Cookie of the Day: Stained Glass Cookies from ‘The Art of the Cookie’
Every week, Yahoo Food spotlights a cookbook that stands out from the rest. This week’s cookbook is The Art of the Cookie: Baking Up Inspiration by the Dozen by Shelly Kaldunski (Weldon Owen), a cooking teacher, food stylist, and cookbook author specializing in sweets. Read more about Yahoo Food’s Cookbook of the Week here.
Photograph by Maren Caruso
Stained Glass Cookies
Makes about 30 cookies
These cookies look luminous when hung where the light can sparkle through them. Avoid making them on a humid or rainy day to ensure that the sugar centers harden properly.
Dough for Vanilla Sugar Cookies (see below), cut into various shapes
2 cups (1 lb/500 g) sugar
1⁄4 cup (21⁄2 fl oz/75 ml) light corn syrup
Nonstick cooking spray
Gel-paste food coloring in desired colors
1⁄2 teaspoon flavoring extract such as vanilla or almond (optional)
Tools needed
Assorted nesting sets of cookie cutters; skewer; candy thermometer; ribbon
Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Using smaller cookie cutters, cut a window from each shape. Use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to the prepared sheets, spacing them 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart. Press the dough scraps together, roll out, and cut out additional shapes. Use a skewer or drinking straw to cut a small hole in the top of each cookie if you intend to hang it. Chill the cookies in the refrigerator or freezer until firm, about 15 minutes.
Bake the cookies according to the Vanilla Sugar Cookies recipe (see below) for 16–19 minutes. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes. While the cookies are cooling on the wire racks, spray the parchment-lined sheets with nonstick cooking spray, then place the cooled cookies on the sheets.
In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the sugar, the corn syrup, and 1⁄2 cup (4 fl oz/125 ml) water to a boil and continue to cook until the sugar mixture registers 300°F (150°C) on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat and divide into separate heatproof measuring cups (if making more than one color). Using a wooden spoon, carefully stir in 1 drop food coloring and the extract, if using. Slowly pour the sugar mixture into the cutout center of each cookie, filling it to the thickness of the cookie. Let cool until the center of each cookie has hardened, about 30 minutes.
If hanging the cookies, thread a ribbon through the hole in each cookie. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Vanilla Sugar Cookies
Makes about 30 cookies
Buttery and crisp, these sugar cookies have a delicate vanilla flavor that makes them delicious on their own. Transformed with icing and sprinkles, they become even more appealing and festive.
3 cups (15 oz/470 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (8 oz/250 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
11⁄4 cups (10 oz/315 g) sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon heavy cream
In a bowl, whisk together the 3 cups flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2–3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on low speed until the egg is completely incorporated. Beating on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture and continue to beat until almost incorporated. Add the cream and beat on low speed until just incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Press the dough into a rough rectangle, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or up to overnight. (The dough can be wrapped well and frozen for up to 1 month.)
Follow the desired recipe for rolling and cutting, or do the following: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured work surface, using a floured rolling pin, roll out the chilled dough until about 1⁄4 inch (6 mm) thick. Using cookie cutters or a paring knife, cut the cookies into the desired shapes. Use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to the prepared sheets, spacing them 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart. Press the dough scraps together, roll out, and cut out additional shapes.
Follow the desired recipe for baking and cooling or do the following: Bake 1 sheet at a time until the cookies are lightly golden around the edges but the tops are barely colored, 16–19 minutes (or as indicated in the recipe). Let cool on the sheets for 5 minutes. Using the metal spatula, transfer to wire racks and let cool completely, about 30 minutes.
Decorate the cookies as desired.
Reprinted with permission from The Art of the Cookie: Baking Up Inspiration by the Dozen by Shelly Kaldunski (Weldon Owen).
More cookie recipes to love:
Dark Chocolate and Cherry Mandelbrot
Fruit and Nut Christmas Cookies
