STAINED GLASS COOKIE ORNAMENTS RECIPES

Steps:

• Combine 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar, 1 cup butter, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla in large bowl. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add flour and baking soda; beat until well mixed.
• Divide dough in half; wrap each half in plastic food wrap. Refrigerate at least 2 hours until firm.
• Heat oven to 375°F.
• Roll out dough on lightly floured surface, one-half at a time (keeping remaining dough refrigerated), to 1/8 to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with 4-inch cookie cutter. Place 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Sprinkle with decorator sugars, if desired. Bake 6-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
• While cookies are still warm, use toothpick or straw to make holes for ribbons to hang cookies as ornaments. Cool completely.
• Combine 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla in small bowl. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often and adding enough milk for desired frosting consistency. Tint frosting with food color, if desired. Frost and fill cooled cookies as desired.

Steps:

• Prepare Basic Cookie Dough; divide into 3 pieces. Flatten each piece into a disk; wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight, until firm enough to roll.
• While dough is chilling, place each color hard candy in separate heavy-duty plastic bag. Place 1 bag on towel-covered work surface or floor. With meat mallet or rolling pin, lightly crush candy into small pieces about the size of coarsely chopped nuts, being careful not to crush until powdery. Repeat with remaining candy.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line large cookie sheet with foil. Between 2 sheets of waxed paper, roll 1 disk of dough 1/8 inch thick. Remove top sheet of waxed paper. With 3- to 4-inch holiday-shaped cookie cutters, cut out as many cookies as possible. Place 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheet. Cut out centers of cookies with 1 1/2- to 2-inch cookie cutters. Remove and refrigerate trimmings and cutout centers.
• Bake cookies 7 minutes. Remove cookie sheet from oven; fill each cookie's center with 1/2 teaspoon crushed candy. Return to oven and bake 3 to 4 minutes longer or until cookies are lightly browned and candy is melted. Cool cookies on cookie sheet on wire rack. With metal spatula, remove cookies. Repeat with remaining dough, trimmings, and candy.
• Store cookies in tightly sealed container at room temperature up to 2 weeks or in freezer up to 3 months.Nutritional information is based on one cookie.