Elise Strachan's Stained Glass Cookie Cups

Photo: Jennifer Causey

My Cupcake Addiction blogger and Sweet! Celebrations author Elise Strachan gives us her whimsical Christmas cookie cup recipe.

Stained Glass Cookie Cups

3 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. table salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup plus 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. lime zest plus 2 tsp. fresh juice
3 cups uncooked rice
24 hard candies (like Jolly Ranchers), crushed
Assorted holiday candy
2 oz. vanilla frosting

1. Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, lime zest and lime juice, and beat until combined, 2 to 3 minutes. Add half of the dry flour mixture; beat at low speed until completely combined. Sprinkle remaining flour mixture on a work surface. Turn dough out on work surface; knead until soft and pliable, 3 to 5 minutes, incorporating all the flour on work surface. Wrap dough with plastic wrap, and chill 1 hour.

2. Preheat oven to 350°. Unwrap and roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to ¼-inch thick. Cut out 12 circles, using a 2-inch round cutter, and 12 (6×1-inch) strips. (Chill remaining dough for use in step 4.) Lightly coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray, and place 1 dough circle in the bottom of each cup. Fit 1 strip around inside walls of each cup, pressing the dough round to seal. Place 1 paper cupcake liner in each dough cup; fill each with ¼ cup uncooked rice.

3. Bake in oven 10 minutes; cover pan with aluminum foil, and bake 10 more minutes. Cool completely on wire rack. Discard paper cups and rice. Remove cookies from pan.

4. Cut 12 circles with a 2½-inch round cutter from reserved dough. Using small cookie cutters, make 1 cutout in center of each circle. Place cookies with cutout centers on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 5 minutes. Remove from oven. Sprinkle crushed hard candies in centers of cookies. Return to oven, and bake until candy melts, about 5 minutes. Cool completely on baking sheet.

5. Fill cookie cups with your favorite candy. Spread or pipe a ring of frosting around edge of each cookie cup, and attach 1 stained-glass “lid” on each cup. Let dry completely.

Makes: 12 cookie cups
Active time: 40 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 40 minutes, plus chilling