Hands on: 45 minutes
Total time: 1 1/2 hours
Makes: 3 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Colored hard candies, such as Jolly Rancher, colors separated and crushed (about 30)
Instructions:
In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and mix until smooth, 1 minute. Reduce speed; add flour mixture, and mix until combined. Stir in vanilla. Wrap dough in plastic, and refrigerate until cold, about 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Roll out chilled dough on a well-floured surface to about 1/4-inch thick. Cut out shapes using a 5-inch tree-shape cookie cutter. Space cookies 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Using the tip of a paring knife, make a triangular cutout in center of each cookie for candy filling. A smaller cookie cutter also works well. Reroll scraps and cut out cookies and centers.
Sprinkle candy in a single layer in hole of each cookie. Refrigerate until dough is firm, about 15 minutes.
Bake cookies until candy has melted and completely filled cutout and cookie edges are just starting to turn pale golden brown, 11 to 12 minutes. Do not let the cookies brown or the candy centers may become bubbly or burn. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks. Use a metal spatula to remove cookies from parchment.
Per cookie: 91 calories (percent of calories from fat, 28), 1 gram protein, 15 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 3 grams fat (2 grams saturated), 13 milligrams cholesterol, 11 milligrams sodium.
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