Stained Glass Cookies

Today is Valentine’s Day, I would like to say Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you. Have you say it to your love ones, family and friends?

Say it out loud if you have not :)

I am submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #4: Love In The Air (Feb 2011) hosted by Cuisine Paradise

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Holiday Cookies 2005 via E's Joie

Ingredients:
300 gr All-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1/4 tsp Coarse salt
1/2 tsp Baking powder
110 gr Unsalted butter
225 gr Sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
7 ounces assorted clear colored hard candies, colors separated and finely chopped (about 30)

Methods:
- Preheat oven to 325F / 160C.
- Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder into a large bowl; set aside.
- Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add egg; mix until smooth, 1 minute.
- 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.
- Roll out chilled dough on a well-floured surface to a little more than 1/8 inch thick. Cut out shapes using a cookie cutter. Using a metal spatula/jam knife, space 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Using the tip of a paring knife, make a cut out in center of each cookie for candy filling.
- After ready cutting all the cookies, refrigerate with the baking pan about 10-15 minutes.
- Once refrigerate, bake it for 6 minutes, taking out to fill with the cut out candies, baked for another 3 minutes to check whether the candies fill up the cookies, if not then add more candies. Don’t try to overfill the cut-out with candies otherwise they will flow out and create a stain outside
- Bake cookies until candy has melted and completely filled cutout and cookie edges are just starting to turn pale golden brown. Do not let the cookies brown, or the candy centers may become bubbly.
- Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks. Allow the cookies to cool slightly on baking sheet (for the candies to set) before transferring to wire rack for cooling. Use a metal spatula to remove cookies from parchment. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 5 days.

Yields : 3 dozen cookies

Other pictures :