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Making a batch of gluten free stained glass Christmas cookies is a festive way to bring color and sparkle to your holiday baking. These windowpane cookies use crushed hard candy to create jewel-like centers that glow when the light hits them. The dough is soft and buttery, flavored with vanilla and almond extract for a nostalgic taste. Perfect for gifting, decorating or simply enjoying, these cookies show that gluten free baking can be just as fun and beautiful.
Gluten free stained glass Christmas cookies are buttery sugar cookies with candy centers that shine like jewels. They’re colorful, fun and festive for the holidays.
You may also like Starbucks ginger molasses cookies, chocolate peppermint dipped kisses, Grinch heart cookies, and struffoli honey balls.
Why You’ll Love It
Festive look: The colorful candy centers give these cookies a unique stained glass effect.
Kid-friendly: Kids will love helping crush candy and filling the cutouts.
Simple ingredients: You probably already have most of what you need in the pantry.
Versatile design: Use different cookie cutter shapes for endless holiday variations.
Gluten Free Stained Glass Cookies Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Gluten free flour with xanthan gum: Provides structure while keeping the cookies tender.
Granulated sugar: Sweetens and balances the buttery dough.
Hard candies: Jolly Ranchers or other clear candies create the stained glass effect. Jolly Ranchers are gluten free.
Butter: Softened butter makes the dough rich and flavorful.
Eggs: Bind the dough and add moisture.
Baking powder: Helps the cookies rise slightly and stay light.
Vanilla extract: Adds a warm, sweet flavor to the dough.
Almond extract: Enhances the festive aroma and flavor.
How to Make Gluten Free Stained Glass Cookies
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Candy crush: Separate colors, place in bags, and crush into small pieces.
Mix the dough: Cream butter and sugar, then add eggs, extracts, salt, flour and baking powder.
Chill the dough: Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Cut cookies: Roll dough, cut shapes, then cut out centers.
Fill and bake: Spoon crushed candy into centers and bake until set.
Cool completely: Let cookies cool on trays until candy hardens.
Substitutions and Variations
Flour: Use all-purpose flour with xanthan gum if not gluten free.
Extracts: Swap almond extract for lemon or peppermint for a twist.
Candy: Use different hard candies like Lifesavers or clear mints for varied flavors.
Shapes: Try stars, snowflakes or bells to match your holiday theme.
Serving Suggestions
With savory bites: Enjoy a reindeer cheese ball or some Christmas deviled eggs too.
With sweet treats: Serve marshmallow pops with the cookies.
With a festive sip: Enjoy cranberry margaritas, eggnog pudding shots or cranberry orange prosecco with your cookies.
How to Store Stained Glass Cookies
Store: Keep cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Freeze: You can freeze these cookies for up to 3 months in an airtight container, separating the layers with parchment paper so the cookies don’t stick together. And the raw dough can be frozen for up to a month.
Thaw: Defrost at room temperature before serving.
Top Tips
Mind the fill: Underfill slightly so melted candy sits level and doesn’t boil over.
Candy crush: Seal your candies in sturdy Ziploc bags and tap with a mallet. Work in small batches so it breaks evenly.
Roll evenly: Use guides for consistent ¼ inch thickness and clean cutouts.
Seal the edges: Smooth any cracks so candy doesn’t leak under the dough.
Cool trays: Bake on cool sheets to keep shapes sharp.
Use light colors: Lighter candies stay more transparent after baking.
Stained Glass Christmas Cookie FAQs
No, it can seize. Pick candies in the colors you want instead.
Humidity and overbaking can cause haze. Bake just until set and cool fully on the tray.
Yes, chill up to 24 hours. If it’s too firm, let it sit a few minutes, then roll.
Find these cookies and others in my holiday cookie box
Gluten Free Stained Glass Christmas Cookies Recipe
Gluten Free Stained Glass Christmas Cookies
Equipment
- Mallet
Ingredients
- 3 ½ Cups gluten free flour, with added xanthan gum or guar gum
- 1 Cup granulated sugar
- 1 Pound Jolly Ranchers, or similar hard translucent candy
- ¾ Cup butter, at room temperature
- 2 eggs
- 1 Teaspoon baking powder
- ½ Teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ Teaspoon almond extract
- ½ Teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Separate the colors of the Jolly Ranchers, place each color that you wish to use into a separate zip top bag. Using a meat mallet or a hammer, carefully crush the candy into small pieces. Set aside.
- Prepare 2 baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- In a bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer combine the butter and sugar. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add in the eggs one at a time until each is incorporated.
- Add the salt, almond extract and vanilla extract.
- Add the flour and baking powder and mix until fully incorporated. If the dough is feeling too soft, add a little more flour if needed.
- Cover the dough and let the dough chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- Using a silicone prep mat or a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled dough to about ¼-inch thick.
- Using the larger of your two cookie cutters, cut enough shapes to fill your baking trays, ensuring there's 1 or 2 inches between each cookie.
- Once the cut out pieces are on the baking tray us the smaller of the two cookie cutters to cut out the center of the cookie.
- Use ½ to 1 teaspoon of your chosen crushed Jolly Rancher colour to fill the small cut-out. Be careful not to overfill or the candy will bubble up over the top a bit.
- Bake the cookies in a preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes. If you are baking both trays at the same time, switch their positions halfway through to ensure an even bake.
- When the cookies have finished baking and the candy has liquefied, remove the trays from the oven and let the cookies cool on the trays until the candy has hardened.
- Serve when cooled, or store in an airtight container.
Notes
Candy crush: Seal your candies in sturdy Ziploc bags and tap with a mallet. Work in small batches so it breaks evenly.
Roll evenly: Use guides for consistent ¼ inch thickness and clean cutouts.
Seal the edges: Smooth any cracks so candy doesn’t leak under the dough.
Cool trays: Bake on cool sheets to keep shapes sharp.
Use light colors: Lighter candies stay more transparent after baking.
Nutrition
These hard candy melt cookies sparkle in every sense. Crisp edges meet molten candy that cools into bright little windows, so each bite is playful and pretty. The dough is simple to mix, the shaping is fun and the bake is quick. Bring a tray of gluten free stained glass Christmas cookies to your next gathering and watch the smiles. They deliver color, crunch and chewy centers in one package that feels like pure holiday magic.
Other Recipes to Try
Can you please list the ingredients in grams as well please?? The conversion sites are all different and it makes baking these recipes quite difficult if you’re in Europe/the UK😔
hi, I have not make using grams to be able to list that for you. Sorry. Maybe someone knows of a good conversion site.
The melted candy doesn’t stick to the baking surface?
I used parchment paper and had no problem with sticking.
Will try these. Looking for GF cookies for a cookie exchange. thanks!