Stained Glass Cookies
Stained Glass Cookies are easy to make and so pretty too! All the buttery and sugary flavor of a classic sugar cookie with an added fruity, hard candy center. Perfect for holiday parties, cookie exchanges, or just a late night treat for Santa, kids and grownups alike will be clambering for this fun holiday treat!
Servings 20
Ingredients
For the Sugar Cookies
- 16 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar 150 grams
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract or more vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour 300 grams
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
For the Stained Glass
- 20 Jolly Rancher hard candies separated by color
- sanding sugar
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluff, about 3 minutes.
- Beat in the vanilla extract, almond extract and kosher salt.
- Add in the egg and mix until combined.
- Slowly add in the flour in about ½ cup at a time until incorporated - do not overmix. Form dough into a ball and divide in half.
- Line the countertop or work surface with a sheet of parchment paper. Place half of the dough onto the parchment and roll out to ¼ inch thick. Repeat with the remaining half of the dough.
- Place parchment and dough onto large baking sheets and cover with plastic wrap.. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or overnight).
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- Grab two cookie cutters that are the same shape but slightly different sizes with the largest being about 2 to 3 inches in size.
- Use the large cookie cutter to carefully cut out a cookie from the dough. Now use the smaller cutter to cut out the center. Remove the center and place on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about an inch or two in between the cookies.
- Repeat until you run out of dough, re-rolling the dough when necessary. If the dough softens and gets sticky or the cutout shapes become difficult to handle, gather the remaining dough, form into a ball and roll out flat. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 5 to 10 minutes or until the dough is firm enough to handle.
- Sort the jolly ranchers by color. Unwrap and place each color in a separate ziploc bag. Gently beat with a rolling pin until the candies are finely crushed.
- Spoon a small amount into the center of each cookie, do not overfill. Just enough to fill the space, about a teaspoon but it will depend on the size of your cookies.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the jolly ranchers have completely melted and the edges of the cookies have just a hint of color.
- Remove cookies from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes.
- Gently transfer the cookies to a wire rack and allow to cool completely before serving.
Video
Notes
Storage Information
Store any leftover stained glass cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 5 days. To increase longevity you can store them in your refrigerator for up to a week!
To Freeze: You can freeze these cookies as well. Store cooled cookies in a freezer safe container for up to a month. Thaw to room temperature and enjoy!
If you want to make the cookie dough in advance, make the dough, transfer to an airtight, freezer safe ziploc bag and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Proceed with recipe as directed.
Note: How many cookies this recipe will make will depend on the size of your cookie cutters.