We’re back again with my easy “25 Bakes of Christmas” series with another deliciously fun treat! My Gingerbread Man Shaped Stained Glass Cookies are such a happy sight, and even more yummy treat to make and devour this holiday season.

I have four different variations of this cookie – this being the first one, so keep an eye out for a couple more versions of this fun shaped cookie on the blog as we go throughout this month.

First up – my Gingerbread Man shaped stained glass cookies

What are stained glass cookies?

Stained glass cookies are cut-out sugar cookies with a twist! They have a cut-out shape in the middle that makes room for a see-through surprise. Crushed candies, such as jolly ranchers, are placed in the cut-out shape in the center, and when they heat up in the oven they melt. As they cool after baking, they harden, and what remains is a see-through stained-glass effect inside the cookie. They’re just like magic and such a fun cookie to make with the family for the holidays, or anytime of year, really! This time we went with my gingerbread man shaped stained glass cookies shape!

Ingredients for stained glass cookies

The ingredients for my gingerbread man shaped stained glass cookies are pretty simple. Most of them you’ll already have around, with the exception of maybe the Jolly Ranchers. Well, Halloween wasn’t too long ago, so maybe you have some leftover candy around, eh?

  • Jolly ranchers candy smashed into small bits. I used watermelon and cherry ones for this particular recipe. I ran out of baggies, so I used piping bags instead, haha.
  • Unsalted butter – left out at room temperature for 10 minutes to slightly soften.
  • Granulated sugar
  • Salt
  • Large eggs – they don’t need to be room temp for this recipe. They’re getting chilled anyway
  • Vanilla – I love using my good quality vanilla for my cookies!
  • Almond Extract – A little goes a long way, so do maybe a drop or two.
  • Flour – Make sure to measure it correctly so that you don’t end up with gooey or even crumbly dry cookies.

The directions for these cookies are below. I’ve also included a step-by-step visual that will hopefully be helpful as you make these fun cookies!

How to make stained glass cookies

You’ll need to start with crushing up your Jolly Ranchers. I didn’t have any plastic baggies around this time, so I used my piping bags. I had plenty of those around, that’s for sure!

Unwrap the candies (kiddos can help with this step!), then smash the candies up into smaller bits with a rolling pin or meat tenderizer.

Next, make the dough and then shape it into a rectangle. Wrap it up in plastic wrap, and chill it for an hour. I KNOW! EEK! Chilling is a pain. But tidy up the kitchen and load the dishwasher while you wait. Do all the things, then the dough will be ready for rolling.

The dough doesn’t behave as well when it’s at room temperature for too long. A way around that is by splitting the dough into four sections, then working with only a 4th of the dough at a time, and keeping the rest in the fridge.

With the first 4th of the dough, roll it out into a floured surface. I used my trusty fondant rolling pin and LOVE it!

Prep an aluminum cookie sheet with parchment paper. Then cut out the gingerbread men shapes. I used this gingerbread man cookie cutter, and loved how well it performed with the dough, as well as the cute shape!

Place the cookie gingerbread men onto the prepared cookie sheet, then cut out the hearts in the center of each one. Roll all the leftover dough scraps into a ball, then roll it out again. Repeat.

Add a bit of the Jolly Rancher bits to each heart (don’t overfill or they will overflow!), then CHILL the cookie dough in the freezer for 5 minutes. I know, more chilling. But trust me, they will hold their shapes much better this way.

Bake them up until they are baked through, not golden, and they are slightly under-baked looking. When you remove them from the oven, they will still be bubbling hot, so let them cool on the pan until they are firm enough to scoop up with the spatula without the centers gooping all over the place. Mine took about 10 minutes.

Different shapes

That’s it! Like I said, I have three other shapes headed your way, so if gingerbread men aren’t your thing, I have three other shapes to choose from that will be just as fun to make as these ones! Aren’t they so fun? I LOVE how they turned out. They have cherry-watermelon taste in the center from the candies, and a soft sugar-cookie taste all around. Kind of a fun texture combination. My boys loved holding them up to the light to see the shadow of the heart shine through on our table.

Here’s a video of the process:

I’d love to see your Gingerbread Man Shaped Stained Glass Cookies! Make sure to tag me, @bakingwithblondie on Instagram, Tiktok, or Youtube so I can join in on all the fun.

Looking for more gingerbread fun? I have some amazing White Chocolate Dipped Ginger Cookies that I know you’ll love. The recipe is here, too. 🙂

Happy Baking!

xo,

Mandy

Get the Recipe: Gingerbread Man Shaped Stained Glass Cookies

Delicious shaped sugar cookies with a fun candy window surprise inside – this time a heart inside a gingerbread man.
Servings: 30 cookies (depending on the shape)
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Ingredients
 

  • 15-20 Jolly ranchers candy, smashed into small bits. I used watermelon and cherry ones for this particular recipe.
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, left out at room temperature for 10 minutes
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • 3 cups all purpose flour

Equipment

  • gingerbread cookie cutter
  • small heart cookie cutter
  • sheets of parchment paper
  • large cookie sheet
  • Rolling Pin

Instructions
 

  • In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy.
  • Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix until thoroughly combined.
  • Slow the mixer to low, then add in the flour until combined, but don't overmix.
  • Add the dough to a sheet of plastic wrap in the shape of a large rectangle (easier to slice into 4th's), wrap it up, then place it in the fridge for an hour.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prep a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
  • On a floured surface, slice off a 4th of the cookie dough (place the other 3/4's back in the fridge while you work on this 4th), and roll it out into a 1/4 inch thick slab on a floured surface.
  • Working quickly, cut out the gingerbread men, then place them onto the prepared cookie sheet. Combine the trimmings of the dough, roll them out, then cut out even more gingerbread dough shapes. Repeat until all the remaining dough has been used from the original 4th of the dough we're working with.
  • Use a heart cookie cutter to cut out a heart shape inside the chest of the gingerbread men.
  • Scoop in a few jolly rancher pieces into the heart cut out shape.
  • Place the entire sheet into the freezer for 5 minutes, then bake for 10-12 minutes until the cookies are slightly under-baked and NOT golden brown on the edges.
  • Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet (so that the stained glass centers can cool and harden again). Then use a spatula to scoop up the cookies onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
  • Store in an airtight container up to a week for maximum freshness and texture.

Notes

Recipe has been slightly adapted from Cooking Classy’s Stained Glass Cookies.