Holiday Windowpanes Recipes

WINDOWPANE COOKIES

Steps:

• Making the Cookie Dough: Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.
• In another bowl cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Mix in flour mixture until dough is smooth and firm.
• Divide dough in half and shape into two 1/2-inch-thick disks. Cover them in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours. (At this point the dough can be covered in plastic wrap, sealed in a zip-top plastic bag, and frozen for up to 2 weeks.)
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line several baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
• Assembling the Cookies: On a lightly floured work surface, roll dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Cut out shapes using the larger cookie cutter and then use the smaller cutters to remove "windows" from those shapes. Arrange cookies about 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets.
• Place candies in plastic zip-top bags (one color per bag), seal bags, and crush them with a rolling pin or meat mallet. Fill cookie windows with crushed candy pieces.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until edges start to turn golden, rotating sheets halfway through baking time. Place sheets on wire racks to cool for a few minutes before gently removing cookies with a metal spatula. Let cookies cool completely on wire racks. Store between layers of wax paper to prevent sticking in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

HOLIDAY WINDOWPANES

Steps:

• Make Classic Sugar Cookies without baking powder; chill 2 hours. Roll out to 1/4 inch thick and cut into large Christmas-tree shapes. Cut out smaller trees from centers. Place on silicone mats and bake 6 to 8 minutes at 350 degrees, then sprinkle the centers with crushed hard candies and bake until melted, 2 to 5 more minutes.