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Stained Glass Cookies Recipe

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4.7 from 85 reviews

Stained Glass Cookies are delightful holiday treats featuring buttery sugar cookie dough with colorful, melted candy centers that resemble stained glass. These festive cookies combine a crisp outer edge with a vibrant, translucent candy filling, making them perfect for celebrations and gifting.

Ingredients

Scale

Cookie Dough

  • 1 cup Sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 Tablespoon Vanilla extract
  • 1 large Egg
  • 3/4 cup Butter (room temperature)
  • 2 1/2 cups All-purpose Flour

Candy Filling

  • 16 Jolly Ranchers (assorted colors)

Instructions

  1. Gather Ingredients: Collect all your cookie ingredients and necessary supplies before starting.
  2. Combine Wet Ingredients: In a mixing bowl, add sugar, salt, vanilla extract, egg, and room temperature butter.
  3. Mix: Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, blend the wet ingredients until well combined.
  4. Add Flour: Gradually add all-purpose flour to the mixture and mix until the dough begins to clump together.
  5. Knead Dough: Transfer the dough onto your working surface and knead briefly until smooth.
  6. Chill Dough: Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour to firm up.
  7. Prepare Candy: Unwrap two Jolly Ranchers at a time, place them into a plastic bag, and crush into small pieces or powder using a hammer or meat mallet. Repeat for each candy color as needed.
  8. Roll Out Dough: Lightly flour your working surface, place the chilled dough on top, and sprinkle a little flour over it. Roll out the dough to just over 1/4 inch thickness.
  9. Cut Cookies: Use a large cookie cutter to cut out your desired shapes, such as stars.
  10. Prepare Baking Tray: Line a baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone mat covered with parchment to prevent the melted candy from sticking.
  11. Cut Centers: Use a smaller cookie cutter of a similar shape to cut out the centers of the cookies, creating a hollow for the candy.
  12. Fill Centers: Fill the cut-out centers with the crushed Jolly Ranchers, making sure not to overfill to prevent overflow during baking. Remove any candy pieces stuck to the tops of the cookies.
  13. Bake: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden and the candy has melted.
  14. Cool: Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking tray for 20-30 minutes so the candy centers harden.
  15. Serve: Once cool and the candy centers have set, your beautiful stained glass cookies are ready to enjoy!

Notes

  • Ensure cookies are completely cool before transferring to prevent breaking the candy centers.
  • You can use other hard candies if Jolly Ranchers are unavailable, but avoid candies with fillings or coatings.
  • Adjust thickness of dough to slightly over 1/4 inch for best balance of firmness and candy melting.
  • Store cookies in an airtight container to keep them fresh for up to a week.
  • Use wax or parchment paper underneath the candy-filled cookies before baking to avoid sticking if not using silicone mats.

Keywords: stained glass cookies, sugar cookies, holiday cookies, festive cookies, Jolly Ranchers, candy cookies

Find it online: https://www.sanacooks.com/stained-glass-cookies-recipe/