Process flour, sugar, spices and chopped butter until crumbly. Add treacle and egg, process until combined. Divide dough in half, enclose in plastic wrap, refrigerate 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat oven to 160°C (140°C fan forced). Line four oven trays with baking paper.

Roll dough separately between sheets of baking paper until 5mm thick. From each batch of dough cut one 10.5cm square (lid), one 9.5cm square (base), two 8.5cm squares (sides), two 8cm squares (sides), two 2cm x 11cm rectangles (sides of lid), two 2cm x 10.5cm rectangles (sides of lid) and one 5cm (2-inch) star (tag). Pierce a hole in star with a thick skewer.

Carefully lift shapes onto trays, keeping smaller shapes together and larger shapes together, bake small shapes about 10 minutes, bake large shapes about 15 minutes.

Working quickly, use a sharp serrated knife to trim edges of hot shapes so they are straight. Re-pierce hole in star with skewer, if necessary. Cool shapes on trays.

Melt chocolate Melts in small heatproof bowl over small saucepan of simmering water (don't let water touch base of bowl). To make lids, use melted chocolate to secure small rectangles to opposite outside edges of large squares. Secure sides. Stand at room temperature until set.

To make box, use melted chocolate to secure one 8.5cm square along the upper edge of the 9.5cm square. Secure the two 8cm squares to the inside of both edges of the 8.5cm square, then secure them to the 9.5cm square. Secure the remaining 8.5cm square to the box. Stand box at room temperature until set.

Spoon remaining melted chocolate (re-melt chocolate if necessary) into paper piping bag, decorate box, lid and star tag with chocolate. Stand at room temperature until set.

Place lids on boxes, decorate with ribbon. Secure tag to box with ribbon.