Grandma’s Every-Occasion Stained Glass Cookies
There is something truly magical about a cookie that glows! These Stained Glass Hearts were our labor of love for Valentine’s Day, featuring a crisp, buttery base and a shimmering candy center that’s as sweet to look at as it is to eat.
While we’ve shaped these into hearts to celebrate the season of love, this versatile recipe is a canvas for your imagination. By simply swapping out your cookie cutters, you can transform these into glowing stars for the holidays, vibrant flowers for spring, or even spooky silhouettes for Halloween. No matter the shape or the occasion, these treats are guaranteed to be the “clear” favorite at any gathering!
Grandma’s Every-Occasion Stained Glass Cookies
Description
Elevate your holiday baking with these stunning Stained Glass Cookies. This recipe combines a reliable, no-spread sugar cookie dough with a shimmering, translucent candy center. Perfect as edible ornaments, party favors, or a heartfelt Valentine’s gift, these cookies are as crisp and delicious as they are beautiful.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Make Dough
Using a hand mixer or electric mixer at medium-high speed, cream the butter, gradually adding the sugar. Beat in the egg until evenly mixed, then blend in the vanilla extract and salt.
You can also use different kinds of extract like lemon, depending on what flavors you want your cookies.
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Mix in the flour into the creamed ingredients, small amounts at a time, until evenly combined.
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Divide the dough in half. Flatten each portion slightly into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 6-8 hours, or overnight.
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Crush Candies
Use transparent hard candies (like Jolly Ranchers or Life Savers). Opaque mints or creamy candies won't give that "glass" effect.
Separate candies (we used Jolly Ranchers) by color, using a ziplock bag and a rolling pin to crush candies. Save for later.
Crushing the candy into a fine dust helps it melt faster and more evenly, preventing bubbles in the "glass."
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After Refrigerated
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Use parchment paper, or silicone mat and lightly coat the with cooking spray. Between two sheets of waxed paper or parchment paper lightly dusted with flour, roll the dough to a 1/4-inch thickness. Remove the top sheet.
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Cut out the cookies with a large cookie cutter. Use a lightly floured spatula to transfer the shapes to the baking sheet, leaving about an inch between cookies. Remove the centers of the cookies with a smaller cookie cutter.We did Valentines cookies so we used Heart cookie cutters, but you can use whatever shapes you want!
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Place a pinch of crushed hard candy into the center of each cookie and bake until the cookies start to brown lightly around the edges and the candy is melted, about 8 to 10 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.These must cool completely on the baking sheet (or parchment). If you try to move them while the candy is warm, you’ll leave the "glass" behind on the pan! You can combine the different colors of candy in the centers, but they don't always combine well color wise.
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You can also use the center of the cookies for mini cookies, sprinkle the candies over them to add a little bit of color and flavor!
