Holiday stained glass tree cookies
- Total Time: 27 minutes
- Yield: 15 cookies 1x
Description
Festive stained glass cookies that double as beautiful decorations for your Christmas tree. These ginger-flavored treats are filled with colorful melted sweets for a stunning effect.
Ingredients
- 350g plain flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 100g butter
- 175g brown sugar
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) honey
- 1 beaten egg
- Milk, as needed to bind
- Boiled sweets, crushed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease and line two baking trays with parchment paper.
- Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, and ginger together into a large bowl.
- Add the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- Stir in the brown sugar, honey, and beaten egg. Mix well to form a dough, adding a little milk if necessary to bind the dough together.
- Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to about 5mm thickness.
- Cut out shapes using cookie cutters. Use a smaller cutter to cut out the centers of the cookies.
- Place the cookies on the prepared baking trays. Fill the center of each cookie with crushed boiled sweets.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown and the sweets have melted.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely on the trays before transferring to a wire rack.
- Thread a ribbon through the hole in each cookie to hang them on your Christmas tree.
Notes
- For a more vibrant stained glass effect, use a variety of colored boiled sweets.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container to keep them fresh.
- If the dough is too sticky, chill it in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before rolling out.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Baking
- Cuisine: British
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 15
- Sodium: 100
- Fat: 5
- Carbohydrates: 25
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 2
- Cholesterol: 20
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Frequently Asked Questions
What creates the stained glass effect in these cookies?
Crushed boiled sweets (hard candies) are placed in the cut-out center of each cookie before baking. They melt in the oven at 180°C (350°F) during the 10–12 minutes of baking and resolidify as they cool, forming a clear, jewel-like window. The notes suggest using a variety of colored boiled sweets for a more vibrant effect.
What should I do if my dough is too sticky to roll out?
The notes recommend chilling the dough in the refrigerator for 15 minutes if it becomes too sticky to work with. The dough is made with 100g butter, 2 tbsp honey, and a beaten egg, so it can soften quickly in a warm kitchen. 
How do I hang these as Christmas tree ornaments?
The instructions call for threading a ribbon through the hole that is cut into the top of each cookie with the smaller cookie cutter. Make sure to cut that hole before baking, as the dough sets hard once baked.
Very fun and ultra creative :)