Description
These stained glass cookies are a delightful treat combining classic sugar cookie dough with colorful melted candy centers, creating a beautiful and tasty dessert that’s perfect for holiday celebrations or any special occasion. The candies melt within the cookies, forming striking stained glass-like windows that impress both visually and in flavor.
Ingredients
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
Stained Glass Centers
- 16 Jolly Ranchers candies (varied colors)
Instructions
- Gather Ingredients and Supplies: Collect all cookie and candy ingredients as well as your mixing bowl, hand or stand mixer, plastic wrap, hammer or meat mallet, rolling pin, Ziploc bags, parchment paper-lined baking sheet, and cookie cutters in at least two sizes.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a mixing bowl, combine sugar, salt, vanilla extract, egg, and room temperature butter. Use a stand or hand mixer to blend everything until smooth and creamy.
- Add Flour: Gradually add all-purpose flour to the wet mixture and mix until dough begins to come together and clump.
- Knead Dough: Transfer dough to a floured working surface. Knead briefly to fully incorporate flour and form a smooth dough.
- Chill Dough: Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour to firm up and make rolling easier.
- Prepare Candy Pieces: Remove wrappers from Jolly Ranchers and place them in separate plastic bags by color. Using a hammer or meat mallet, crush candies into fine pieces or powder, aiming to avoid large chunks for even melting.
- Roll Dough: Lightly flour your surface, place chilled dough atop, and dust more flour on dough. Roll out dough evenly until slightly over 1/4 inch thick.
- Cut Cookie Shapes: Use a large cookie cutter to cut out shapes such as stars. Then use a smaller, similarly shaped cutter to cut out the center of each cookie, creating a hole for the candy window.
- Fill Cookie Centers: Place cookies on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Fill each cut-out center with crushed Jolly Rancher pieces, ensuring candies don’t overflow and are spread evenly without large pieces on top.
- Bake Cookies: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and bake cookies for 12 minutes until edges are lightly golden and candy centers melt to form stained glass.
- Cool Cookies: Let cookies cool completely on the baking sheet for 20 to 30 minutes so the candy centers harden firmly before handling.
- Serve and Enjoy: Once cooled and hardened, your beautiful stained glass cookies are ready to be enjoyed or gifted.
Notes
- Do not place freshly baked stained glass cookies on paper towels or napkins as the melted candy center will stick to these surfaces.
- Using a silicone baking mat is okay, but ensure it prevents candy from sticking by covering the tray properly.
- Be careful to remove any candy pieces from the cookie surface before baking to avoid hard, uneven candy spots.
- Different colored Jolly Ranchers can be mixed or matched for a vibrant effect.
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
