Description
Stained Glass Cookies are delightful buttery treats with a window of melted colorful candy that shines like stained glass. These festive cookies are perfect for holiday celebrations or any special occasion, combining a classic sugar cookie base with vibrant crushed hard candies.
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
- Make the dough: In the bowl of a mixer, beat the butter and sugar until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and salt, then slowly mix in the flour until thoroughly combined.
- Chill the dough: Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a large piece of plastic wrap. Shape it into a disc, wrap tightly, and chill for at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.
- Preheat oven and prepare pans: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.
- Roll and cut cookies: Divide the dough in half. Re-wrap one half and chill in fridge. Roll the other half into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Using a 4 inch star-shaped cookie cutter, cut out star shapes and place 1 inch apart on the baking sheet. Use a 2 inch star cutter to cut out the centers to create windows. Re-roll dough scraps and repeat.
- Add sugar topping and chill: Gently press coarse sparkling sugar into the tops of the cookies. Place the cookie sheet in the fridge and chill for 20 minutes.
- Fill with crushed candy: Remove cookies from fridge and fill each window 2/3 full with crushed candy, using a toothpick to poke candy into crevices carefully.
- Bake the cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes or until the cookies are light golden brown and the candy has melted to a stained glass effect. Cool completely on the baking sheet.
- Repeat: Repeat the rolling, cutting, chilling, filling, and baking steps with the remaining half of the dough.
- Store: Once cooled, store the cookies covered in a single layer for up to 2 days.
Notes
- Separate candies by color before crushing to keep vibrant color blocks.
- Crush candy to a consistency similar to coarse sand or small pebbles—not too fine or too chunky.
- Fill the cookie windows only about 2/3 full with candy to avoid overflow while baking.
- Use a toothpick to carefully nudge candy into all points of the cutout shapes for best coverage.
- Chilling dough and cookies before baking helps maintain shape and prevents spreading.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 14 g
- Sodium: 80 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
