Candy Crush

Surprise Santa with irresistible cookies starring sugary treats

- PHOTOGRAPHS BY GREG DUPREE RECIPES AND FOOD STYLING BY EMILY NABORS HALL PROP STYLING BY PRISCILLA MONTIEL

Stained Glass Stars

Stained Glass Stars Many recipes for stained glass cookies use fruity candies for a shiny presentation, but we wanted holiday flavors, so we opted for butterscotch and cinnamon disks.

ACTIVE 45 MIN. - TOTAL 2 HOURS, 55 MIN.

MAKES ABOUT 2 ½ DOZEN

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. ground cardamom

½ cup finely crushed hard cinnamon or butterscotch disk candies (from about 20 pieces)

1. Beat butter and sugar with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until incorporated. Beat in vanilla until combined.

2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and cardamom in a medium bowl; gradually add to butter mixture, beating on low speed just until combined. Divide dough in half; transfer each half to a sheet of plastic wrap, and shape each into a 6-inch disk. Wrap in plastic; chill at least 1 hour or up to 1 week.

3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Working with 1 disk at a time, unwrap dough and roll on a lightly floured work surface to ¼-inch thickness. Cut cookies using a 3-inch star cutter, and place about 1 inch apart on 2 large baking sheets lined with Reynolds Kitchens® Unbleached Parchment Paper (about 15 cookies per sheet). Cut centers from large stars using a 1 ¼- to 1 ½-inch star cutter. (The centers may be baked separately, according to instructions below, or reserved and rerolled with scraps to make additional large star cookies.)