Aleš Lombergar

1 package (17.5 ounces) sugar cookie mix (recommended: Betty Crocker)
1/3 cup cream cheese, softened in microwave for 45 seconds
1 egg
1 teaspoon lemon extract
3 tablespoons cake flour
8 ounces hard candies, assorted colors (recommended: Jolly Ranchers or LifeSavers)
Special Equipment:
Baking sheets
Aluminum foil and cooking spray
Mixing bowl
Flour
Rolling pin
Oversized (4 to 5-inch) ornament-shaped cookie cutter
Smaller cutters, round or square
Cooling rack

Line baking sheets with aluminum foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. Alternatively, you can use a silicone baking mat.
In a large bowl, stir together all ingredients, except hard candies, until dough ball forms. Split dough in half and form into disks.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thick. Cut out cookies with oversized (4 to 5-inch) ornament-shaped cookie cutters. Place cookies on prepared baking sheets spaced 1-inch apart. On each of the large cookies, cut out 3 or 4 smaller shapes using 1/2 to 1-inch cookie cutters. If cookies are to be used as ornaments, make a hole at the top with a straw. Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

While cookies chill, place unwrapped hard candies, sorted by color, in separate zip-top resealable bags. Squeeze air from bags and seal; crush candies with rolling pin. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Remove cookies from refrigerator and fill centers of cookies with
crushed hard candies.

Bake for 9 to 12 minutes or until edges just start to turn golden. Cool completely on baking sheet on a rack.

Repeat with remaining dough.

Store completely cooled cookies separated by waxed paper in an air-tight container for 1 week.

I take a basic cut-out sugar cookie recipe to make my stain-glass cookies.
What you do is roll the dough out to about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut-out your cookie shape and then use a smaller cookie cutter to cut-out a “hole” in the middle of the bigger one to leave the frame of your stain glass. (So, for example… if you have a 4″ star cookie cutter, you’d take a 2″ star cookie cutter and cut-out the middle portion.)
Place the cut-out cookie frames on a cookie sheet that is covered with aluminum foil. Then take crush hard candies (do not use peppermint, it will not melt down correctly… I suggest using butterscotch disc, cinnamon disc, etc.) and place a large helping of the crushed candy in the middle of the frames.
Bake the cookies as normal and after you bring them out of the oven allow them to cool slightly before removing.

They are edible as is or you can hang them as ornaments.