Valentine’s Day Baking: Chocolate Cookie Treasure Boxes

Valetine's Cookie Box

After something a little unique this Valentine’s Day? Well, they do say that the path to someone’s heart is through their stomach! These chocolate cookie treasure boxes are a deliciously adorable gift perfect for popping in sweets or a love note. I found the original recipe here from Glorious Treats, but for ease I’ve converted the American cup measures to grams.

Ingredients

  • 225g butter
  • 150g granulated sugar
  • 85g brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons chocolate liqueur (I used chocolate Bailey’s) or extra strong coffee (this can be made with about 1 teaspoon of instant espresso dissolved into 2 tablespoons of warm water)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 62.5g cocoa powder
  • 420g all purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoons baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • Icing sugar
  • Decorations (you can get iced flowers ready to use from most supermarkets)

Method

  • Sift together (or gently stir with a whisk) the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  • With an electric mixer cream together the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until fully incorporated and fluffy.
  • Beat in egg, coffee or liqueur, and vanilla. Add in flour/cocoa mixture about 1 cup at a time. Blend until fully incorporated. (If you are using a hand mixer you may need to add the last cup of flour by hand).
  • Divide dough into two or three large balls and chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours (if you’re in a hurry, you can chill the dough for about 20 minutes in the freezer).

Cookie Dough

  • Once chilled, work with one ball of dough at a time, and roll onto a lightly floured surface. I find it works best to place a sheet of parchment paper on top of the dough, and then roll on top of the parchment. This prevents the dough from sticking to your rolling pin, and you also don’t need to add as much extra flour (as you would without the parchment).
  • Cut out desired shapes with cookie cutters and place on a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet (with cookies on it) in the freezer about 5 minutes (this helps the dough keep it’s shape when baked).

Ready For The Oven

  • Bake 3 or 4 heart cookies (of the same size) for each finished box. If you use only 3 total cookies, the space inside for a treasure will be quite small (the depth of one cookie), appropriate for small candies (such as Smarties, or just a note).
  • Bake cookies for 7-10 minutes (depending on size) at 170°C. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire cooling rack.

Baked Cookie Cooling On Rack

  • After the cookies are baked and have cooled slightly, use a small heart cutter to cut out the centres of the cookies you’ll be using between the top and bottom cookie.
  • Allow the cookies to fully cool. Decorate one of the full heart cookies (for each set), which will be your top cookie. While the top cookies are drying, assemble your cookie boxes. Pipe a thin layer of icing on each cookie to glue them together.
  • Once the decorated cookie tops are dry add the treasures of your choice (small candies, a special note, jewellery) to the box, and pop on the lid.

Finished Decorated Box

 

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