Stained Glass Cookie Wands 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 COOKIE ORNAMENTS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Divide into three portions; cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until easy to handle. , On a lightly floured surface, roll out one portion to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2-1/2-in. ornament-shaped cookie cutters. Cut out centers with a 1/2-in. cookie cutters. Place larger cutouts 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Poke a small hole in the top of each cookie. Repeat with remaining dough; reroll small cutouts if desired. , Place the same color of hard candies in small resealable plastic bags; crush candies. Sprinkle in center of each. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 2-3 minutes or until candies are set before carefully removing to wire racks. , In a small bowl, beat meringue powder and water until soft peaks form. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar. Decorate cookies with icing.

BEST STAINED GLASS COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream the butter and sugar; add in the egg, honey, and almond. Sift flour and baking soda together and add; use hands as needed to mix if the electric mixer isn't getting it.
• Refrigerate two hours or overnight (you can make this days in advance and refrigerate up to 5 days before making in an airtight container.).
• Crush the jolly ranchers in a plastic bag with a hammer, we use five different colors with separate bag for each one, and set aside in separate containers. (paper muffin cups work well and no dishes!).
• Line two large baking pans with wax paper; roll out a little over 1/8 inch thick and cut out desired shapes of cookies. Using a clean, sharp knife cut out various shapes in the middle, rerolling scraps until all dough is used up. Place cookies on wax paper and bake at 375°F for 5 minutes (lightly golden). Fill the areas that you had cut out in advance with crushed candies very full, as candies will melt down.
• Bake at 375°F 3 more minutes (candies melted) and cool; peel off wax paper and store in an airtight container.
• *NOTE: Placing a few slices of bread between the cookies will help soak up moisture and prevent the candy center from becoming too hard.