Valentine Stained Glass Cookies Food

STAINED GLASS COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream the butter and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs 1 at a time, mixing after each addition until fully incorporated. Add the vanilla and then slowly mix in the flour until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Remove the dough, press into a flat rectangle, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
• Position oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• Cut the dough into thirds, wrap 1 piece back in the plastic wrap and return it to the refrigerator. Dust your work surface and the remaining 2 pieces of dough well with flour and roll out each to 3/16 inch with a rolling pin, moving the dough and dusting the top and bottom with additional flour if it becomes sticky. Cut out as many large stars as possible with a 4-inch star cookie cutter and place on the prepared baking sheets. Gather the scraps and reroll once to cut out more cookies. You should have a total of 12 stars. Cut a small star out of the middle of each large star with a 2-inch star cookie cutter and reserve for another use. (You can chill and bake the small stars separately or freeze for later.) Refrigerate the baking sheets until the dough is firm, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, separate the candy by color and place each color in a separate resealable plastic bag. Place a kitchen towel over the bags and crush the candy into small pieces using a rolling pin or meat mallet; do not pulverize. Fill the cut-out areas of the cookies two-thirds full with the crushed candy.
• Bake the cookies, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until light golden brown and the candy has melted, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. Repeat the rolling, cutting, filling and baking process with the remaining piece of dough.

VALENTINE STAINED GLASS COOKIES

Steps:

• Three hours or the night before you plan to bake cookies, prepare dough.
• Cream butter and sugar in mixing bowl. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Sift flour and baking powder together. Gradually stir in flour mixture until dough is very stiff. Cover and chill at least 3 hours.
• Preheat oven to 375* Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness on a lightly flo;ured surface. To prevent cookies from becoming tough and brittle try not to incorporate alot of flour. Cut out cookies using a large heart shaped cookie cutter. Transfer cookies to a foil-lined baking sheet. Using a small, heart shaped cookie cutter, cut out and remove heart design from center of each cookie. Fill the cut out sections with crushed candy.
• Bake 7-8 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned and the candy has melted. Donot overbake. When done, slide foil off baking sheet. Carefully loosen cookies from foil when cooled. If desired, pipe decorative boardders with frostin around edges.

STAINED GLASS SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F
• Beat cream cheese, butter, sugar, and vanilla in large bowl with mixer until well blended.
• Add flour and baking soda; mix well.
• Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Roll dough to 1/8" thickness on lightly floured surface.
• Cut into assorted shapes using 3" cookie cutters, or, drop as balls onto cookie sheet.
• Place on greased baking sheets.
• Bake 10-12 minutes, or until edges begin to brown.
• Transfer cookies to rack; immediately press about ½ t crushed candies onto each hot cookie. If the candies aren't sticking, you can also add frosting first.
• Cool completely on wire racks. (Easy way to crush the candies: Separate by color. Place each color in a resealable plastic bag and crush using rolling pin or meat mallet).

STAINED GLASS COOKIE POPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 F degrees.
• Line cookie sheets with foil.
• Measure first 6 ingredients into the bowl.
• Mix til a soft dough is formed.
• Divide dough into 12 pieces.
• OUTLINES FOR COOKIES: Roll the dough between hands making snake shapes about 1/4- inch thick.
• Place rope on prepared cookie sheet and form into a design.
• (Shapes like dreidles, Jewish stars, etc... for Chanukah, X-mas trees, ornaments for Christmas).
• NOTE: Be sure dough ends are completely pinched together as these will form the outline of the stained glass picture.
• Sprinkle the crushed candies inside the dough outlines, filling the spaces completely and heaping slightly.
• Carefully insert a craft stick into cookie, forming a "lollipop".
• Bake in oven for 8 to 10 minutes, watching carefully.
• Remove cookie sheets from oven and place on counter to cool.
• When cooled, gently peel off foil from each cookie pop.
• You will have created a beautiful created a stained glass effect!
• Wrap each cookie pop in plastic wrap.
• For gift giving, tie with a colorful ribbon.
• These cookies can easily be made by children (with careful supervision).