Stained Glass Cookies

These Stained Glass Cookies are works of art.  Hold them up, and you can see through their candy centers. They can look like red glass ornaments on your cookie trees, and the cutouts in turn can be decorated with colored sugar and adorn another cookie tree.  They were a gorgeous addition to my Christmas cookie baskets.

These ornament cookies look almost too pretty to eat, like they should be hung up on a real tree to catch the light.

And for some variation, a light brushing of water followed by a sprinkling of colorful sugar also makes your cookies festive.

The method couldn't be easier.  After the cookies bake for a few minutes, pull them out and sprinkle crushed hard candy into the cavities, then bake a little longer.  But Joe and I were doubtful, and you should have heard us preparing.

I don't think the oven is hot enough to melt the candy.


Of course it is! ... but if I pile it too high, will it overflow?


Is the the candy going stay in place or flow like a river?

I can tell you that the candy will spread, but only so much.  So you may want to sprinkle a little extra in the points of those stars and snowflakes.  And our little mounds of crushed candy sat taller than the cookies, but did not overflow.  Try it ... I bet people will tell you they've never seen anything like it!


Cutout Cookies
From Martha Stewart Living December 2010 Issue

Shape dough (recipe below) into 2 disks, and wrap each in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Roll out 1 disk on a lightly floured piece of parchment to ⅛- to ¼-inch thickness.  Repeat with remaining disk.  Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.  Cut out desired shapes.
Makes about 3 dozen, depending on size of cutouts.


Stained-Glass Technique
After cutting out cookie shapes, cut out small shapes within cookies where you want "stained glass" to appear.  Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.  Bake at 350° for 4 minutes (if you'll be using whole candies) or 8 minutes (if you'll be using crushed candies).  Fill cutouts with candy.  Bake until cookies are firm and candies are melted, 5 to 8 minutes more.


Sugaring Technique
Before baking, brush cookie shapes with water, and sprinkle generously with sanding sugar.  Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.  Bake at 350° until cookies are firm, 12 to 15 minutes.


Basic Vanilla Dough

3 cups all-purpose flour

¾ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Beat butter and granulated sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, and beat until combined.

Dough can be refrigerated overnight or frozen up to 1 month.