Stained Glass Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar

4 tablespoons butter

2 eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons milk

crushed hard candy pieces (colorful suckers or 30-40 LifeSavers work well) - separated by colors

Directions:

In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, butter, vanilla, almond and eggs. Stir in the flour, baking powder, salt, and milk. Mix well and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cover two cookie sheets with parchment paper, foil, or silicon baking mats. Remove dough from the refrigerator and wait 5 minutes before rolling. On a well-floured work surface, roll the dough 1/4" thick. Using desired shaped cookie cutters (heart, butterfly, snowman, kitten, etc.) measuring about 2 1/2 inches, cut the dough into cookies (the dough scraps can be reworked) and transfer the cookies to prepared baking sheets. Using a smaller cutter or a knife, cut shapes into the center of each cookie and remove the dough.

Bake at 375 degrees for 5-8 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes and then fill the holes completely with the crushed candy pieces, using different colors in different sections of your creations and heaping slightly. Return to the oven and bake just until the candy starts to bubble (watch carefully so they don't burn). Remove cookie sheets from oven and place on counter to cool. If necessary, use metal spatula to spread melted candy to the edge of each section. When cooled, gently peel off foil from each cookie. You will have created a beautiful stained glass.