Thursday, May 20, 2010

Stained Glass Cutouts


I have wanted to make these cookies for a while and I’m so happy I finally got to do them. I think the idea of putting hard candy into the cookies is so cool and unique. I also love the way it looks! This recipe only took about an hour and makes about one or two dozen. The cookie part came out very good and soft, but I did have a little trouble when making them. First I ran out of all-purpose flour and had to use flour that was better for bread. Although it didn’t really make a difference, it was still frustrating. Then, the dough came out a little too sticky so I had to add extra flour, that wasn’t too big of a deal, but still, it was frustrating and took some time until I got the right texture.

Ingredients:
½ cup butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup clear red hard candy (I used jolly ranchers so I could have different colors)
1 cup vanilla frosting, optional

Directions:
•In bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time; beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
•Combine flour and baking powder. Gradually add to creamed mixture.
•Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or until easy to handle.
•On lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8 in. thickness. Cut with cookie cutter and then with smaller cookie cutter cut out centers and place aside to reroll. Place cookies 1in. apart on baking sheets. Fill centers with crushed candy.
•Bake at 375 degrees for 7-9 minutes or until candy is melted and edges of cookies begin to brown. Cool completely on baking sheets. Carefully peel off foil. If desired, decorate with frosting.