These stained glass sugar cookies will literally sparkle and shine at your holiday cookies exchange. Made from your favourite sugar cookie dough and a handful of hard candies, these festive treats look just like stained glass! No need to spend hours making icing or decorating cookies – the magic here happens while the cookies are baking. We like punching polka dots out of classic Christmas tree cookies using a piping tip (genius, right?) to create jewel-toned ornaments, but feel free to use whatever cookie cutters and shapes you have on hand and get creative with your cut-outs.
Stained Glass Sugar Cookie Recipe
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Bake Time: 9 to 12 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours
Makes: About 3 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
1 recipe sugar cookie dough
1 198 g bag hard candies (like Jolly Ranchers)
Directions:
1. Prepare the cookie dough as directed. Divide the dough in half, shape into disks, and cover in plastic wrap. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
2. When ready, roll out one half of the cookie dough at a time to about ¼-inch thick on a lightly flour-dusted work surface. Using a decorative cookie cutter, cut out shapes of dough.
Related: Easy Make-Ahead Christmas Cookies for Your Holiday Bash
3. Transfer the cookies to a parchment lined baking pan, spaced about an inch apart. Use a smaller cutter or the end of a round piping tip to punch out holes. Chill the cookies (on the baking pan) for at least 30 minutes.
4. Stack the cookie dough scraps and cut-outs and re-roll. Repeat with the remaining dough. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375F.
5. Grind the hard candies into a powder using a food processor, one color at a time. The powder will begin to clump and harden if left out, so use immediately.
6. Using a small spoon, carefully fill the holes of the cookies with different colors of ground candy. Fill the holes completely. Try to prevent the candy from spilling onto the surface of the cookie. Brush away any excess candy.
Related: Chewy Gingerbread Eggnog Sandwich Cookies
7. Bake the cookies in the pre-heated oven for 9 to 12 minutes. If at 9 minutes the candy-filled holes seem thin, very carefully spoon in a little bit more candy and continue to bake just until melted.
8. When done, place the baking sheet on a wire rack. Allow cookies to completely cool before carefully removing the cookies with a metal or rubber spatula. The melted candy will be very hot. Please take caution and do not touch until cookies have cooled.
9. Store cooled cookies in an air-tight container.
Looking for more sweet inspiration? Try our very best classic Christmas cookie recipes.
ingredients
directions
Prepare the cookie dough as directed. Divide the dough in half, shape into disks, and cover in plastic wrap. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
When ready, roll out one half of the cookie dough at a time to about ¼-inch thick on a lightly flour-dusted work surface. Using a decorative cookie cutter, cut out shapes of dough.
Transfer the cookies to a parchment lined baking pan, spaced about an inch apart. Use a smaller cutter or the end of a round piping tip to punch out holes. Chill the cookies (on the baking pan) for at least 30 minutes.
Stack the cookie dough scraps and cut-outs and re-roll. Repeat with the remaining dough. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375F.
Grind the hard candies into a powder using a food processor, one color at a time. The powder will begin to clump and harden if left out, so use immediately.
Using a small spoon, carefully fill the holes of the cookies with different colors of ground candy. Fill the holes completely. Try to prevent the candy from spilling onto the surface of the cookie. Brush away any excess candy.
Bake the cookies in the pre-heated oven for 9 to 12 minutes. If at 9 minutes the candy-filled holes seem thin, very carefully spoon in a little bit more candy and continue to bake just until melted.
When done, place the baking sheet on a wire rack. Allow cookies to completely cool before carefully removing the cookies with a metal or rubber spatula. The melted candy will be very hot. Please take caution and do not touch until cookies have cooled.
Store cooled cookies in an air-tight container.