There’s nothing quite as appealing as having food that not only looks good but tastes great. With a clear candy center, stained glass cookies give a fun and unique approach to the classic shortbread cookie.
Ingredients
1½ sticks butter
½ cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
¼ tsp. almond extract
½ a large orange
1 small lemon
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
Bag of Jolly Ranchers
Before you begin baking, the first thing you should do is preheat your oven to 350 ºF. Then, line your baking sheet with aluminum foil so nothing sticks and so that there will be less to clean up. Also, to ensure that the candy centers of the cookies don’t stick to the pan, brush the foil with a little bit of vegetable oil.
The first step is to make sure that the butter is at room temperature, or it will be very difficult to work with. If you’re pressed for time and can’t wait for the butter to soften, cut it into cubes and pop it in the microwave for 20 seconds. Quickly beat the sugar and butter together on high speed for about 20 seconds until it has a thick and creamy consistency. A whisk can get the job done, but if you have a hand mixer, now would be the time to bust it out. Next, add in your egg and extracts. Beat this again for another 20 seconds.
Here’s the most difficult part of the recipe. First make sure that your lemon and orange are thoroughly washed and clean. As for tools, you’ll need a grater, like the ones used for cheese, only with smaller holes. You’re essentially going to grate off only the fruit’s outer most layer of skin. Make sure not to grate over one spot too much, or you will get bits of the bitter peel. Your zests should resemble pencil shavings.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. It’s important to mix your dry ingredients well because you don’t want to bite into a cookie with a large chunk of salt or baking powder.Now combine your wet and dry ingredients. Using your whisk or hand mixer, beat them together only until both have just been incorporated. You never want to over mix because mixing too long causes the gluten to activate and makes the cookies very tough.
Right now, the dough should be too sticky to work with, so cover it up and let it chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour, so that it becomes easier to handle. Go do something productive or fun to pass the time.Afterwards, take out a rolling pin and board. Cover the surface of your board and rolling pin with flour so that nothing sticks. Section the dough into quarters, and roll each of them out so that they’re around a quarter of an inch in thickness.
Here comes the fun part, just take out some cookie cutters and start making shapes. Use a cup if you don’t have any, but remember to cut out another hole inside your cookie for the Jolly Rancher; this is what will provide the stained glass effect. For example, if you were making a plain circle, cut out the middle so that it resembles a doughnut. Lay your cookies on the baking tray and place one Jolly Rancher in each hole. Bake for around five to seven minutes, or until the candy melts and the cookie is done. Wait for them to cool for another 15 minutes, and slowly and carefully peel back the aluminum foil. Decorate the cookies as you wish and enjoy!