Description
These Stained Glass Window Cookies are delightful sugar cookies with a colorful melted candy center that resembles stained glass. Perfect for holidays or special occasions, these cookies combine a classic buttery dough with a vibrant, glossy candy window made from crushed hard candies, creating a fun and festive treat that’s as beautiful as it is delicious.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
Candy Center
- 8-10 Jolly Ranchers or other hard candies, crushed
Instructions
- Cream the Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed to cream the softened butter and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Then add the egg and vanilla extract, beating until fully combined.
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients: Lower the mixer speed to low and add baking powder and salt. Gradually add the all-purpose flour into the mixture, mixing until just combined to form a smooth dough.
- Chill the Dough: Shape the dough into a ball, wrap tightly with plastic cling wrap, and freeze for 30 minutes or refrigerate until firm, ideally for at least 1 hour or up to overnight to make it easier to roll out.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheets: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two half sheet baking pans with silicone baking mats; avoid parchment paper as the candy may stick to it.
- Roll and Cut Dough: On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to about ¼-inch thickness. Use a 3 or 4-inch cookie cutter to cut out the main cookie shapes, followed by a 1 or 1.5-inch cutter to remove the centers, creating the window effect.
- Arrange Cookies for Baking: Transfer the cut-out cookies to the lined baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch of space between each. Re-roll the scraps to cut additional cookies.
- Add Candy Centers: Evenly sprinkle crushed hard candies into the center cut-outs, filling them approximately ¾ full to avoid overflow during melting.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies turn light golden brown and the candy centers have melted and are glossy.
- Cool Cookies: Allow the cookies to set on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes to let the candy centers harden. Then carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Crushing Hard Candies: Place hard candies in a plastic ziplock bag and crush them using a hammer, mallet, or meat tenderizer. Alternatively, use a mini blender by pulsing to achieve crushed candy.
- Storage: Store cookies in an airtight container separated by parchment paper layers at room temperature for up to 4 days or refrigerate for 1-2 weeks. Note that humidity can cause candy centers to become sticky over time.
- Freezing Dough: Freeze shaped dough tightly wrapped in plastic and stored in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before rolling and cutting.
- Freezing Baked Cookies: Not recommended as candy centers may crack upon thawing. If needed, freeze in airtight containers with parchment layers up to 3 months.
- Alternative Cookie Bases: Try using cut-out shortbread cookies, gingerbread cookies, or gingerbread houses as the base for stained glass windows.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 110
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 65mg
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Fiber: 0.2g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 20mg
