How to Make Stained Glass Cookies
Decorating sugar cookies after they come out of the oven can be a fun holiday experience, but I appreciate the cookies that bake beautifully and are ready to serve. And while I believe there is nothing more enjoyable than an unadorned chocolate chip or magic cookie, this last part of December requires a certain flair, and the stained glass cookie does just that.
Although their appearance depends on the transparent panel of multicolored sucrose, there is no complicated sugar work here. If you know how to smash candy with a blunt object, you can make these cookies. In fact, besides some Jolly Ranchers (or similar pastries), all you need is your favorite sugar cookie dough recipe (mine comes in the tub), a large cookie cutter, and a smaller cookie cutter (up to you). The smaller cutter is used to make a decorative hole inside the cookie made with the larger cutter, then that hole is filled with brutal candy. The candy melts while the cookies are baking and everything turns out very nicely.
For colors, you can fill the cutouts with one or more. Candies of different colors melt harmoniously, creating the effect of a swirling rather than muddy stained glass window.
The process is very simple, but there are some details to keep in mind. Above all – and most importantly – be sure to place a piece of parchment between the cookie and the baking sheet, otherwise the sugar glass will stick and ruin your beautiful creation. Also, fill in these cookies! The chopped pile of chocolates melts as the cookie dough rises, preventing excessive spills. (Both the tree in the lower left corner and the star in the lower right corner were not painted over enough, so the edges look a little sunken.) To make these stuns, you will need:
- Merry ranchers
- Any recipe for sugar cookie dough
- Powder
- 1 large cookie cutter
- 1 (or more) smaller cookie cutter
Preheat oven to 400 ℉. While the oven is heating, unwrap the candies and separate them to taste by placing them in an airtight freezer bag. Take a blunt, heavy object and smash it into small pieces. Set aside.
Once the oven is hot, roll the dough into a 1/4-inch sheet and cut out a few cookies with a large cookie cutter. Using the smaller cookie cutter, punch a hole in the center of the larger cookie. Transfer the cookies to a parchment-lined baking sheet and fill the holes with candy. Bake for 4-6 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are browned and the candy is completely melted. Remove from oven and let the sheet cool for a minute before taking out the entire sheet of parchment and placing it on the counter to finish cooling. Repeat until you run out of cookie dough and / or candy.