Cookie gift boxes

Ingredients:

Sugar dough

• 4 and 1/4 cups of premium flour, plus extra for working with the dough
• 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 330 g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 0.5 cup powdered sugar
• Special equipment: ruler, scissors, round pizza cutter, cookie cutters, disposable pastry bags with small and medium tips

Royal icing

• 450 g (about 3.5 cups) powdered sugar + more as needed
• 2 tbsp. dry egg white
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation:

1. Dough:
   
   In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and vanilla extract. In a large bowl, using a mixer on low speed, cream the butter with the sugar and powdered sugar. Then increase the speed to medium and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stop the mixer as needed to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
2. Reduce the mixer speed back to low, gradually add the egg mixture, and beat until smooth. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, increasing the speed as the batter thickens, keeping the beaters moving. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Once all the flour is incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the batter is very smooth, about 5 minutes.
3. Remove the dough from the bowl and form it into a ball. Divide into 4 equal portions (approximately 300 g each). Form each portion into a flat square and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least 3 hours or overnight.
4. Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350°F (175°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
5. Roll out, cut and bake the cookies:
   
   Flour another sheet of parchment paper and place 1 piece of dough on it. Sprinkle with flour and place another sheet of parchment on top. Roll the dough into a 0.5 cm thick square and refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes. Repeat with the remaining 3 pieces of dough.
6. From one piece of rolled dough, cut out six box panels: two 10x10 cm squares for the top and bottom, two 10x5 cm rectangles for the long sides, and two 9.5x5 cm rectangles for the short sides. Arrange the dough shapes on the prepared baking sheets, cover, and refrigerate. Repeat with the remaining three pieces of dough. If you can't make all the box panels from one piece of dough, gather the scraps, re-roll, and cut them out.
7. Bake, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until the cookies are golden brown around the edges, about 20 minutes. Cool completely on the baking sheets on a wire rack, about 30 minutes. Smooth edges make assembling the boxes easier, so trim the edges after the cookies have cooled.
8. Meanwhile, prepare the royal icing.:
   
   In a large bowl, combine the powdered sugar and dry egg whites. Add 5 tablespoons of water and vanilla extract and beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 2 minutes (adding up to 1 more tablespoon of water if necessary). Set aside 2 cups of the glaze to thicken, and transfer the remaining glaze to an airtight container and place plastic wrap directly on top of the glaze.
9. Thicken the royal icing:
   
   Thicken 2 cups of royal icing by whisking it with 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar until it reaches the consistency of icing paste. Fit a pastry bag with a medium round tip and fill it with the thickened icing.
10. Collect the boxes:
    
    Place a 4x4" panel flat side up on your work surface and spread thick icing around the perimeter. Press the long edge of a 4x2" side panel into the icing on either side (the golden side of the cookie should be facing out). You can prop the panel up with a jar. Place another 4x2" side panel directly across from the first one. Now repeat with the remaining shorter panels.
11. Pipe thick icing along the four corners of the box to ensure the side panels adhere to each other. Then pipe a small amount of icing around the top perimeter of the box. Let the boxes dry for 24 hours before decorating.
12. Once the boxes are dry, use a small knife to trim off any excess icing to give the outside of the box a neat appearance.
13. Decorate:
    
    Fit small round tips into piping bags. Divide the remaining royal icing into portions and tint it to your desired colors. First, fill the bags with icing and pipe neat lines along the seams of the box. Then pipe small dots along the long lines. At this stage, you can decorate the box and lid as you wish. We recommend making a few sketches on paper first to get an idea of ​​what you might like..
14. Let the icing dry completely for at least 24 hours. Fill the boxes with any treats, tie with ribbon, and give away.