How to make a stained glass cookie tree

I first saw stained glass cookies in a gingerbread house and it was the prettiest thing ever! I just had to know how this technique was done…

So, after browsing the net and experimenting in the kitchen, I finally figured it out and it was surprisingly simple to do…Yayyy!

I decided to to make a stained glass heart cookie tree and honestly, you should see how beautiful these cookies look when light shines through them… it’s breathtaking! 😀

I think this cookie tree will make a great gift for Valentine’s day or even Mother’s day.

To make this cookie tree, you will need the following supplies:

Chocolate sugar cookies
Hard candy
Big heart cutter
Small heart cutter
Rolling pin
Wax paper
Paintbrush
Melted chocolate
Corn syrup
Sparkling sugar or regular colored sugar
Ribbon
Planting pot
Styrofoam
Branches

These are the steps:

Step 1:
Make a batch of chocolate sugar cookie dough. Then roll it out between 2 sheets of wax paper. Press the big heart cutter into the rolled-out cookie dough.

Step 2:
Now, press the small heart cutter into the center of the big heart. Remove the small heart cookie piece from the center and discard it. Bake the hollow heart cookies and then let them cool down.

Step 3:
To give the stained glass effect, add some crushed rock candy and a few drops of water in a bowl.

Step 4:
Heat the candies in the microwave for about 1 minute and the the candies will melt.

Step 5:
The candy will start hardening really fast! So, work quickly… Place your cookies on a sheet of wax paper. Add a spoon of melted candy in the center of your heart cookies.

Let them sit at room temperature for about 10-15 minutes or until the candy hardens completely. And your cookies now have stained glass centers! 😀

NOTE 1: I noticed that some of my cookies were sticking to the wax paper. So, now I have started spraying some oil on the wax paper before adding spoonfuls of melted candy.

NOTE 2: You can skip steps 3-5 if you just place crushed pieces of rock candy in the center of your hollow cookies while they are baking. The candy pieces will  melt from the heat of the oven.

Step 6:
Brush some corn syrup on top of your cookie. Do not brush corn syrup on the stained glass.

Step 7:
Now, pick up your cookie and place the sticky side onto a plate of sparkling sugar.

Step 8:
This is what your cookie should look like now… A bit of a mess but we will clean it up 🙂

Step 9:
Brush away the sugar from the stained glass, using a dry paintbrush.

Step 10:
Since these cookies will be hanging on branches, you will need to add a loop. Make a loop out of a lightweight piece of packaging ribbon.

The arrow is pointing to it in this picture…

Step 11:
Use melted chocolate to stick the loop on the back of your cookies. Let the chocolate harden at room temperature and your loop will now be secure.

TIP: You can skip steps 10 and 11 if you make a tiny hole on top of your heart cookies before baking them. Then, you can just put the ribbon through the holes and make loops.

All you have to do now is place a big piece of styrofoam inside a pot and stick branches in it.

Just hang your cookies on these branches and you are done!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial 🙂

Happy caking everyone!