Description
Stained Glass Cookies are charming, colorful sugar cookies featuring a vibrant stained glass effect created from melted Jolly Ranchers candies. These festive treats are perfect for holidays and special occasions, combining a buttery, tender cookie base with eye-catching candy centers that sparkle like stained glass window panes.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookies
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups (382g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus extra for dusting
Stained Glass Centers
- Approximately 20 Jolly Ranchers hard candies (choose a variety of colors)
Instructions
- Prepare the Dough: In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened unsalted butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add salt, eggs, and vanilla extract, and beat well to combine. Gradually add the all-purpose flour, mixing until a soft dough forms.
- Chill the Dough: Divide the dough into two portions, wrap each in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to firm up, which makes it easier to roll out and cut.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll and Cut Dough: Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin. Roll out one portion of the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness. Using large cookie cutters, cut out shapes and transfer them to the prepared baking sheets. Then use smaller shaped cutters to cut out windows in the center of each cookie.
- Prepare Candy Centers: Unwrap Jolly Rancher candies and sort by color. Place a few hard candies into a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin or meat mallet until finely broken but not powdered.
- Fill Cookie Windows: Place a small amount of crushed Jolly Rancher candy into each window cutout, filling the space evenly.
- Bake Cookies: Bake cookies in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly golden and the candy centers have melted completely and are slightly bubbling.
- Cool Completely: Remove cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for about 15 minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool fully and let the candy centers harden into the stained glass effect.
- Store: Once cooled, store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Notes
- Make sure to crush the Jolly Rancher candies rather than chop them into large pieces to ensure even melting.
- If you want to make this recipe gluten-free, substitute the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend, but keep in mind the texture might vary slightly.
- Be careful not to overbake the cookies to avoid burning the candy centers, which can turn bitter.
- Use a silicone baking mat or parchment paper to prevent sticking and make cleanup easier.
- Customize your stained glass effect by mixing different colored candies for the windows.
Keywords: stained glass cookies, sugar cookies, Jolly Ranchers recipe, holiday cookies, colorful cookies, candy window cookies