Steps for the Christmas Cookie Box

• To make this delicious Christmas cookie box, you first need to prepare the shortcrust pastry. As a first thing, you can use a stand mixer or any kitchen robot or simply knead everything by hand in a bowl. For convenience, I used the stand mixer. In the stand mixer bowl, pour and sift the all-purpose flour and potato starch, add the cold butter cut into cubes, salt, and vanilla extract. Mix everything to create the famous “sablage,” named because it resembles sand. Finally, add the powdered sugar and egg and mix again until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous dough. Take one-third of the dough and add the unsweetened cocoa, kneading by hand to create the dark cocoa dough. Compact both shortcrust pastries and let them rest in the fridge wrapped in plastic wrap for 1 hour. You can also make the shortcrust pastry the day before.

  

• To make the Christmas candy canes, you just need to make both dark, cocoa-colored ropes and white ones, place them side by side, press lightly, and start twisting them into a spiral to create the shape of a candy cane.

  

• To make the gingerbread man, simply roll out the cocoa shortcrust pastry with a rolling pin and use a gingerbread man cookie cutter to cut out the shapes. Use the white shortcrust pastry to make small hearts that you will stick in the center of the body. Make the gingerbread men with the white shortcrust pastry and use the cocoa one instead to make small stars and place them also in the center of the body. With the other cocoa shortcrust pastry, make the horseshoe cookie by shaping a small rope and closing it to form a C. Place the cookies on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake in a preheated static oven at 355°F (180°C) for 13-15 minutes.

  

• With the rest of the white shortcrust pastry, make the other cookies. Simply roll out the pastry using a rolling pin and use the various cookie cutters you have. You can also make filled cookies. Half of the cookies will be whole and the other half will have holes in the center with stars or hearts. Also, bake them in a preheated static oven at 355°F (180°C) for 10-12 minutes.

  

• Once the cookies are baked and cooled, decorate them to your liking using previously melted dark, white, and milk chocolate. Let them dry completely for an hour. For the filled cookies, you can use jam or Nutella. If you use the Dutch cookie shape, you just need to glaze it with white chocolate and then dip it in granulated sugar. And here they are ready, just fill the box or a tin container and give them as gifts or serve them to your guests. I hope you enjoy my latest recipe, see you next time, friends.

  
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