Stained Glass Cookies

A fun family activity, the cutouts are filled with crushed hard candies which melt during baking to resemble stained glass.

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup honey

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

5 rolls (11/4 ounce each) ring-shaped

hard candies

Preparation

Beat butter, sugar, honey, egg and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; mix well. Cover and refrigerate at least two hours.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Place dough on lightly floured surface; roll out to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with 21/2– to 3-inch floured cookie cutters. Trace smaller version of each cookie shape on dough, leaving 1/2– to 3/4-inch border of dough. Cut out and remove dough from center of each shape; set aside. Place cutouts on baking sheets covered with foil. Shape remaining dough into ball; reroll to make additional cutouts.

Crush each color of candy separately between two layers of wax paper with mallet. Spoon crushed candy inside centers of cutouts.

Bake six to eight minutes or until candy is melted and cookies are lightly browned. Cool cookies completely before removing from foil.

Tip: 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.