Stained Glass Tree Cookies How-To

You will need:

• Tree Cookie Cutter Set
• Royal Icing Christmas Candles
• Royal Icing Christmas Mix
• Royal Icing Christmas Packages
• Royal Icing Mix
• Parchment Paper
• Decorating Squeeze Bottles
• Rolling pin
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 8 oz hard candies such as Life Savers or Jolly Ranchers in assorted colors

Instructions:

1. Beat butter, sugar, honey, egg, and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; mix well. Cover. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface; roll out to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with 2-1/2- to 3-inch floured cookie cutters. Make an interior cut, leaving a 1/2- to 3/4-inch border of dough. Cut out and remove dough from the center of each shape; set aside.
3. Place cutouts on baking sheets covered with parchment paper. Shape the remaining dough into a ball; re-roll to make additional cutouts.
4. Crush each color of candy separately between 2 layers of wax paper with a mallet. Spoon crushed candy inside the centers of the cutouts.
5. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until the candy is melted and the cookies are lightly browned. Cool cookies completely before removing them from the parchment.
6. While cookies are baking, prepare your royal icing mix according to the directions on the package. You want your icing to be the consistency of heavy cream. Dye icing desired color(s). Pour icing into a pastry bag or decorating squeeze bottle.
7. Allow cookies to completely cool.
8. Ice each cookie with royal icing. Wait one minute before adding the Royal Icing Christmas Candles, Christmas Packages, and Christmas Mix decorations to the icing.
9. Let the icing completely set before stacking and storing (4-6 hours or overnight).
10. Store in an airtight container until ready to serve.

How to Make Cookies into Ornaments:

Before baking cookies, use a drinking straw to poke a hole in the top of each cookie cutout. Bake and cool as directed. Thread a piece of ribbon through the hole to use for hanging.

Storage Know-How:

Cookie dough can be wrapped tightly and refrigerated up to 1 week or placed in a freezer container and frozen up to 3 months.