These Stained Glass Cookies are a showstopping festive treat that goes down well with kids and grown ups alike. A soft sugar cookie base with a melted candy centre, you can use these treats as edible Christmas tree decorations too, plus they are perfect for your holiday cookie exhange. A fun and delicious Christmas treat that is very easy to make with only 6 ingredients.
These stunning stained glass window cookies are an excellent choice for your holiday cookie exchange; they look impressive and taste incredible, plus the colourful centre reminds me of Christmas lights and carols and happy moments.
Baking cookies and cakes for Christmas is part of our family tradition, I grew up helping mum with all the Christmas preparation, and dreaming of all the delicious dishes that we would enjoy on Christmas day, and now I enjoy all the baking with my children.
These really are the most magical days, when you realise that what matters the most are these simple moments of peace and joy spent with your loved ones and preparing for the most wonderful holiday of the year.
And of all the cookies that I have made over the years, these stained glass cookies are by far my favourite. They are so festive and no doubt will appeal to little ones as well as the grown ups too.
Adapted from my Star-Shaped Sugar Cookies which use the same dough, but instead of the melted candy centre are decorated with icing and sprinkles for a festive touch. The stained glass cookies do not need any icing though, they are delicious just they way they are.
Note!
Go to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions!
Ingredients used
- flour - I used plain flour for these cookies, they do not need any raising agents
- egg - I used a large egg, if you only have small eggs, you might need to you a little bit less flour, or just add a bit of milk if the dough is not right
- sugar - this recipe calls for granulated sugar, although caster sugar or icing sugar wuld work just fine
- butter - it has to be soft, but not melted
- vanilla extract - or any other extract of your choice
- boiled sweets - or hard candies for the US audience, the sweets have to be plain without any gooey centre
Step-by-step photos and instructions
- in a large mixing bowl add the soft butter and sugar and use a hand mixer to cream them together
- add the egg and mix again until you get a pale yellow colour and a smooth texture
- sift in the flour, add the vanilla extract and knead everything well into a dough that does not stick to the hands
- cover the dough in clingfilm and refrigerate for 30 minutes
- roll out the dough onto the work surface using a rolling pin
- use a larger cookie cutter to cut out the shape of your choice, then use a smaller cookie cutter to cut out the window shape of the cookie
- place the cut-outs onto 3 baking trays lined with non-stick paper, and place a sweet in the middle ( see photo 9
- bake in the preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit) for 10 minutes
- remove from the oven and leave them to cool down completely onto the baking trays
Expert tips
The sweets/ candies melt really well in the oven and spread nicely to fill in the shape of the cookie. I did not crush the sweets, just make sure whatever sweets you use they fit inside the cut out, the oven will do the rest.
You can, however crush the sweets if you like, with mine I had to cut mine in half, but it all depends on the size of the cookie you are baking and the size of the cut out centre.
I did not test these cookies with any other sweets, but I presume it would work too with crushed or chopped candy canes, lolipops or any other hard sweets you have around.
It is crucial to use non-stick paper for these cookies, as the centre is very sticky and hot as the cookies come out of the oven, but will set nicely as soon as they start to cool.
If the melted centre has air bubbles on the surface as the cookies come out of the oven, just use a toothpick to pop them so that they cookies look better.
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Stained Glass Cookies
Ingredients
- 100 g butter, soft (0.5 cup)
- 100 g granulated sugar (0.5 cup)
- 250 g plain flour ( 2 cups)
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup boiled sweets ( hard candies)
Instructions
- To make the dough, add the soft butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl, and use a hand mixer to cream them well.
- Add the egg and mix again to get a mixture with a pale yellow colour and a smooth texture.
- Sift in the flour, add the vanilla extract, and knead everything well into a dough that does not stick to the hands.
- Cover the dough in clingfilm and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit, 160 fan oven).
- Dust the work surface with flour, and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough.
- Use a larger cookie cutter to cut out the base of the cookie, then use a smaller cookie cutter to cut out the centre of the cookie, which will be the glass window.
- Rework the dough until it's used up.
- Line 3 baking trays with non-stick paper, and carefully transfer the cookies onto the trays.
- Place a boiled sweet in the middle of the cookie.
- Bake for 10 minutes, then remove the tray from the oven and leave the cookies to cool down completely onto the trays, the soft centre will set once they cool down.
Video
Notes
- It is crucial to use non-stick paper for these cookies, as the centre is very sticky and hot as the cookies come out of the oven, but will set nicely as soon as they start to cool.
- If the melted centre has air bubbles on the surface as the cookies come out of the oven, just use a toothpick to pop them so that they cookies look better.
Nutrition
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