One of my favorite things to do with my kids at Easter is to decorate Easter eggs. This cookie recipe is very reminiscent of decorating Easter eggs, since you will be decorating Easter egg shaped cookies. However, I think we can agree, that cookies taste better than eggs, so this may be my new favorite Easter activity. Besides the fact that you end up with gorgeous cookies, this Stained Glass Easter Cookie Recipe is fun to make as a family. So let's make some memories (and eat some cookies!).
Stained Glass Easter Cookie Recipe
Before you make this stained glass Easter cookie recipe, you'll want to preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Next, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside when done.
In a stand mixer, blend the butter and sugar until creamy and light.
Now add the egg, almond extract, and vanilla extract. Mix until thoroughly incorporated.
Slowly add dry ingredients and mix until combined. Dough may be a little crumbly.
Place the dough onto a surfaced sprinkled with powdered sugar or flour. Form the dough into a ball and then roll it out to ¼ inch thickness.
Use Easter egg shaped cookie cutters to cut egg shapes from the dough.
To make the circles on the eggs, you can use the larger side of a cake decorating tip.
You can cut out the strips in the cookies by using a small knife. When you are done cutting the dough from the cookies, carefully lift the cut out cookies using a flat spatula and transfer them to the baking sheet. Using a spatula helps the cookies maintain their shape.
Now it is time to get the candy ready for the stained glass. Older kids love to help with this part and can do so with supervision. They will be using a meat mallet so go over safety instructions and supervise them.
Separate Jolly Rancher hard candies by color and place each color inside a quart-sized freezer bag. Place all of those bags into a larger gallon-sized freezer bag. Sandwich the gallon-sized freezer bag between two towels and beat candies with the flat side of a meat mallet until crushed. The candy will pierce both bags so supervise if your child is helping.
Scoop candy pieces into the cut opening of each cookie. The crushed candy should fill most of the hole and mound a little on top. Depending on the size of your opening, you will use the equivalent of approximately 1 candy for each cookie.
Bake cookies for 7 to 9 minutes at 350 degrees. Make sure not to brown the cookies. Let the cookies cool for at least 20 minutes on the baking sheet before carefully transferring them to a cooling rack.
To help decorate these cookies, you will be melting some light green candy melts according to package instructions. Then dip an edge of the cookie into the melted candy.
Before the candy hardens, dip the part that has the candy melt on it into some green sprinkles.
You can even add some decorative flower candy if you'd like.
Store the cookies from this stained glass Easter egg cookie recipe in an airtight container between layers of parchment paper to keep the candy from attaching to the candy in other cookies.
Some tips for making these Easter cookies:
- Do not crush the Jolly Rancher candies prior to using as they will stick to one another and become a hardened mass of candy.
- If the dough is rolled too thin, keeping the cookies together while moving them to a baking sheet will be very difficult. Using a flat cookie spatula will help but make sure the cookie dough is at least ¼ inch.
- Thicker cookies will require more crushed candy.
Aren't these just the prettiest cookies? When you hold them up to the light they look even better! What a fun way to celebrate spring and Easter.
Stained Glass Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 2 sticks cup butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar or flour for rolling
- Jolly Rancher hard candies approximately one candy per cookie
- light green candy melts
- light green sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk together dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, blend the butter and sugar until creamy and light. Add egg, almond extract, and vanilla extract. Mix well. Slowly add dry ingredients and mix until combined. Dough may be a little crumbly.
- Turn out the dough onto a surfaced sprinkled with powdered sugar or flour. Press into a ball and then roll out to ¼ inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to create shapes. Carefully lift shaped cookies to the baking sheet. Using a flat spatula is recommended to help the cookies maintain their shape.
- Separate Jolly Rancher hard candies by color and place inside a quart-sized freezer bag. Place all bags into a larger gallon-sized freezer bag. Sandwich the gallon-sized freezer bag between two towels and beat candies with the flat side of a meat mallet until crushed. Candy will pierce BOTH bags so be prepared.
- Scoop candy pieces into the cut opening of each cookie. The crushed candy should fill most of the hole and mound a little on top. Depending on the size of your opening, you will use the equivalent of approximately 1 candy for each cookie.
- Bake cookies for 7 to 9 minutes. Do not brown the cookies. Allow cookies to cool for at least 20 minutes on the baking sheet before carefully removing to a cooling rack.
- Store in an airtight container between layers of parchment paper to keep the candy from attaching to the candy in other cookies.
- Melt some light green candy melts according to package instructions. Then dip an edge of the cookie into the melted candy.
- Before the candy hardens, dip the part that has the candy melt on it into some green sprinkles.
- You can even add some decorative flower candy if you'd like.
- IMPORTANT: Do not crush the Jolly Rancher candies prior to using as they will adhere to one another and become a hardened mass of candy. Also, if the dough is rolled too thin, keeping the cookies together while moving them to a baking sheet will be very difficult. Using a flat cookie spatula will help but make sure the cookie dough is at least ¼ inch. Thicker cookies will require more crushed candy. A basting brush can help keep the tiny piece of candy inside the cookie opening.
If you enjoyed this Stained Glass Easter Cookie Recipe, you'll love:
Scarlet
These are so cute and they look like a really fun project to make with the kids this Easter.