Special Occasion Cookie Boxes

How cute are these little cookie boxes!? And they couldn't be more simple. Once the cookies are baked, just stamp circles out, glue with royal icing, fill with candy and top with a final cookie! Cut out the cookies in any shape, like trees for Christmas or hearts for Valentine's Day.

 

Sugar Cookies

yields 16 cookies or 4 complete boxes

1 1/2cups organic powdered sugar
1 cup vegan butter, room temperature
1/4 cup almond milk

1/2 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling

1 1/2tbl cornstarch

1 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp baking soda

food gel paste, color of your choice
small candies, for the center

Cream together the powdered sugar and butter until light and creamy. Add the milk and extracts and combine. Add the flour, cornstarch, cream of tartar and baking soda and mix together.
To get the ombre effect:
Put in a touch of color and mix to combine throughly. Remove 1/4 of the dough and set aside. Add more color and mix. Remove 1/4th of the dough and set aside. Add more dye and mix, remove 1/4th of the dough and set aside. Add 1 final amount of color to achieve the darkest color.
Wrap all 4 balls of dough up individually and chill for at least 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350.
Flour the counter top and roll out one disc of dough at a time 1/4" thick. Stamp out 4 circles from each color. Bake for exactly 10 minutes.
The lightest colored cookie will be the bottom and are finished.
Stamp a smaller circle out of the second and third lightest colors while the cookies are still hot.
The darkest color cookie will be the top.

Royal Icing
2 cups organic powdered sugar
1 1/2 tbl almond milk
1 tbl light corn syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
food colors/sugar decorations
Whip the sugar, almond milk, corn syrup and vanilla until thick and smooth.


To assemble cookie boxes:
Pipe a layer of royal icing around the edge of the bottom cookie. Top with a cookie with a punched out center. Pipe another layer of royal icing on top and top with the third cookie. Fill with candy and place the 4th, whole cookie on top. Decorate the top cookie with royal icing.

Frosted Sugar Cut-Out Cookies

If you're like me and you bake for a living, then the last thing you want to do is go home and do more baking. Lucky for my husband, the urge strikes me every so often. Out of sheer boredom these sugar cookies came about and after frosting a couple dozen of them, I remembered why I don't make these at work! But for Christmas I will do just about anything to get a smile of my friends and family's faces.

Tender almond and vanilla spiced sugar cookies each delicately frosted with royal icing and sugar sparkles.

Sugar Cut-Out Cookies
3 dozen medium sized cookies
3 cups organic powdered sugar
2 cups vegan butter, room temperature
1/2 cup almond milk
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
3 tbl cornstarch
2 tsp cream of tartar
2 tsp baking soda

Cream together the powdered sugar and butter until light and creamy. Add the milk and extracts and combine. Add the flour, cornstarch, cream of tartar and baking soda and mix together.
Divide the dough into 2 discs wrapped in seran wrap and chill for 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350.
Heavily flour a counter top and roll out one disc of dough at a time 1/4" thick. Stamp out shapes with cookie cutter and place on baking sheets lined with parchment. Bake for 12-15 minutes and cool completely before frosting.

Royal Icing
4 cups organic powdered sugar
3 tbl almond milk
2 tbl light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
food colors/sugar decorations

Whip the sugar, almond milk, corn syrup and vanilla until thick and smooth.
Divide the icing into small bowls to color individually and frost! Sit at room temperature to harden.