Making Stained Glass cookies is not as difficult as it may sound Stained Glass cookies are often used as Christmas tree decorations, but they can also be used for other holidays. They can also be used as gifts, or as a special treat for your next party.

Stained Glass cookies are designed to look like stained glass windows with the help of melted hard candy. Any hard candy can be used, but several recipes recommend using Jollyranchers, Lifesavers, or Starburst hard candy. By using an assortment of different colored hard candy in the cookies, you can create a variety of different stained glass designs.

Making cookies is an activity that parents and kids can enjoy doing together. The kids can help get the cookies ready to go into the oven, and then help decorate them after they are cooled. Spending time doing special activities with your kids helps build a lasting connection, creates memories, and allows you to spend some quality time with each other.http://www.kidsfood.com/

There are several different stained glass cookie recipes out there. Choosing the recipe that is right for your time schedule and corresponds with your baking ability will help make the time spent on these cookies less stressful.

If you have time constraints, then it will probably be more beneficial for you to choose a simpler recipe. This is also true if you are new to baking, or if you have not had enough cooking experience to be comfortable in the kitchen. If you are making the cookies with your kids, a simpler recipe that uses pre-packaged cookie dough can help eliminate some of the mess that happens when you make cookies from scratch.

A more difficult recipe will require you to make the stained glass cookies from scratch. Even those with little cooking experience can make these cookies from scratch as long as they follow the steps in the recipe.

If you have the time available, you can decorate the cookies after they have cooled. This can be done by using icing, candy, sprinkles, or any other topping you want to use. These cookies look good on their own, but those extra decorations can make them unique. So don't be afraid to get those creative juices flowing.

The recipe below is good for people that don't have a lot of time to spend baking their cookies and are not as comfortable making cookies from scratch.

Ingredients

1 package of refrigerated sugar cookie dough

All-purpose flour

1/2 cup crushed hard candy

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325° F. Line your cookie pan with foil, making sure there are no wrinkles.

Cut the cookie dough in half; refrigerate the remaining half. Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of flour onto your work surface. Sprinkle additional flour over the cookie dough. Roll the dough out to approximately 1/4-inch in thickness, using the additional flour as needed to help prevent sticking.

Cut the dough into your desired shapes with cookie cutters. Use a spatula to movie the cookies to the baking pan, placing them about 2 inches apart. Use mini cookie cutters to cut out the desired shapes in the center of the cookie. Fill the center cut outs with the crushed hard candy Pierce a hole at the top of the cookie if you plan to hang the cookie as a decoration. Repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 8 to 11 minutes or until the edges of the cookie are a light golden brown. Let the cookies cool completely before trying to move them.http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/detail.aspx?ID=29625

Make the Dough

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting 1/4 teaspoon table salt 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter 1 cup sugar 1 large egg 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

In a large bowl, sift together flour, salt, and baking powder, and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer that is fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until it is fluffy, usually about 3 minutes. Add in the egg and beat until it is smooth, usually about 1 minute.

Add the flour mixture, and mix on low speed until it is all thoroughly combined. Stir the vanilla into the mixture. Wrap the dough in plastic, and refrigerate it for about 45 minutes.http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/stained-glass-cookie-ornaments

Crush the hard candy that you will be using for the stained glass cookies.

Start to preheat oven to 375 degrees F while you roll the dough.

Remove 1 part of dough from refrigerator at a time to prevent it from getting to warm.

Sprinkle flour or powdered sugar on a clean surface and remove the dough from the refrigerator. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough so that it is ¼ inch thick.

Move the dough around often and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. If it does begin to stick, sprinkle more flour or powdered sugar to the surface or rolling pin.

Use a cookie cutter to cut out cookies and use a smaller cookie cutter to cut out an area inside the cookie where the candy will go.

Fill the center of the cookie with the crushed hard candy, filling the hole.

Bake the cookies for 6-8 minutes. Remove them from the oven and let them cool completely before you remove them from the cookie sheet.