Gluten Free Stained Glass Christmas Cookies
Bring sparkle to your holiday bake with gluten free stained glass Christmas cookies. The crisp edges and candy windows make a tray that looks like tiny ornaments.
Servings: 16
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
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.
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
Calories: 266kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 119mg | Potassium: 23mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 48IU | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 1mg
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