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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Tasty Tuesday: Sugar Cookies

Jacob and Alyssa made Valentine's Day cookies for their friends at church. Yes, they got them on the 16th, but none of the children seemed to mind!

Cookies
Ingredients:

2 cups butter, softened                                           1 tablespoon butter flavored extract

3 cups white sugar                                                  7 cups all-purpose flour

4 eggs                                                                      2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon vanilla extract                                     1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and flavorings and mix well. Stir flour, baking powder and salt together. Add to batter and mix well.

2. CHILL 3-4 hours or overnight before using.

3. Roll dough approximately 1/4 inch thick and cut cookies.

4. Bake cookies at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes. This dough keeps well in a covered container in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks.

Frosting

Ingredients:

4 cups confectioners' sugar                                1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup shortening                                                food coloring

5 tablespoons milk

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, cream together the confectioners' sugar and shortening until smooth. Gradually mix in the milk and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth and stiff, about 5 minutes. Color with food coloring if desired.

 

 

We baked the cookies on Tuesday and frosted them on Wednesday. We halved both recipes, and used almond extract instead of butter extract. The cookies themselves are tasty even without frosting. Jake said over and over, "Mmm, these are delicious!"

The kids always enjoy rolling, cutting, and  decorating. I bought a little decorator bottle set from Pampered Chef (as seen in the post here.) The bottles are perfect for their little hands. Also, we can have 3 different colors without emptying and refilling my large Decorator Pro. There are not as easy to fill, and we did have a casualty early on when the purple top popped off, but overall, I love them.

 

They were so proud and excited to give the cookies to their friends and teachers on Wednesday night. It makes me happy to see my kids with a giving spirit. "It is better to give than to receive."