Whether you’re making craft cookies or preparing for an upcoming holiday party, consider decorating your cookies with stained glass designs. Kids can get in on the fun by making their favorite gingerbread flavor cookies and decorating them with hard candy for the stained glass effect.
Table of Content
Is there anything more fun than making cookies with the kids during the holidays? In our home, the fun shapes are snowflakes, stars, and Christmas trees.
These cookies are a fun Christmas project for kids and grown-ups alike. Made with my gingerbread dough, these use candy to create a stained glass window effect. But you can, of course, also decorate them with piped royal icing or buttercream and sprinkles.
Why make these cookies
- They have two kids' favorite - gingerbread flavor cookies and to crush hard candy.
- This cookie dough recipe is simple and easy. And it takes less than 10 minutes to prepare.
- The cookies are soft, sweet, and delicious, with the warm spices of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
- In fact, they are the best Christmas ornaments cookies to hang as decorations on the Christmas tree during the holiday season, don't you think?
- I am using an electric mixer (hand mixer) but a large bowl with a whisk and spatula works just fine too.
- And most of the ingredients are pantry staples plus molasses, which you can use in so many other cookies such as molasses cookies, gingerbread bars, and gingerbread sugar cookies.
- Today, I am using a gingerbread recipe but you can also try other cookie recipes such as shortbread cookie dough, sugar cookie recipe, and chocolate sugar cookies. I like to use my vanilla sugar cookies with almond extract and rose extract.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Butter - I always use unsalted butter so I can control the amount of salt in the recipe. Having said that, if salted butter is all you have, use it and omit salt in the recipe. And make sure the butter is at soft room temperature, not melted.
- Brown sugar - The molasses in the brown sugar contributes to the soft texture. And, you can also add light brown sugar as well but the cookies will also get lighter in color.
- Molasses - Is a rich, dark, thick brown slightly sweet syrup. It's what's left after the sugar has been removed from the sugarcane juice. And, you can find it in the baking aisle or baking supply store. Look for unsulphured variety.
- Spices - I've used the classic ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. However, you can also use a gingerbread spice mix or pumpkin spice mix.
- Vanilla - I am using vanilla bean paste but you can also use a teaspoon of vanilla extract, or substitute the white sugar with vanilla sugar.
- Candy - For the stained glass effect, you must use hard candy such as Jolly Ranchers, life savers or even lollipops. Place them in a plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin, meat mallet, or hammer. They will melt and spread in the oven during baking. Once baked, make sure to let the cookies cool completely as the melted candy is very HOT.
How to make stained glass window cookies
Cookie dough
- Dry ingredients - In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices - cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
- Dough - In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter with white and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the molasses and egg. Followed by flour mixture, orange, and vanilla extract. Combine well.
Pro tip - Make sure to cream the butter and sugar until the sugar is almost dissolved in the butter and it all becomes very lighter in color.
- Chill dough - Divide the dough into two, wrap in plastic wrap, and let chill until firm enough to roll - about 2 hours or overnight.
Pro tip - Do not skip on the chilling time. Otherwise, it will be too soft to roll and the cookies will spread.
Stained glass effect
- Roll - Roll dough on a lightly floured surface to about ⅛ inch thick.
Pro tip - I use a rolling pin with spacers so the dough is the same thickness all over. If necessary, chill the excess dough before you gather the scraps together and re-roll the cookie dough again.
- Large cookie - Use a snowflake cookie cutter, cut the shape and place it on a parchment-lined baking tray
- Center cookie - Use a smaller snowflake cutter (about two sizes smaller) for the center.
Pro tip - You can use the center as a small-size snowflake cookie as well. - Fill - Fill the center with crushed candy keeping it well within the cavity.
- Hole - If you plan to hang these on the Christmas tree as ornament cookies, make a hole on top, using a small round piping tip (about size 5), to tie the string and make sure it's not too close to the edges.
Chill and bake
- I usually prefer to chill my cookies in the fridge for 15 minutes while the oven is preheating.
Pro tip - Chilling the cookies is a sure way to ensure the cookies do not spread. You can leave the rolled cookies well wrapped in the fridge for up to 48 hours before baking. - Preheat the oven to 177°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. And line 2 x baking trays with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until slightly golden around the edges.
Pro tip - If you do not want to frost the baked cookies, you can also add sprinkles or colorful dragees cookies before baking. - Cool - When baked, let the cookies cool in the baking tray. When cool, use a flat spatula to remove them from the tray and cool them on a cooling rack completely before you transfer them to a cookie jar.
Pro tip - If you move the cookies while they are hot the melted candy will spread. Plus you can get scald yourself with hot melted sugar. - I like to dust the cookies with confectioners sugar (powdered sugar).
Pro tip - Alternatively, you can put the frosting in a piping bag and pipe the edges and dust with snow-white sprinkles.
Tips for Success
- Always have all the ingredients at room temperature so the butter and sugar can cream until light and fluffy.
- Rest the dough before rolling the cookies. Resting helps the butter firm up again which makes it easier to work and prevents spreading.
- If the rolled cookie dough is soft, put it back in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Chilled cookie dough will give well-defined shapes so you won't have to struggle with them being so soft.
- Preheat the oven for a good 15 minutes making sure the oven is at the right temperature. A cold oven will spread the cookies.
- Place cut cookies in the fridge while the oven is preheating to prevent them from spreading.
- When baked, leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then, transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. This will prevent them from sweating on the bottom.
- When the cookie is done. The centers will still be melted and bubbling. CAUTION!! Keep the kids away as the sugar center is really hot.
- Do not try to move the cookies from the baking tray until they are completely cooled. This can cause the center to break off.
- I waited for 10 minutes until I could move the spatula under each cookie. Then, I moved it to the cooling rack.
- Attempt to add a ribbon through the hole only when completely cooled.
More holiday baking
- Christmas MM Cookies or Candy Christmas Cookies
- Christmas Tree Cookies Gingerbread
- and Christmas Star Cookies or Christmas snowflake cookies
- Christmas Wreath Cake or Christmas Pavlova
- Christmas Spritz Cookies or Stenciled Christmas Sugar Cookies
- Cranberry Cake Christmas, Yule log cake, or Maripan cake
- See all holiday cookies or see all Christmas recipes
How long will these stained glass cookies keep?
These will stay fresh for a week. Place the cookies in an airtight container to prevent them from becoming soft.
Can you freeze these stained glass cookies?
Yes, you can freeze the cookie dough for 3 months wrapped well in a ziplock bag. Then, thaw in the fridge overnight when ready to use.
And, you can also freeze the rolled cookies on a cookie sheet between parchment papers. In addition, wrap the tray in plastic to prevent drying out. They will stay for up to a month. The candy tends to melt in the fridge due to condensation so I do not recommend chilling or freezing the baked cookies.
How do you flavor these cookies?
Orange - Orange is a good flavor that blends well with ginger and cinnamon.
Ginger, Cinnamon & Cloves - A good blend of spices, but you can go less or more. If you don't like too much cinnamon you can reduce it to one teaspoon cinnamon.
Spice mixes - try gingerbread spice, pumpkin spice, chai spice for a different flavor.
Can I use other cookie dough instead of gingerbread-flavored cookies?
Yes, you can use other sugar cookie recipes for this as well. Here are a few that you might like to try:
No chill no spread sugar cookies, or No chill sugar cookie dough
vanilla sugar cookies & chocolate sugar cookies.
Eggless vanilla sugar cookies & eggless chocolate sugar cookies
Classic Gingerbread cookies & no spread gingerbread sugar cookies
Best Chocolate Chip Cookies & Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies
Printable Recipe
Stained Glass Cookies
Print Pin Rate Share by Email Share on FB Save Grow Coooking Temperature: 177°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4
Difficulty: Easy
Calories: 146kcal
Adjust Servings Here: 20 Cookies
Description
Whether you’re making craft cookies or preparing for an upcoming holiday party, consider decorating your cookies with stained glass designs. Kids can get in on the fun by making their favorite gingerbread flavor cookies and decorating them with hard candy for the stained glass effect.
Video
Conversions Used
1 lb = 453 grams, 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 stick = 113g, 1 tbsp= 15 ml, 1 tsp= 5 ml,
Ingredients
- 3½ cup (440 g) All-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon Baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
- 10 tablespoon (140 g) Butter (unsalted, room temperature)
- ¼ cup (50 g) Sugar (white)
- ½ cup (110 g) Brown sugar (light or dark)
- ½ cup (120 ml) Molasses (unsulphured )
- 1 large Egg (large)
- 1 tablespoon Ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon Cinnamon powder
- ½ teaspoon Ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg (freshly grated )
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Stained glass window
- 1 cup Candies (various colors )
Instructions
Cookie dough
- Dry ingredients - In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices - cloves, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg.
- Dough - In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter with white and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the molasses and egg. Followed by flour mixture, orange, and vanilla extract. Combine well.Pro tip - Make sure to cream the butter and sugar until the sugar is almost dissolved in the butter and it all becomes very lighter in color.
- Chill dough - Divide the dough into two, wrap in plastic wrap, and let chill until firm enough to roll - about 2 hours or overnight.Pro tip - Do not skip on the chilling time. Otherwise, it will be too soft to roll and the cookies will spread.
Roll and cut cookies
- Roll - Roll dough on a lightly floured surface to about ⅛ inch thick.Pro tip - I use a rolling pin with spacers so the dough is the same thickness all over. If necessary, chill the excess dough before you gather the scraps together and re-roll the cookie dough again.
- Large cookie - Use a snowflake cookie cutter, cut the shape and place it on a parchment-lined baking tray.
- Center cookie - Use a smaller snowflake cutter (about two sizes smaller) for the center. Pro tip - You can use the center as a small size snowflake cookie as well.
- Fill - Fill the center with crushed candy keeping it well within the cavity.
- Hole - If you plan to hang these on the Christmas tree as ornament cookies, make a hole on top using a small round piping tip (about size 5), to tie the string and make sure it's not too close to the edges.
Chill and bake
- I usually prefer to chill my cookies in the fridge for 15 minutes while the oven is preheating. Pro tip - Chilling the cookies is a sure way to ensure the cookies do not spread. You can leave the rolled cookies well wrapped in the fridge for up to 48 hours before baking.
- Preheat the oven at 177°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. And line 2 x baking trays with parchment paper.
- Bake the Christmas tree cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until slightly golden around the edges. Pro tip - If you do not want to frost the baked cookies, you can also add sprinkles or colorful dragees cookies before baking.
- Cool - When baked, let the cookies cool in the baking tray. When cool, use a flat spatula to remove them from the tray and cool them on a cooling rack completely before you transfer them to a cookie jar.Pro tip - If you move the cookies while they are hot the melted candy will spread. Plus you can get scald yourself with hot melted sugar.
- I like to dust the cookies with confectioners sugar (powdered sugar). Pro tip - Alternatively, you can put the frosting in a piping bag and pipe the edges and dust with snow-white sprinkles.
Recipe Notes & Tips
- Always have all the ingredients at room temperature so the butter and sugar can cream until light and fluffy.
- Rest the dough before rolling the cookies. Resting helps the butter firm up again which makes it easier to work and prevents spreading
- If the rolled cookie dough is soft, put it back in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Chilled cookie dough will give well-defined shapes so you won't have to struggle with them being so soft.
- Preheat the oven for a good 15 minutes making sure the oven is at the right temperature. A cold oven will spread the cookies.
- Place cut cookies in the fridge while the oven is preheating to prevent them from spreading.
- When baked leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. This will prevent them from sweating on the bottom.
- When the cookie is done. The centers will still be melted and bubbling. CAUTION!! Keep the kids away as the sugar center is really hot.
- Do not try to move the cookies from the baking tray until they are completely cooled. This can cause the center to break off.
- I waited for 10 minutes until I could move the spatula under each cookie. Then I moved it to the drying rack.
- Attempted to add a ribbon through the hole only when completely cooled.
- Bake Ahead and Freezing Instructions
- Dough - You can freeze the dough for 3 months wrapped well in a ziplock bag. Then, thaw in the fridge overnight when ready to use.
- Rolled cookies - And, you can also freeze the rolled cookies on a cookie sheet between parchment papers. In addition, wrap the tray in plastic to prevent drying out. They will stay for up to a month.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 146- kcalCarbohydrates: 23- gProtein: 2- gFat: 5- gSaturated Fat: 3- gCholesterol: 20- mgSodium: 77- mgPotassium: 89- mgFiber: 1- gSugar: 11- gVitamin A: 153- IUCalcium: 20- mgIron: 1- mg
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
Did you make this recipe? Share it with me.Tag @veenaazmanov on instagram or #hashtag it #veenaazmanov
Marie Dixon
Hi Veena,
Have all the ingredients in the bench but can’t see in your recipe the amount of baking soda and the baking powder. Could you please advise. I have reread it a couple of times. Hope I’m not being domestically blind. Thanks for your help
Veena Azmanov
Hey Marion- There is only 1/2 tsp of each in this recipe. Its quite less but it prevents the dough from spreading during baking. Happy Holidays.
Dannii
How cute are these! My kids are going to have so much fun making these.
Sue
These cookies are so lovely - I love the stained glass effect!
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Sue.
Gina
I've always admired these gorgeous cookies wondering how they were made. Going to give them a try this season as part of the Christmas cookie baking extravaganza!
Jacqueline Debono
These stained glass cookies are such a fun and innovative idea. Going to try them out with my granddaughter when she comes for the holidays!