Cookie Recipes
Stained Glass Cookies
Yield: about 70 cookies
Equipment
Cookie cutters of 2 sizes (the smaller cutters should be 1/4 to 1/2 inch smaller than the larger)
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup shortening (part butter)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 packages Lifesavers (red, green, butter rum and orange show up well)
Instructions
- Mix shortening, sugar, eggs and flavoring.
- Blend in flour, baking powder and salt. Cover and chill for at least one hour.
- Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.
- Roll dough 1/8 inch thick and cut out cookies with larger cutters. Place cookies on prepared cookie sheet. Then use small cutters to cut out a section from the cookie (small bell shape within larger bell, etc.).
- Crush candy into small pieces and fill in cut-out areas, making sure there is enough crushed candy to spread into corners. (When first making this, try just a few cookies first to find the right amount of crushed candy to use. Too much will bleed over onto dough.) Make a hole in the top of each cookie with a plastic straw.
- Bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until dough is light brown and candy has melted. (If candy does not completely cover center of cookie, spread candy out quickly while still soft with a metal spatula.)
- Cool completely on cookie sheet and remove gently. String with ribbon for hanging if using as decorations.
Notes
When hanging on Christmas tree, place cookie in front of lights for a stained-glass effect. Different colored candies can be mixed together or only one color used for different effects. Cookies also look festive on dowel tree for kitchen decoration. Heart-shaped cookies make cute Valentines.