Tasty Tuesday: Stained Glass Sugar Cookie Leaves

Fall is the prettiest time of year with the leaves changing and falling, the pumpkins all around, and the muted earth tones of the decorations. My mom bought me a set of leaf cookie cutters and I knew this was the perfect recipe for them.

Whip up a batch of sugar cookie dough. We used a pouch mix. (Hey, sometimes it's better to use a free mix than to take the time to make them from scratch. At least we didn't have a repeat of this!) Feel free to use your favorite recipe (or our favorite recipe).

Realize you're running late, stick the dough covered in the fridge, feed the kids dinner, rush everyone out to the van, go to your son's soccer game. (This step may be skipped if need be.)

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out on a floured surface. The more "help" the better.

Cut out your shapes. Of course, we used leaves, but you could use any shape. Flowers for spring, eggs for Easter, tree or star for Christmas, teddy bear or bottle for a baby shower, crown or cake for a birthday. The possibilities are endless.

Cut out the center of each cookie. We used the smaller version of the same shape, but you could make it with just a simple circle center. 

Transfer the cookies to foil-lined cookie sheets.

Break up some hard candy. Suckers, lollipops, Lifesavers, Jolly Ranchers, butterscotch, peppermint, candy canes. You got it, smash it. 

The kids LOVED using the wooden meat tenderizer to bang the candy. I think they get the demolition genes from their father.

 

Fill the centers of the cookies with the broken pieces of candy. We chose the multicolored route in celebration of the fall colors, but you could use a solid color if you wish.

Once the cookies are filled and ready, pop them in the oven to bake. When the cookies are done and the candy is melted, transfer the foil liner to a cookie sheet to cool completely. The cookies will pull off easily once the candy is cool.

The hard part is trying to keep the kids patient while they're cooling! Thankfully we kept those little leaf centers to appease them for a little bit.

They are fun to make and the kids just love them! Cookie and candy in one? What's not to love?

They're pretty too! Make a batch of these next time you have a get-together.  And be ready to hear lots of oohs and aahs!

Stained Glass Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

one batch sugar cookie dough

hard candy

Directions:

1. Roll out dough on floured surface to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out shapes. Cut out centers. Transfer cookies to foil-lined cookie sheets.

2. Break up the hard candies. Fill centers of cookies with the broken candy.

3. Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes, until edges begin to brown and candy is melted through.

4. Transfer foil to cooling rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.


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