious—recipe? Sold!

These Christmas Present Cookie Boxes just might be cutest things I’ve made all year. First of all, EVERYTHING is cuter in miniature form, and not only are these tiny versions of gift boxes, but they’re filled with even smaller cookies, so it’s like mini cookie inception, and it’s adorable.

Secondly, I just love the thought of gifting someone a fun box filled with candy, and then having them chow down on the box itself after they eat the goodies inside. Tasty AND eco-friendly! We’re basically saving the world over here, one dessert at a time.

Christmas Present Cookie Boxes

Ingredients:

• 4 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup butter, softened slightly
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 teaspoon almond extract
• red food coloring (the amount you’ll need with depend on what type you use)
• 1 cup white frosting or use pre-colored red frosting (I used Betty Crocker vanilla frosting)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Decorations:

• white modeling chocolate (get recipe, instructions, and troubleshooting tips, here)
• OR use white or colored fondant
• green food coloring
• powdered sugar to dust work surface
• corn syrup

Supplies Needed:

• rolling pin
• gallon size zip top bag, optional or use flour to dust cutting board
• 2 inch square cookie cutter
• 1 1/2 inch square cookie cutter, or knife
• baking trays lined with parchment paper
• disposable pastry bag or zip top bag

Instructions:

Make the cookie dough:

1. Mix flour, salt, and baking powder together in a bowl. Set aside. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in eggs, vanilla, almond extract, and some drops of red food coloring. Add more coloring until you reach the desired shade of red and mix until well combined. Add dry ingredients and stir just until it’s mixed in. Don’t over mix or you will end up with tough cookies.
2. Rolling out the modeling chocolate to make some delicious Candy Filled Christmas Present Cookies.
3. Roll your cookie dough out either on a flour dusted cutting board or use this wonderful trick which will not only keep your cookies bright red, but will also keep them from drying out after re-rolling. First, you need to  cut the seams along two perpendicular sides of a gallon size zip top bag. Then, pinch off some of your dough and place it in the zip top bag. Roll the dough out to 1/4″ thickness.I love to use rolling pin rings (the green bands at both ends of my rolling pin) when I make cut-out cookies so I get nice evenly thick cookies.
4. Simply open the bag along the cut seams to expose the cookie dough. Then, cut out squares using a cookie cutter.
5. Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Use a small square cookie cutter or a knife to cut the centers out of one third of your cookies. Refrigerate cookies for 30 minutes.Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees.
6. Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes until just the edges begin to brown. Allow cookies to cool completely.
7. M&M's are a delicious filler for the Candy Filled Christmas Present Cookies.
8. Color vanilla frosting with red food coloring. Fill a disposable pastry bag or a zip top bag with frosting. Snip off the end of your bag. Pipe a thin line of frosting on the back size of the squares with the hole in the middle. Press onto one of the square cookies.
9. Fill the hole with small candies. Pipe a thin line of frosting around the edge of the cookies with the holes. Press a square cookie on top. Allow to dry for at least 45 minutes, before decorating so the frosting has time to dry and the cookies stay together.

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