Stained Glass Christmas Cookies
These fresh, modern Christmas Tree Stained Glass Cookies are bright and eye catching! Best of all, they are fun to make.
Servings 24 cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1-½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3-½ cups all-purpose flour divided
- 24 Clear Hard Candies in desired colors
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed.
- Add the eggs, vanilla and salt and continue blending until thoroughly combined.
- Slowly add the flour, mixing just until combined.
- Cover the dough and place in the refrigerator for one hour.
- While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove dough from the refrigerator and roll out onto a floured surface about a half of an inch thick.
- Cut into desired shapes, being sure to cut out hollow areas to place candy.
- Place shapes onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Unwrap the hard candies and place into a plastic bag. Crush into small pieces.
- Place the candy in the hollowed out areas.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are set and the candy centers are melted.
- Allow to cool on the baking sheet until the candy is completely cooled.
Notes
Note: for the small stars, turn the cut cookies over and press into hard candy powder or sprinkles.
Jolly Ranchers work best for this. I used some off brand candies and the bubbling was awful. I also tried some butterscotch (I really wanted yellow!) but those got really dull when they dried. Bottom Line: use Jolly Ranchers.
Don’t overcook the cookies. If they are golden brown, you overcooked them. They are done when they are set and no longer shiny, don’t wait for the edges to turn.
Be sure to cool completely before moving off the parchment. Trust me.