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You guys are in for a treat today! Stained Glass Sugar Cookies are so impressive! I have always assumed that they were difficult to make but nothing could be further from the truth. They are actually easier than decorating with frosting. I am using the same Cream Cheese Sugar Cookie dough from yesterday because in my opinion…it is the best. I would bet that I have made this recipe at least 75 times and not once has it failed me. There may have been a few times that I may have failed the recipe and forgot to add the sugar at the right time but I am going to pretend that I don’t ever do things like that {yet I do…more than I would like to admit}.
We are going to roll and cut the cookie dough out just like we talked about yesterday. Then we take it a step further and cut a hole {with a cookie cutter} in the middle. This is where it gets fun. We are going to fill said hole…with crushed candy! I used Jolly Ranchers but any hard candy would work. The heat from the oven will melt the candy and create a stained glass effect that is pretty amazing. Be sure to use parchment paper or a Silpat mat on the cookie sheets or the candy will stick to the pan. Also, be sure that you let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for about 10 minutes. If you try to move the cookies before the candy re-hardens then you have a mess. You will want to keep them at room temperature to store them. They should be loosely covered, otherwise the candy center will soften. For the holly cookie I attached the red sprinkles with a drop of corn syrup using a toothpick. I may never decorate a cookie again!
Stained Glass Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter or margarine {softened}
- 8 oz. cream cheese {softened}
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3 1/2 cups flour
- 1 bag Jolly Rancher candies
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl beat butter or margarine and cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Beat in flour gradually, until completely combined. Divide dough in half, wrap each half in saran wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours {and up to 3 days} or until easy to handle.
- Take 10 Jolly Rancher candies of same color and put into a Ziploc bag {I doubled up bags to have less spill}, seal and remove any air in bag. Using a meat tenderizer or rolling pin, crush candies until they are a fine powder. Do this step with as many colors as you are wanting to use. Set aside.
- On a lightly floured surface roll each half of the dough to about 1/4" thickness. Using cookie cutters, cut dough into desired shapes and place about 1" apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. Once cookies are on sheet take a smaller cookie cutter and cut the middle from each cookie. Fill the hole in the middle of the cookie with crushed candy just to the top of cookie being sure to spread out in an even layer. Any excess candy on cookie can easily be wiped away. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 7-9 minutes or until the bottom of cookies are lightly browned and the candy has completely melted. Remove from oven and leave cookies on cookie sheet for 10 minutes or until the candy center has re-hardened. Remove from pan and store at room temperature, loosely covered.
Notes
- It is important to cover cookies loosely after baking or the candy center will soften.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
