Description
Stained Glass Cookies are delightful, festive treats featuring buttery sugar cookie dough with colorful, melted hard candy centers that resemble stained glass windows. These eye-catching cookies are perfect for holidays or special occasions, combining a crisp texture with vibrant, jewel-like candy fillings.
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 and Filling
- 2/3 cup coarse sparkling sugar
- 1/2 cup crushed hard candies (Jolly Ranchers or Lifesavers work great)
Instructions
- Beat 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.
- Mix Vanilla, Salt, 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 tightly and chill for at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Sheet: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.
- Roll and Cut Dough: Divide the dough in half. Re-wrap one half and refrigerate. Roll the other half into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Using a 4 inch star cookie cutter, cut out stars. Place them 1 inch apart on the baking sheet, then use a 2 inch star cookie cutter to cut out the centers.
- Add Sparkling Sugar: Gently press coarse sparkling sugar on top of the cookies.
- Chill Cookies: Place the baking sheet in the fridge and chill the cookies for 20 minutes.
- Fill with Crushed Candy: Remove cookies from the fridge. Fill each cut-out center about 2/3 full with crushed hard candy, using a toothpick to nudge candy into crevices.
- Bake Cookies: Bake for 12 minutes or until cookies are lightly golden and the candy has melted. Let cookies cool completely.
- Repeat: Repeat the rolling, cutting, and baking process with remaining dough.
- Store: Store cooled cookies covered in a single layer for up to 2 days.
Notes
- Separate hard candies by color and crush them coarsely using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Avoid crushing into fine powder to prevent excessive caramelization during baking.
- Fill cookie centers only about 2/3 full with candy to avoid overflow. Use a toothpick to carefully push candy into small points and crevices.
- Chilling the dough and cookies before baking ensures the cookies hold their shape and the candy melts evenly.
- Use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat to prevent cookies from sticking and burning on the baking sheet.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 80 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
