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

They remind me so much of Frozen and Elsa – my Snowflake Shaped Shaped Stained Glass Window Cookies would be perfect for a princess or any winter themed party, too!

I have four different variations of this cookie – the first one being my Gingerbread Shaped Stained Glass Cookies, then heading to my Christmas Tree Shaped Stained Glass Cookies, and today with my Snowflake Shaped Stained Glass Window Cookies! Keep an eye out for ONE more version of this fun shaped cookie on the blog very soon.

WHAT ARE STAINED GLASS Window 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 Snowflake shaped stained glass cookies shape!

Floating snowflake version

For my floating snowflakes, I originally was going to just have the snowflake shape cutout without the extra circle around it. But my cutter was giving me issues, haha, so I cut out a circle, then another snowflake inside. The results are SO COOL! I love how it looks like the snowflake is floating inside the circle. I’m kind of glad my snowflake cutter was being tricky, because it led me to this super rad design, and I can’t get enough.

INGREDIENTS FOR STAINED GLASS COOKIES

The ingredients for my snowflake shape stained glass window 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.

There’s a bit of a trick with these snowflake cookies:

  1. Cut out the large circle first. Combine the scraps, roll it out, and then cut out more large circles.
  2. Then cut out the smaller circle (so they look like donuts at this point).
  3. Next, cut out the snowflake shape FROM the smaller circles – that way the snowflake shape fits inside the smaller circle.
  4. Freeze the snowflake shapes and donut shapes separate in the freezer.
  5. Lay the blue smashed Jolly Rancher candies inside the donut hole shape, then place the snowflake shape on top. (Make sure to not overfill).
  6. Bake!

where to find these Cookie cutters

I used this snowflake shape (you can see the white one above), and it was kind of pesky. But this link includes it, along with the snowflake cookie cutter set I grabbed for next time that will work perfectly!

Here’s an awesome circle cookie cutter set that I LOVE, too.

DIFFERENT SHAPES

That’s it! Like I said, I have a few other versions on the website, so if snowflakes 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 a blue raspberry taste in the center from the candies, and a soft sugar-cookie taste all around. Kind of a fun texture combination.

Here’s a video of the process:

My boys loved holding them up to the light to see the shadow of the snowflake shine through on our table.

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

Happy Baking!

xo,

Mandy

Get the Recipe: Snowflake Shaped Stained Glass Cookies

The best stained glass cookies shaped into a winter snowflake shape; complete with a "floating" snowflake inside each and every one. Perfect for the holidays!
Servings: 24 cookies
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Ingredients
 

  • 15-20 unwrapped Jolly Ranchers Candy mashed into small bits. I used blue ones for this particular recipe to be the background behind the snowflakes, (or any similar hard-shell candy)
  • 1 cup 1 cup unsalted butter , left out at room temperature for 10 minutes to slightly soften
  • 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

  • medium circle cookie cutter
  • snowflake cutter (must be smaller than the medium circle cutter)
  • small circle cutter (must be larger than snowflake cutter)
  • 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.
  • Working quickly, cut out the large/medium circle with the largest circle cutter, 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 smaller circle cookie cutter to cut out a smaller circle in the center of the larger one. Inside the smaller circle, use the snowflake cutter to cut out the snowflake shape. Freeze the cut-out circles (should look like a large ring), and the snowflakes for 5 minutes. Don't put the snowflakes inside the center yet!
  • Scoop in a few jolly rancher pieces into the center of the rings, then place the snowflake on top. Don't overfill – you just need enough to cover the bottom.
  • Place the entire sheet into the freezer for 5 minutes (again), 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 with a sheet of parchment between the cookie layers.