Christmas is the most wonderful time of year, and what better way to celebrate than with some delicious cookies! Wait until you see these cookies. They are a step above what you think of when you are talking about cute Christmas cookies. That’s right, these are not your ordinary sugar cookies. These are Christmas stained glass cookies!
These star cookies taste like a delicious buttery sugar cookie that has beautiful center decorations. While I am making these cookies in stars, you can choose whatever design that you like.
These easy Christmas cookies are perfect for making star cookies to enjoy over the holidays, make for a cookie exchange or give as gifts. Everyone will love these incredibly delicious cookies.
WHY WE LOVE THIS CHRISTMAS COOKIE RECIPE
- Easy to make
- Simply delicious
- Look amazing
- Perfect as a simple dessert or to give as gifts
INGREDIENTS/SHOPPING LIST
- All-purpose flour
- Cornstarch
- Salt
- Butter
- Caster Sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Fox’s Hard Candies or any other hard sugar candy
SUBSTITUTIONS AND ADDITIONS
- Caster Sugar- You might find that it is hard to find caster sugar if you are in the US. Caster sugar is a very fine sugar that is used in a lot of baking recipes in the UK. The closest comparison is to look for super fine sugar in the grocery store’s baking aisle. This sugar is a cross between white granulated sugar and powdered sugar. If you can not find a sugar that is super fine, you can use regular sugar as a 1 to 1 substitute in your Christmas Stained Glass Cookies.
- Use flavored extracts- Create your own flavored cute Christmas cookies by using this recipe as a base. You can add flavored extracts, like peppermint, lemon, butter or even cheesecake. The look of the cookies stay the same, but you can create a new flavor profile for these cookies.
- Candies- I mention using Fox’s hard candies. You can use whatever hard candies you have. Jolly Ranchers work well too. Each type of hard candies, whether flavor or brand, will give you a different look and flavor. Experiment and see which candies you like best.
RECOMMENDED TOOLS TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
- Stand mixer
- Spatula
- Rolling pin
- 2 star cookie cutters, in different sizes
HOW TO MAKE THIS STAINED GLASS COOKIES RECIPE
1. Preheat the oven and prep the cookie sheets. Crush the hard candies and set aside.
2. Mix together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. 
3. Cream the butter and sugar together using a stand mixer for at least 3 minutes. 
4. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until well combined.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, slowly, and mix until it forms a dough. 
6. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least an hour. 
7. Remove the dough and roll it to ¼ inch thick. Cut out the cookies using the large star cookie cutter. Then use the smaller cookie cutter to cut out the inside shape.
8. Add the crushed candies inside of the cookies and bake for at least 12 minutes.
CHRISTMAS COOKIE BAKING TIPS
- Make sure the butter that you have used is at room temperature.
- All the dry ingredients should be sifted well before.
- The best way to bake these cookies would be to use a silicone mat as it will help in removing the cookies easily. The parchment paper can get stuck to the candies.
- Once baked, let the star cookies cool completely in order to lift them off of the baking tray.
STORAGE TIPS
- Store in an airtight container
- Keep at room temperature
- Cookies will last for up to 2 weeks
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can I Use Different Shapes?
The great thing about these cookies is that you can actually use any shape you want. The key is to use 2 size cookie cutters that you can do one inside of the other. You can do snowmen, snowflakes, ornaments or even just circles and squares to look like windows.
Can I Use a Different Type of Candy?
I am using Fox Hard candies, but you can use whatever kind of candies you like. Some will have a brighter color than others. You can use Jolly Ranchers, peppermints or even Life Savers.
Can I Freeze these Easy Christmas Cookies
There are a few ways that you can freeze the cookies.
First, you can freeze the cookie dough. If you want to freeze the cookie dough, you will want to place it in a freezer bag. When you are ready to use the cookie dough, you want to remove the dough from the freezer and then let it thaw in the refrigerator.
You can also free the cookies as baked cookies. If you choose to freeze the cookies like this, keep in mind that the stained glass part of the cookies will be fragile. I recommend freezing the cookies on a plate or cookie sheet first and then moving them to a freezer bag. This prevents the cookies from sticking together.
You can also place the cookies in an airtight container. This adds another layer of protection to the cookies. The hard sides help prevent the cookies from getting broken. Place a layer of parchment paper or wax paper between the layers of the cookies.
The cookies will last for about 3 months in the freezer.
Are Stained Glass Cookies hard to eat?
You might think that the candies make it hard to eat the cookies. You are only adding a thin layer of candy to each cookie. You want the layer to be thin enough to see through, just like a stained glass window. Because the layer is thin, it will break easily.
OTHER CHRISTMAS COOKIE RECIPES YOU MAY ENJOY
- No-Bake Fudge Striped Christmas Cookies
- Ombre Christmas Trees
- Frosted Gingerbread Cookie Bars
- Gingerbread Man Sugar Cookies
- 4 cups All-purpose flour
- ½ cup Cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 15 Hard Candies sugar as Jolly Ranchers or Fox
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Preheat your oven to 350 F and line baking tray with a silicone mat; set aside.
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Crush the hard candies and keep them aside for later use.
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In a large bowl, sift and mix the dry ingredients - flour, cornstarch, and salt together and set aside.
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In a stand mixer (you can also go ahead and use the hand mixer for this) add in the butter and sugar and beat it at medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl, for at least 2-3 mins.
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Add in the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until everything is incorporated well.
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Add the flour mixture to the butter-egg mixture in batches and mix until the dough can be formed into a ball.
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Flatten the dough and wrap it with a cling wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.
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Once chilled, roll out the dough to ¼th inch thickness. Cut out the cookies with a star-shaped cookie cutter, also cut out the center using the same shape cutter in a smaller size. Place them on the baking tray and in the center of the cookie carefully add the crushed candies and then bake for at least 12 mins.
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Cool completely before transferring from baking sheet.
Make sure the butter that you have used is at room temperature.
All the dry ingredients should be sifted well before.
The best way to bake these cookies would be to use a silicone mat as it will help in removing the cookies easily. The parchment paper can get stuck to the candies.
Once baked, let them cool completely in order to lift them off of the baking tray.
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