Holiday Stained Glass Molasses Cookies Recipes

STAINED GLASS COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream the butter and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs 1 at a time, mixing after each addition until fully incorporated. Add the vanilla and then slowly mix in the flour until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Remove the dough, press into a flat rectangle, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
• Position oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• Cut the dough into thirds, wrap 1 piece back in the plastic wrap and return it to the refrigerator. Dust your work surface and the remaining 2 pieces of dough well with flour and roll out each to 3/16 inch with a rolling pin, moving the dough and dusting the top and bottom with additional flour if it becomes sticky. Cut out as many large stars as possible with a 4-inch star cookie cutter and place on the prepared baking sheets. Gather the scraps and reroll once to cut out more cookies. You should have a total of 12 stars. Cut a small star out of the middle of each large star with a 2-inch star cookie cutter and reserve for another use. (You can chill and bake the small stars separately or freeze for later.) Refrigerate the baking sheets until the dough is firm, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, separate the candy by color and place each color in a separate resealable plastic bag. Place a kitchen towel over the bags and crush the candy into small pieces using a rolling pin or meat mallet; do not pulverize. Fill the cut-out areas of the cookies two-thirds full with the crushed candy.
• Bake the cookies, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until light golden brown and the candy has melted, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. Repeat the rolling, cutting, filling and baking process with the remaining piece of dough.

STAINED GLASS AND HOLIDAY SPRINKLE COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. In medium bowl, stir cookie mix, butter, egg and flour until dough forms.
• Roll dough on floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut with cookie cutters. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Stained Glass Cookies: Decorate unbaked cookies with gels. Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until light golden brown around edges. Cool 1 minute before removing from cookie sheet; cool completely, about 20 minutes. Holiday Sprinkle Cookies: Bake and cool cookies as directed above. Frost with frosting. Gently press small cookie cutter into frosting on each cookie where you want sugar design; remove and dip bottom edge of cutter into one of the sugars, then gently press back into same stamped image on each cookie and remove cutter.

HOLIDAY MOLASSES COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375.
• Grease baking sheets.
• Sift together flour, soda, salt, ginger and cinnamon.
• Cream together shortening and sugar until fluffy.
• Add molasses and egg and beat well.
• Add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with water and vinegar combined, mixing thoroughly.
• Drop by tablespoons 2 inches apart on baking sheets.
• Sprinkle with sugar if desired.
• Bake in moderate (350) oven 12 to 15 minutes.

HOLIDAY STAINED GLASS COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Seperate candy by color into zip lock plastic bags and close bags. Crush candies into small pieces with a rolling pin.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Liberally flour surface and rolling pin. Place half of the cookie dough on work surface, and liberally flour the top of the dough, roll out cookie dough to 1/4 inch thick.
• Dip large holiday shaped cookie cutters in flour and cut out cookies. Place the cookies on the lined cookie sheet, approximately 1 inch apart. Gather dough scraps and refrigerate before rolling out again.
• Using small cookie cutters or a knife, cut out a small shape inside each cookie.
• Fill center cutout of each cookie with a single color of the crushed candies.
• Bake cookies until the candy center begins to bubble and the cookie edges are lightly browned, about 8 - 10 minutes.
• Remove from oven and carefully sprinkle cookie edges with sugar sprinkles, if desired. Let cool on the baking sheet on a cooling rack. Once cookies are cooled, remove them from the lining.
• Repeat with reaming cookie dough.

STAINED GLASS COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and cloves; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream margarine and dark-brown sugar until fluffy. Add molasses and beat until combined. Add flour mixture, alternating with 1/3 cup water; beating on low until combined. Divide dough in half, pat each half into a rectangle, and wrap in plastic. Chill for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Working with one piece of dough at a time, on a well-floured Silpat (a French nonstick baking mat), roll out dough to a rectangle slightly thicker than 1/8 inch. Chill for 10 minutes. Gather together scraps and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate dough before rerolling.
• Using a 7-inch star-shaped cutter, cut out dough. (For best results press cutter into the dough and remove the excess before taking away the cutter.) Remove centers of stars using a 3-inch star cutter. Use a skewer to make a hole in a tip of each star.
• Bake until crisp but not darkened, about 20 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool. When cookies are cool, line baking sheets with clean Silpats or parchment paper. Arrange cookies on prepared baking sheets; set aside.
• Prepare an ice bath; set aside. To make the caramel: Combine granulated sugar, 1/3 cup water, and lemon juice in a small saucepan, and place over medium-high heat. Stir continuously to dissolve sugar. If at any time your hand comes into contact with the hot sugar, immediately plunge it into the ice bath. This should prevent further injury. When sugar is dissolved, stop stirring. Continue to cook, without stirring, until mixture turns amber in color, 5 to 10 minutes. Occasionally wash down sides of the pan using a clean brush dipped in cold water to prevent crystals from forming.
• Carefully fill the centers of the cookies with caramel. Let stand until cool. Thread a piece of wax twine through the hole in each cookie, and tie to create a loop. Do not hang ornaments in direct light or in a humid area, as the caramel can melt.