Dark Chocolate Cookie Box Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
• 1 1/2 cups dark Hershey’s syrup
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 5 tablespoons extra dark cocoa
• 2 large eggs
• 7 cups all-purpose flour

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and gather your tools: parchment paper, heavy-duty aluminum foil, large cookie sheets, and a Dremel tool with various attachments.
2. In a stand mixer, beat 1 1/2 cups of unsalted butter and 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar until creamy. Slowly add 1 1/2 cups of dark Hershey’s syrup and 2 large eggs, mixing until combined.
3. In a separate bowl, mix all the dry ingredients: 5 tablespoons of extra dark cocoa, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 7 cups of all-purpose flour. Gradually combine the dry mixture into the wet ingredients until a dough ball forms.
4. Wrap softball-sized portions of the dough in foil and chill until ready to use. While the dough chills, create a mold using crumpled aluminum foil shaped into a heart.
5. Roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness on a floured surface. Gently roll the dough onto a large rolling pin to transfer it to the foil mold. Be careful, as it may tear, which happens more often than one would like.
6. Bake the cookie shapes for 15-17 minutes and allow them to cool completely before removing them from the mold. Repeat the step to create both a top and a bottom for your cookie box.
7. Once cooled, coat the interiors of the cookie box with dark chocolate royal icing and let it dry overnight.
8. The next day, use the Dremel tool to smooth out any imperfections on the cookie surface. Create grooves for decorating with royal icing around the cookies.
9. Bake additional shapes for embellishments, such as cat heads, flat hearts, and strips for dividers. Decorate as desired.