These stained glass cookies make a pretty presentation and they are perfect for a holiday swap, bake sale, or virtually any occasion.
So pretty and so festive these stained glass cookies are something I've always wanted to try.
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Making Stained Glass Cookies
I used my mother's Christmas sugar cookie recipe that is printed on tea towels in a previous post for this recipe. It's a standard sugar cookie recipe that's good for cut out cookies.
The secret to the stained glass is using crushed hard candy in the center. I used Jolly Ranchers Awesome Reds. This is a combination of cherry, fruit punch, strawberry, and watermelon. I wanted them all to be a red color and this worked well though the shades are slightly different.
Just unwrap the candies and place them in a plastic bag. Then use a mallet or meat tenderizer to crush them.
One of the keys to the sugar cookie recipe is refrigerating the dough for at least 2 hours. Better yet, let it sit in the fridge overnight.
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Why Do You Need to Refrigerate the Dough?
Refrigerating the dough will allow the butter or fat to firm up and ultimately cause less spread when they bake.
Mom's sugar cookie recipe also uses cream of tartar in the dry mixture. The cream of tartar helps the cookies rise.
The first time I made these cookies I cut out the shapes and the centers before baking. I also filled the centers with some of the crushed candy.
This was a total fail. The dough partially filled in and the inside shapes look terrible.
Next, I baked the cookies halfway. Then I took them out of the oven and cut out the center shape and filled them with the crushed red candy before placing them back into the oven to finish baking.
This method worked like a charm.
The cookies are a nice golden brown and the centers are pretty translucent shades of red.
I think that they make an outstanding looking Christmas cookie. However, they really lend themselves to just about any occasion. Valentine's Day comes to mind with the heart shapes and red centers.
Of course, you could use different colored candies and different shapes to make your own special stained glass cookie creation.
Stained Glass Cookie Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups of all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1 cup of butter softened 2 sticks
- 1.5 cups powdered sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups of crushed hard candy
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl cream together the butter and powdered sugar until creamy.
- Add the vanilla and egg. Beat well.
- Add the flour mixture about 1/3 at a time mixing between.
- Scrape the dough onto the counter and split it into two portions.
- Place each portion on a piece of plastic wrap and pull together to cover and shape into a disk.
- Chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight.
- Meanwhile, crush hard candy by placing it in a plastic bag and use a mallet to crush them.
- After refrigerating the dough roll it out into 1/4 or 1/8 inch thick.
- Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat (silicone mat) baking mat.
- Bake in a 375 degree oven for 5 minutes.
- Remove the cookie sheet and cut out the middle of each cookie with another shape. Fill centers with crushed hard candy.
- Bake for another 4 minutes or until the candy has melted and the dough is golden.
- Allow the cookies to cool for about 5 minutes before removing them from the parchment paper and onto a cooling rack.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although attempts have been made to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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