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Stained Glass Grinch Cookies Recipe

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★★★★★

4.7 from 77 reviews

These Stained Glass Grinch Cookies are festive and fun holiday treats featuring buttery sugar cookies with a colorful, translucent candy center made from crushed cherry-flavored Jolly Ranchers. The cookies are tinted green for a Grinch-inspired theme, making them perfect for Christmas celebrations. The combination of buttery dough and hard candy gives a delightful texture contrast and beautiful stained-glass effect when baked.

Ingredients

Scale

Dry Ingredients

  • 1 2/3 Cups All Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
  • 1/4 Tsp Kosher Salt

Wet Ingredients

  • 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter (Room Temperature)
  • 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
  • 1 Large Egg
  • 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1/4 Tsp Almond Extract
  • 5–6 Drops Green Gel Food Coloring

Candy Center

  • 10–15 Cherry Flavored Jolly Ranchers

Instructions

  1. Mix Dry Ingredients: In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and kosher salt until combined; set aside.
  2. Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, use a stand or hand mixer to beat the room temperature butter and granulated sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy, scraping down the bowl as needed.
  3. Add Flavorings and Egg: Add the egg, vanilla extract, almond extract, and green gel food coloring to the butter-sugar mixture. Beat again until everything is fluffy and well incorporated.
  4. Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing just until combined. Avoid overmixing to keep the cookies tender.
  5. Chill the Dough: Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap, shape into a flat disk, wrap tightly, and refrigerate for at least two hours to firm up.
  6. Prepare Baking Sheets: Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
  7. Roll and Cut Dough: On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough to about 1/4-inch thickness. Use a 3-inch circle cutter to cut out cookies. Inside each circle, use a 1-inch heart-shaped cutter to cut out the centers. Remove the heart dough from the circles, place the circles on prepared baking sheets.
  8. Chill Cookie Sheets: Place the sheets with cut-out cookies back into the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes to firm the dough while preheating the oven.
  9. Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
  10. Prepare Candy: Unwrap the cherry-flavored Jolly Ranchers and place them in a small resealable plastic bag. Use a rolling pin or meat mallet to crush the candies into small pieces.
  11. Fill Cookie Centers: Remove the cookie sheets from the refrigerator and carefully fill each heart-shaped center with crushed Jolly Rancher pieces, making sure no candy touches the dough edges.
  12. Bake Cookies: Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes or until the edges are set and the candy centers have melted and appear glossy and translucent.
  13. Cool: Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheets at room temperature. The candy center will harden as the cookies cool, creating the stained glass effect.

Notes

  • Ensure the dough is well chilled before rolling and cutting to prevent sticking and spreading during baking.
  • Use gel food coloring for vibrant color without altering dough consistency.
  • Do not overfill the hearts with crushed candy to avoid overflow while baking.
  • Handle the cookies carefully while hot as the melted candy is very soft and hot.
  • Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Keywords: Grinch cookies, stained glass cookies, sugar cookies, holiday cookies, Christmas cookie recipe, Jolly Rancher cookies, festive cookies, green cookies

Find it online: https://spatulaqueen.com/stained-glass-grinch-cookies-recipe/