Stained-Glass Star Sugar Cookies
Buttery vanilla cutout cookies with jewel-toned hard-candy centers, made entirely from scratch with clear chilling and baking times.
By Moow Editorial ·
- Chilling keeps the cutout stars sharp.
- Fill each opening level rather than heaping it, or melted candy may overflow.
At a glance
Read through the method once, then prep the ingredients in the order listed.
- Yield: About 24 cookies
- Prep time: 35 minutes, plus 1 hour 10 minutes chilling
- Cook time: 10–12 minutes per batch
For the most consistent result, use the listed weights when available; household measures are rounded.
Estimated nutrition per serving
Serving basis: One serving from the final reviewed yield of About 24 cookies.
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Protein: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fat: 6 g
- Sodium: 76 mg
Estimated from the listed ingredients and serving yield using USDA FoodData Central. Actual values vary with brands, substitutions, cooking losses, oil absorption, and portion size.
Sugar-Cookie Dough
Have these measured and ready before you begin.
- 2 1/2 cups (300 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 3/4 cup (170 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Candy Centers
- 6 ounces (170 g) translucent hard candies, unwrapped and sorted by color
Directions
1. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar for 2–3 minutes, until light; beat in the egg and vanilla.
2. Mix in the dry ingredients just until a dough forms. Divide into two disks, wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
3. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line sheet pans with parchment or silicone mats. Crush each candy color separately to coarse sand inside a sturdy sealed bag.
4. Roll one dough disk 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut 3-inch stars, transfer them to the prepared pan, then cut a 1-inch star from each center.
5. Fill each opening level with crushed candy without piling it onto the dough. Chill the filled pan for 10 minutes while repeating with the second disk.
6. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the cookie edges are lightly golden and the candy is fully melted.
7. Cool completely on the pan, at least 20 minutes, before lifting the cookies; the candy centers are extremely hot and fragile while warm.
Sources
Contains wheat, milk, and egg; check candy labels for additional allergens. Melted sugar causes severe burns, so keep children away from hot pans and cool the cookies completely before handling.