These star-shaped sugar cookies with pretty butterscotch windows are often called stained glass cookies. The center of the cookie is cut out and filled with crushed hard candy. It melts in the oven, creating a beautiful glass-like effect. They’re perfect for the holiday season.
I named my star cookies after Evangeline from the Disney movie, The Princess and the Frog. When my mom passed away, my dad used to say that he dreamed of her as a beautiful lady in the stars. Recently, I lost my dad too. I like to think that my mom and dad are reunited up there somewhere. The story of Ray the firefly and Evangeline the star from The Princess and the Frog reminds me of them. I made these cookies as a small holiday tribute to my cherished parents.
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4-inch cookies
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- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (198g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (64g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 cup (100g) crushed butterscotch hard candies
- sanding sugar
Ingredients
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- In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar and salt until smooth and well combined. Beat in the egg and vanilla until incorporated. Mix in the flour until combined.
- Form the dough into a disk and wrap it with plastic wrap. Chill it in the refrigerator until firm, at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven tp 350ºF (180ºC). Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured surface (or between parchment sheets), roll the dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out 18-20 star shapes using a 4-inch cookie cutter.* Place the stars about 2 inches apart onto the cookie sheets. Cut the center out of each star using a 2-inch cookie cutter.* Place the small star cut outs on a separate cookie sheet. Sprinkle with sanding sugar. Fill the cut out section of the large stars with the crushed butterscotch candy. I recommend chilling the cut cookies in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes to prevent excess spreading.
- Bake until the candy melts and the edges of the cookies start to turn light golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet. Bake the small stars for 6-8 minutes. Transfer them to a cooling rack.
*To find 4-inch and 2-inch star-shaped cookie cutters, click here.