Food & Cooking Recipes Dessert & Treats Recipes Cookie Recipes Stained-Glass Sugar Cookies 3.6 (118) 6 Reviews By Martha Stewart Test Kitchen Martha Stewart Test Kitchen The recipes developed by our test kitchen team have undergone a rigorous process of development and testing, ensuring that every element is optimal, from ingredient amounts to method and cooking time. This process includes triple-testing recipes to ensure they meet our high standards. The many stellar cooks and food editors who have been part of our team include Sarah Carey, Lucinda Scala Quinn, Jennifer Aaronson, Shira Bocar, Anna Kovel, Greg Lofts, Riley Wofford, Lauren Tyrell, and Lindsay Leopold. Editorial Guidelines Updated on May 20, 2020 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Romulo Yanes Prep Time: 40 mins Total Time: 1 hrs Yield: 3 dozen Filling the cutouts of these sugar cookies with crushed hard candy yields the most striking stained glass effect. Ingredients 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for rolling ¾ teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon fine salt 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 1 ¼ cups sugar 4 large egg yolks 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract Very finely crushed hard candy, such as Jolly Rancher, in various colors (1 cup total) Directions In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, 3 minutes. Add egg yolks and vanilla and beat to combine. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture and beat to combine. Form dough into 2 disks, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Working with 1 disk at a time, roll out dough between floured parchment paper to 1/8-inch thickness. Stack dough in parchment on a baking sheet; refrigerate until firm, 30 minutes. With a 2 1/2-inch Christmas-ball-shaped cutter, cut out dough (reroll scraps, if desired). Place cookies, 1 inch apart, on two parchment-lined baking sheets. With a 1-inch star cutter, cut out dough in center of each cookie. Bake until cookies are pale but set, 8 to 10 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Remove sheets from oven; fill cutouts with crushed candy. Bake until cookies begin to brown at edges and candy is melted, 3 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks. Cook's Notes To crush the hard candy, seal in a zip-top bag and pound with a meat mallet or small skillet.Disks of dough can be refrigerated overnight or frozen, up to 1 month, and thawed in the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature until soft enough to roll. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers, up to 1 week. Rate it Print