Description
Delightful stained glass cookies featuring a buttery sugar cookie base with colorful melted candy centers that create a beautiful, translucent effect. Perfect for festive occasions and adding a touch of whimsy to your dessert table.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups all purpose flour
Decorative Topping
- 2/3 cup coarse sparkling sugar
- 1/2 cup crushed hard candies (Jolly Ranchers or Lifesavers work great)
Instructions
- Mix Butter and Sugar: In the bowl of a mixer, beat the butter and sugar until smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Add Eggs: Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Add Flavorings and Flour: Add the vanilla and salt, then slowly mix in the flour until thoroughly combined.
- Chill Dough: Remove the dough from the bowl. Place the dough on a large piece of plastic wrap and shape it into a disc. Wrap the plastic wrap around the dough and chill for at least 1 hour, or up to 1 day before baking.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Pan: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.
- Roll Dough and Cut Shapes: Divide the dough in half. Re-wrap one half and refrigerate. Roll the remaining dough into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Using a 4 inch star shaped cookie cutter, cut as many shapes as possible and place them 1 inch apart on the cookie sheet. Use a 2 inch star cutter to cut out windows in the center.
- Re-roll and Repeat: Re-roll the scraps and cut more stars with windows until the first baking sheet is full.
- Add Sugar Topping: Gently press coarse sparkling sugar into the tops of the cookies.
- Chill Cookies: Place the pan of cookies in the fridge and chill for 20 minutes.
- Add Crushed Candy: Remove cookies from fridge and fill each cookie window about 2/3 full with crushed candy. Use a toothpick to nudge candy into all crevices gently.
- Bake Cookies: Bake cookies for 12 minutes or until they are light golden brown and the candy has melted. Cool completely before handling.
- Repeat with Remaining Dough: Repeat the rolling, cutting, sugar pressing, chilling, filling, and baking steps with the refrigerated half of the dough.
- Storage: Store cookies covered in a single layer for up to 2 days.
Notes
- Separate candies by color before crushing them with a rolling pin or meat mallet. Avoid grinding them into powder to prevent over caramelization.
- Crush candies to the texture of coarse sand or small pebbles for best melting results.
- Fill each cookie window about 2/3 full with crushed candy to prevent overflow during baking.
- Use a toothpick to gently press candy into each point of the star for an even fill.
- Chilling the dough and cookies helps maintain shape and prevents spreading during baking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 80 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 35 mg
