Description
Delight in these beautiful Stained Glass Cookies featuring a buttery sugar cookie base with a sparkling candy center that melts into colorful, translucent windows. Perfect for festive occasions, these cookies combine a classic cookie dough with crushed hard candies for a stunning effect.
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
Topping
- 2/3 cup coarse sparkling sugar
- 1/2 cup crushed hard candies (Jolly Ranchers or Lifesavers)
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 extract and salt, then slowly mix in the flour until thoroughly combined.
- Chill Dough: Remove the dough from the bowl and shape it into a disc on a large piece of plastic wrap. Wrap and chill for at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheet: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.
- Roll and Cut Dough: Divide dough in half. Rewrap one half and refrigerate. Roll the remaining dough into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle.
- Cut Star Shapes and Windows: Use a 4-inch star cookie cutter to cut shapes from the dough; place stars 1 inch apart on baking sheet. Use a 2-inch star cutter to cut out the centers.
- Repeat for Remaining Dough: Re-roll scraps and repeat until the baking sheet is full.
- Add Sugar Topping: Gently press coarse sparkling sugar into tops of cookies.
- Chill Cookies: Chill the cookie sheet in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
- Add Crushed Candy: Remove cookies from fridge and fill each cookie center about 2/3 full with crushed candy. Use a toothpick to nudge candy into crevices.
- Bake Cookies: Bake for 12 minutes or until cookies are light golden brown and candy centers have melted.
- Cool Completely: Allow cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet to harden the candy centers.
- Repeat Process with Remaining Dough: Bake remaining cookies following the same steps.
- Store: Store cookies covered in a single layer for up to 2 days.
Notes
- Separate candies by color and crush using a meat mallet or rolling pin in a resealable bag until coarse like sand or small pebbles; avoid powdery or large chunks to prevent over caramelization or uneven melting.
- Only fill the cookie centers about 2/3 full with crushed candy to avoid overflow during baking. Use a toothpick to carefully nudge candy into each point of the star cutout.
- Chilling the dough and cookies before and after cutting helps maintain shape and prevents spreading.
- Use parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat to prevent sticking and ease cleanup.
- Cool cookies completely on the baking sheet to let the candy centers harden properly and create the stained glass effect.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 70 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
