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image of a stained glass Christmas cookie being held up to show its candy center
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5 from 2 ratings

Stained Glass Christmas Cookies

These delicious stained glass Christmas cookies are so fun and easy to make and are sure to wow Santa this holiday season!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time14 minutes
Additional Time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 34 minutes
Course: Cookies
Cuisine: American
Servings: 24
Calories: 356kcal
Author: Chelsey White

Ingredients

Soft Sugar Cookies

  • 24 red, green, and white hard candies
  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 170g
  • 1/2 cup or 4 oz. full fat cream cheese, room temperature 113g
  • 1 1/2 cups Domino® Granulated Sugar 300g
  • 1 large egg, room temperature 56g
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 8g
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour 375g
  • 1 Tbsp cornstarch 8g
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder 2g
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt 3g

Buttercream Frosting

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 226g
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 12g
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt 3g
  • 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar 454g or a 1 lb. box
  • 1/4 heavy whipping cream, room temperature 60g

Additional Supplies

Instructions

Soft Sugar Cookies

  • Unwrap and sort the hard candies by color then place each color in its own small resealable bag. Place the bags on a thick cutting board to protect your counter, then crush them into small bits using a hammer or meat mallet and set aside.
  • Mix together 3/4 cup butter and 1/2 cup cream cheese at medium speed with a whisk attachment or hand mixer until smooth.
  • Next, mix in 1 1/2 cups Domino® Granulated Sugar at a medium-high speed for a couple minutes, until the mixture becomes lighter in color. Add in 1 egg and 2 tsp vanilla extract. Mix on a low speed until incorporated.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together 3 cups flour, 1 Tbsp cornstarch, 1/2 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt.
  • Gradually mix the flour mixture into the butter mixture on a low speed, until it is JUST incorporated. Scrape the side and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
  • At this point, the dough will still be pretty sticky. Divide the dough in half, flattening it out into the shape of a rectangle, then wrap each piece of dough in a piece of plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge for about 2 hours or the freezer for 30 minutes. You can also chill the dough overnight.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 F / 175 C for about 30 minutes before you plan to roll out the dough. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats and set aside.
  • Generously dust the surface you plan to roll the cookies out on with additional flour. Take one of the dough rectangles out of the fridge or freezer, leaving the other to continue to chill.
  • Sprinkle some more flour on top of your dough and on your rolling pin. Roll the chilled dough to be 1/4 inch thick and cut out as many circles as possible with a flour-dusted round cookie cutter. I used a 3-inch wide cookie cutter. Then use a smaller Christmas-shaped cookie cutter (Christmas tree, snowflake, etc.) to cut out the center of each cookie.
  • Use a kitchen brush to gently brush off any excess flour and place them 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Chill the cutout cookies one more time in the fridge for 15 minutes or the freezer for 10 minutes to help them keep their shape better.
  • Fill the centers to the top of the cut-out with crushed hard candies.
  • Bake for 13-15 minutes on the middle rack of your oven (time varies based on the size and thickness of the cookies). Keep a close eye on these and be sure to pull them out once the candy has melted and the edges of the cookies are set. Let the baked cookies cool fully on the pan.
  • While the first batch bakes and cools, knead together the cookie dough scraps, and rewrap them in plastic wrap. Pop them back in the fridge to chill.
  • Pull out your 2nd chilled piece of dough, and repeat steps 8-12. Then repeat with the chilled dough scraps.

Buttercream Frosting

  • Beat 1 cup of butter on a medium speed for 30 seconds with a paddle attachment, until smooth.
  • Mix in 1 Tbsp vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp salt on a low speed
  • Slowly mix in 3 1/2 Domino® Powdered Sugar and 1/4 cup of heavy cream or milk. Beat on low until the ingredients are fully incorporated and the desired consistency is reached. 
  • If the frosting seems too thick, add in additional cream (1 Tbsp at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar (a quarter of a cup at a time).
  • Place the white buttercream in a large piping bag fitted with a small round tip (like a Wilton 5).

Decorating these Christmas Cookies

  • Once the cookies have fully cooled, pipe white buttercream onto the cookie around the stained glass candy center. Dunk the cookie in white sanding sugar or Domino® Granulated Sugar, gently pressing it into the sugar to help flatten out the frosting and fully cover it with sugar.
  • Repeat with the remaining cookies, then enjoy! Frosted cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to a day at room temperature or up to 5 days in the fridge.

Video

Notes

This recipe can be used to make 24 3-inch cookies. The yield and bake time will vary based on the size and shape of the cookie cutter you use.
This recipe can be halved or doubled to make more or fewer cookies.

 

Making These Stained Glass Cookies in Advance and Storage Tips

You can store frosted cookies in an airtight container for up to a day at room temperature, for up to 5 days in the fridge, or in the freezer for up to a month.
If you want to stack the cookies on top of one another, I recommend adding a layer of parchment paper between them.
This cookie dough can be frozen for up to a month if wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored in an airtight container. I like to move the cookie dough to the fridge the night before I plan to roll it out and bake the cookies.
 

Tips for Making the Best Stained Glass Cookies:

  • Liberally flour the counter before you roll out your cookie dough and move it around while you roll and cut your cookies.
  • Really cream together the butter, cream cheese, and granulated sugar in the first step of this recipe. It helps incorporate air into the dough which makes fluffy and soft cookies.
  • Don’t over-mix your cookie dough once you add in the flour! It can overwork the gluten and result in tough and dense cookies.
  • Roll the cookie dough out to a consistent thickness of 1/4 inch. If some are thicker or thinner than others, they may over or under-bake in the oven.
  • Chill the cookie dough. It helps prevent your cookies from spreading while they bake and helps them bake up soft and chewy.
  • Don’t overbake these cookies. Err of the side of under-baking your cookies and remember that the cookies continue to bake for a few minutes once they’re out of the oven.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 356kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 136mg | Sugar: 38g