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12/02/2008

Cookie Swap: Stained Glass Cookies

These cookies aren't edible, but they are still cookies! (I mean I guess you COULD eat them...but I wouldn't recommend it! But if you are going to a cookie swap, it might be a fun way to mix it up! And making these gorgeous decorations are as easy as baking cookies!

They would be fun to do with the kids too! At least the first part! I wouldn't recommend having them around when you are cooking and pouring the molten sugar!

picture by Country Home


What you need (for the dough):
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp. honey
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking powder

What you do:

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugars until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add honey and vanilla extract, mixing until incorporated. Add egg and mix until light and smooth, about 1 minute on medium speed.

Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. Fold dry ingredients into wet mixture. Use electric mixer to blend just until flour is incorporated. Divide dough in half and flatten into two disks. Wrap disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least an hour and up to 2 days.

When ready to bake:

Pre-heat oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Roll out cookie dough and cut into desired shapes. Cut out center shape where hardened candy will go. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Remove from cookie shoot with slotted spatula and place on wired rack until cool.

What you need (for hard candy centers):
2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup Karo light corn syrup
3/4 cup water
1 teaspoon flavored candy oil
Gel or paste food coloring

What you do:
In large saucepan, mix together sugar, corn syrup and water. Stir over medium heat until all sugar is dissolved. Stop stirring and continue cooking until syrup comes to a boil. Insert a candy thermometer and boil syrup until the temperature reaches 300° F.

Remove from heat and allow boiling of syrup to stop. Add 1 teaspoon of flavoring oil. To create different colors, immediately pour into heatproof glass measuring cups and stir a different color into each cup of syrup.

To finish cookies, place baked cookies on a sheet of aluminum foil that has been treated with a non-stick vegetable spray (PAM). While syrup is still hot, carefully pour the syrup into the center of each cookie, filling to the top. (Do not let it overflow)

Allow cookies to rest until candy is hard (30 minutes) Peel the aluminum foil from the backs of the cookies.

If you go overboard you can decorate your whole tree with them!


9 comments:

Kristen said...

love the ornaments..I made the ones on my tree and think I'll try these for next year
thanks
merry sitsmas

Claremont First Ward said...

What an excellent idea. Thank you!

Amy said...

that looks like it would be fun to do with the kids. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

My mom used to actually make edible stained glass cookies. Basically a sugar cookie, cut out the middle and fill with crushed hard candy before baking. I think she baked them on parchment. They were yummy, but mostly SO beautiful to my little girl sensibilities!

Unknown said...

So great! I can't believe those are cookies. They look like stain glass. What a great idea and recipe!

Lorie said...

Mina, do you have the recipe? ;D

Anonymous said...

Very pretty ornaments. They look really good on the tree.

K and/or K said...

I am love'n those stockings!

shawna said...

I was going to say the same thing as mina- just use sugar cookies- but cut out the insides and add crushed candy (jolly ranchers maybe?)

~shawna