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Stained Glass Cookies

These beautiful stained glass cookies are buttery sugar cookies with a candy center. A holiday classic that tastes as good as it looks!

Prep Time
40 mins
Cook Time
40 mins
Additional Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 52 mins
Servings: 20
Calories: 195 kcal
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 2/3 cup coarse sparkling sugar
  • 1/2 cup crushed hard candies Jolly Ranchers or Lifesavers work great

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. In the bowl of a mixer, beat the butter and sugar until smooth, about 2 minutes. 
  2. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  3. Add the vanilla and salt, then slowly mix in the flour until thoroughly combined. 
  4. Remove the dough from the bowl. Place the dough on a large piece of plastic wrap and shape it into a disc. Wrap the plastic wrap around the dough and chill for at least 1 hour, or up to 1 day before you plan to bake your cookies.
  5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. 
  6. Divide the dough in half. Re-wrap one half of the dough and place it in the fridge. Roll the remaining dough into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle.
  7. Using a 4 inch star shaped cookie cutter, cut out as many shapes as you can from the dough. Place the stars 1 inch apart on the cookie sheet, and use a 2 inch star cookie cutter to cut out your windows.
  8. Re-roll the dough and repeat the process until you've filled your first baking sheet.
  9. Gently press sparkling sugar into the tops of the cookies. 
  10. Place the pan of cookies in the fridge and chill for 20 minutes.
  11. Remove the cookies from the refrigerator. Fill each cookie 2/3 of the way full of crushed candy, using a toothpick to nudge the candy into small crevices.
  12. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are light golden brown and the candy has melted. Cool completely.
  13. Repeat the same process with the other half of the dough that you previously put in the refrigerator.
  14. Store covered in a single layer for up to 2 days.

Notes

  • You’ll want to separate the candies by color, then put them in a resealable bag and crush them with the flat end of a meat mallet, or a rolling pin. The candy should not be ground into a super fine powder, otherwise it might get over caramelized in the oven. You also don’t want huge chunks of candy, think coarse sand or small pebbles.
  • You only need to fill the centers of the cookies about 2/3 of the way full with the candy, otherwise you run the risk of it overflowing onto the cookie. I use a toothpick to gently nudge the candy into each point of the star.

Nutrition Information

Calories 195kcal (10%) Carbohydrates 24g (8%) Protein 2g (4%) Fat 9g (14%) Saturated Fat 5g (25%) Cholesterol 40mg (13%) Sodium 66mg (3%) Potassium 28mg (1%) Sugar 10g (20%) Vitamin A 305IU (6%) Calcium 8mg (1%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 20Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 195

% Daily Value*

Calories 195kcal 10%
Carbohydrates 24g 8%
Protein 2g 4%
Fat 9g 14%
Saturated Fat 5g 25%
Cholesterol 40mg 13%
Sodium 66mg 3%
Potassium 28mg 1%
Sugar 10g 20%
Vitamin A 305IU 6%
Calcium 8mg 1%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.