Stained Glass Cookies
Stained Glass Cookies melt Jolly Rancher candies in the center of sugar cookies to create a colorful holiday treat that everyone will love! Dig out your favorite Christmas cookie cutters and prep this recipe in just 30 minutes plus chill time!
For another showstopping cookie recipe check out my Melted Snowman Cookies and Chocolate Hershey Kiss Cookies! Both are just as easy to make as these Stained Glass Window Cookies!
If you’re looking for holiday cookies that are delicious AND beautiful then look no further than these Stained Glass Cookies! Made with homemade sugar cookies and then filled with crushed jolly rancher candies, these cookies are sure to be the talk of the season!
The soft, golden-brown cookies hold in melted sweet hard candy to create the festive window cookies! Enjoy these at the family Christmas party or send them with your kids for their classroom holiday party.
Either way, whoever catches a glimpse of these cookies is guaranteed to be thoroughly impressed with your holiday baking skills. Then it’s up to you if you want to share the secret that these are made with only 6 ingredients, jolly ranchers, and bake up in just 12 minutes!
Why I Love This Recipe!
- Get Creative! This recipe leaves room for lots of creativity! From what cookie cutters you use, to how you match up the colors to the cookies! You could even decorate the outside of the cookies with sanding sugar or royal icing!
- Great For Any Holiday! Tuck this recipe away and use it for any holiday! Think hearts for Valetnines day, Bunnys for Easter, and Stars for the 4th of July!
- Let The Kids Help! Kids will love cutting out the cookie dough and filling in the holes with the crushed candy!
- Quick To Make! For cookies this pretty they only take 30 minutes to prep and just 12 to bake! You’ll be impressing friends and family with them in no time!
Ingredient Notes
These Stained Glass Cookies start with an easy Christmas Cookie Sugar Cookie Recipe. To start, you need just a handful of common baking ingredients to make the cookie dough.
Besides the jolly ranchers, you may even find that you already have everything right on hand to make this recipe!
The cookie dough is made by combining unsalted butter, granulated sugar, sea salt, eggs, vanilla extract, and all-purpose flour. Once the dough is made it gets chilled in the refrigerator before being rolled out onto a lightly floured surface.
Then the magic of these cookies starts to happen! Using your favorite holiday cookie cutters you’ll cut the cookies out of the dough. Next, each cut-out cookie will get its center cut out using a smaller cookie cutter.
Once the cutout cookies are placed on the baking sheet the centers will be filled with crushed jolly ranchers. Then they’ll head to the oven to bake where they’ll really come to life!
How To Make Jolly Rancher Cookies
Cream the softened butter, granulated sugar, and sea salt together in a mixer bowl until smooth and creamy.
Add in the beaten eggs and vanilla. Continue mixing until combined. Then gradually add in the flour while mixing at medium-low speed.
Wrap the cookie dough ball tightly with plastic wrap and then place it in the refrigerator to chill.
Sprinkle flour onto your work surface and turn the chilled dough out onto it. Roll dough out using a rolling pin.
Cut out the “panes” of cookie dough with cookie cutters. Then cut shapes out of the middle of the large cookies using a smaller cookie cutter.
Transfer the cut-out cookies to a baking sheet that’s lined with parchment paper. Add the crushed candies into the centers of the cut-out cookie dough panes. Be sure to fill it full with the hard candy crumbs, spreading it out evenly.
DO NOT skip the parchment paper or use an alternative, otherwise the candy can stick to the pan and the cookies will not turn out.
Bake the sugar cookies in a preheated oven until the edges begin to brown and the candies have completely melted.
Cool the cookies completely on the baking sheet before removing them.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Should I Store These Stained Glass Window Cookies?
Place the cookies in an airtight container, separating the layers with wax paper. Then store the container at room temperature for up to 1 to 2 weeks.
Make sure the place you store them is relatively dry or the glass will get sticky!
What’s The Best Way To Crush The Jolly Rancher Candies?
I’d recommend tossing them into a food processor. Doing so will give you a more uniform crushed candy and will melt together better in the oven.
However, if you don’t have a food processor it’s not a problem to crush them by hand! To do so just place the unwrapped hard candy into a Ziploc bag. Then just pound them with a rolling pin or a rubber mallet.
What Should I Do If The Cookie Dough Is Too Soft To Work With?
No worries, just roll the cookie dough out onto parchment paper and then place it in the refrigerator. Chill the dough for up to 1 hour. This easy step should make it easy to cut out and transfer the cookies
How Can I Get The Best Window Definition In These Cookies?
Try baking the cookies alone for about 5 minutes. Then remove the pan from the oven and add the crushed candy to the center of the cookies. Afterward, place the sheet of cookies back into the oven to allow them to finish baking.
Also, be sure that you spread the crushed candy out evenly within the cut-out.
What Do I Do With The Small Cut Out Cookie Dough?
You could bake the cut-outs for smaller mini sugar cookies! Or you can just add them back to the dough ball to roll out more window cookies.
What Can I Do To Prevent The Dough From Sticking To The Rolling Pin?
Simply just sprinkle some flour onto the rolling pin and dough ball. Do so as needed!
These Stained Glass Cookies are both beautiful AND delicious, which is a win-win in the cookie world! Grab another delicious cookie recipe to tuck away and try later!
- Soft and Chewy M&M Cookies – Three dozen sweet cookies made with instant vanilla pudding mix!
- Circus Animal Sugar Cookies – Fun cookies that call for only 4 ingredients and less than 30 minutes of your time!
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies – Soft, chewy cookies that the whole family will devour in record time!
- S’mores Thumbprint Cookies – Everything you love about the classic summer time treat but in cookie form!
- Chocolate Mint Cookies With Andes Mints – Melted minty centers are wrapped in a chocolate cookie dough!
Let’s Connect!
If you’ve tried this recipe, please let me know how you liked it in the comments below and leave a review. I love hearing from you!
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Stained Glass Cookies
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mat
- Mixing bowl or mixer with a paddle attachment
- Measuring tools
- Rolling Pin
- Christmas cookie cutters
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 large eggs room temperature and beaten
- 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour divided
- 2 cups Jolly Ranchers candies divided and crushed by color
Instructions
- Using a stand mixer and paddle attachment cream together softened butter, granulated sugar, and sea salt until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down sides as needed and continue to mix.
- Add in beaten eggs and vanilla and mix until combined, about 1 minute.
- Gradually add in 2½ cups of the flour and mix on medium-low until well combined.
- Tightly wrap your dough ball in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours. You can separate it into 2 balls if you prefer to work with smaller batches.
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove the dough from the fridge.
- Use some of the remaining flour to sprinkle on a clean countertop and turn the dough out onto it.
- Sprinkle the dough ball with some of the remaining flour and use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to about ¼ inch thick. Use more of the extra flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking to the counter or rolling pin.
- Use a large cookie cutter to cut out “panes” of cookie dough and transfer them to the prepared cookie sheet.
- Use a smaller cookie cutter to cut shapes in the middle of the panes and remove them. Add the dough that was cut out of the center back to the scrap dough that you will roll out for more cookies or use them for smaller mini cookies.
- Place crushed hard candies in the cut-out of the cookie dough panes. You want to fill it nearly full with the hard candy crumbs and be sure it is in an even layer, not mounded in the center.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies just begin to brown and the candies are completely melted.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on the baking sheet before removing.
Notes
- What’s The Best Way To Crush The Jolly Rancher Candies? I’d recommend tossing them into a food processor. Doing so will give you a more uniform crushed candy and will melt together better in the oven. However, if you don’t have a food processor it’s not a problem to crush them by hand! To do so just place the unwrapped hard candy into a Ziploc bag. Then just pound them with a rolling pin or a rubber mallet.
- What Should I Do If The Cookie Dough Is Too Soft To Work With? No worries, just roll the cookie dough out onto parchment paper and then place it in the refrigerator. Chill the dough for up to 1 hour. This easy step should make it easy to cut out and transfer the cookies.
- How Can I Get The Best Window Definition In These Cookies? Try baking the cookies alone for about 5 minutes. Then remove the pan from the oven and add the crushed candy to the center of the cookies. Afterward, place the sheet of cookies back into the oven to allow them to finish baking. Also, be sure that you spread the crushed candy out evenly within the cut-out.
- What Do I Do With The Small Cut Out Cookie Dough? You could bake the cut-outs for smaller mini sugar cookies! Or you can just add them back to the dough ball to roll out more window cookies.
- What Can I Do To Prevent The Dough From Sticking To The Rolling Pin? Simply just sprinkle some flour onto the rolling pin and dough ball. Do so as needed!
Nutrition
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