Stained Glass Cookies

Colorful candy window cookies you can eat or hang for a sweet holiday decoration!

Recipe Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/ 2 teaspoons salt
1 1/ 2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Multi-colored and flavored hard candies
Plastic sandwich bags (one for each color)

Cooking Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda; set aside.
2. In large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; mix well. Stir in flour mixture until just blended. Cover and refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours or overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
4. Line baking sheets with aluminum foil; set aside.
5. Pinch off small pieces of dough and roll into strips about 1/4-inch thick. Use to make the cookie outlines on the prepared baking sheets. Pinch ends together well. Add a crisscross in the center of each outline with additional strips. Be creative and design any shape that comes to the imagination, as long as you leave "windows" for filling.
6. Sort the candies into plastic bags by color. Crush them with a wooden kitchen mallet or rolling pin. Use the crushed candy to fill the openings in the cookies.
7. If you want to hang the cookies on your Christmas tree, thicken dough at the top and punch a hole with a straw before baking.
8. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until lightly browned. Cool completely, then peel off foil.

Makes 2 1/2 to 3 dozen cookies.