Holiday Stained Glass & Jewel-Studded Cookies--Dazzling Snowflakes, Trees, Stars & More

It's fun and easy to make eye-catching "stained glass" or "jewel studded" cookies like the ones pictured. You can use a gingerbread dough or my tried and true sugar cookie dough from The All-American Cookie Book.  

Just be sure it's a dough that doesn't puff up too much or call for more than about a teaspoon of baking powder. Cut out the cookies in whatever seasonal shapes you like, such as the Christmas tree and snowflake cookies here, or the star and chapel shown below. (For a different season see my "jeweled" Valentine's Day hearts here.)

Then, using mini-cookie cutters, mini fondant cutters or the end of a metal pastry piping tip (or a thimble or small bottle cap) cut out a cut-away or several cutaways from each cookie. If the cookies are being prepared mainly for eating, it's best to keep the cutaways small, as little bits of hard candy are easier to bite into and eat. As you can see from the snowflakes and Christmas trees, the smaller bits also create a "jewel-like" effect. On the other hand, if you plan to use the cookies mainly as light-catcher decorations or as holiday tree ornaments, a large expanse of "glass" is very pretty.  As you can see from the gingerbread star at left, the effect is entirely different.



After forming the cutaways, bake the cookies as you normally would following the recipe directions, except underbake them by a minute or two. If you plan to hang up the cookies, be sure to make a stringing hole in each before you bake. Also, insert a piece of toothpick to keep the hole open during baking. (Don't forget to remove it after the baked cookies have cooled just slightly.)  Once the cookies are cooled, lay them, slightly separated, on a foil-lined baking sheet; do not omit the foil or the cookies will stick to the pan. Fill the cut-aways in the cookies with crushed clear hard candies, such as lollipops, Lifesavers, or Jolly Ranchers.

To ready the candies put them in a tightly closed triple layer of plastic bags and crack them into fine pieces using a mallet, heavy rolling pin, or heavy metal spoon. Even better, if you have a plastic chopping mat, place the candies centered on a cutting board, then lay the chopping mat over top and whack away!  

You need to spoon in enough candy bits to fill the cut-aways, but don't pile in too much or it will overflow. If necessary, use a small, clean artist's paint brush to brush away any candy bits that spill onto the cookie surfaces.
Put the cookies back into the oven just long enough for the candy to melt but not boil over, about a minute or two–keep checking, as the time will vary depending on the brand of candy and the amount used. Let the cookies stand on the baking sheet until completely cool again. Be sure not to touch the "stained glass" parts during cooling as they will be extremely hot and can cause bad burns. After the cookies are cooled, they peel right off the foil. 


At this point they can be used as is, or iced with any coordinating powdered sugar icing or royal frosting. The Christmas trees were glazed with a pale frosty green and the snowflakes with simple white. The snowflakes were then sprinkled with crystal sugar and a few bits of the same crushed blue candy used for the jeweled insets to dress them up a little more.

For an even more dramatic look, add piping in the same or a contrasting color after the icing sets as is shown in the iced and "jeweled" heart cookies shown below and featured here. 
 











For holiday cookie decorating using icings but no "glass," see the tips and how-to for creating the pretty cookies shown below, here.