Recipe: Stained-Glass Trees (cookies)

STAINED-GLASS TREES

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup (one stick) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
7 ounces (about 30) assorted clear colored hard candies such as Jolly Rancher, separated by color and finely chopped (or crushed in a Ziploc bag with a towel-wrapped hammer)

Sift together flour, salt and baking powder into large bowl and set aside.

Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream together. Add egg and mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, and mix until combined. Stir in vanilla. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate until cold, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F with racks in upper and lower thirds.

Roll out chilled dough on a well-floured surface to a little more than 1/8-inch thick. Cut out shapes using a 5-inch tree-shape cookie cutter. Using a metal spatula, space trees 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Using tip of a paring knife, make a triangular cutout in center of each cookie for candy filling. Re-roll scraps and continue cutting out trees.

Sprinkle candy in a single layer in hole of each cookie, avoiding edge of triangle. Refrigerate until dough is firm, about 15 minutes.

Bake cookies until candy has melted and completely filled cutout and cookie edges are just beginning to turn pale golden brown, 11 to 12 minutes. Do not let cookies brown, or candy centers might become bubbly. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks. Use a metal spatula to remove cookies from parchment. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 5 days.

Source: Martha Stewart Holiday Cookies