Sprung into Spring with cookies!

I heart Martha Stewart. I just recently saw this adorable presenattion on her show on how to make “stained-glass critter cookies.”   Brilliant idea and I think so fun for mommy/child craft time. Martha Stewart makes it so easy by also providing all the cookie templates, so no need to sweat because you don’t have the right cookie cutter. Didn’t I just say she was Brilliant?! Get ready Baby A, mom’s got an idea up her sleeve!

Every child likes a cookie and what a better way to decorate one that you can put on display…not necessarily eat right away…the dentist daddy in our life will be so thrilled with this activity.

Here you go:

Ingredients

Makes about 2 dozen

• 4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Assorted clear colored hard candies, such as Jolly Rancher, colors separated and finely chopped
• Royal Icing
• Gel paste food coloring, in desired colors
• Edible sugar pearls, for decorating wing’s edge (optional)
• Dragees or candy eyes

Directions

1. Sift flour and salt into a bowl; set aside.
2. Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in eggs and lemon juice. Reduce speed to low. Gradually mix in flour mixture. Divide dough in half; flatten each half into a disk. Wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with racks in upper and lower thirds. Let one disk of dough stand at room temperature just until soft enough to roll, about 10 minutes. Place dough on a nonstick baking mat; place a piece of plastic wrap over dough. Roll out dough between baking mat and plastic wrap to 1/4 inch thick. Remove plastic wrap. Cut out cookies with a 5-inch butterfly- or dragonfly-shaped cookie cutter; cut out negative space in the wings using both sides of a small heart-shaped cookie cutter to create a mirror image (see Butterfly or Dragonfly templates). Use a drinking straw to create a hanging hole at top of cookie, if desired. Transfer baking mat to a baking sheet. Transfer baking sheet to freezer, freeze until very firm, about 15 minutes. Remove baking sheet from freezer; remove scraps and reposition cookies so that they are at least 1 inch apart. Roll out scraps, and repeat. Repeat with remaining disk of dough.
4. Transfer to oven and bake for 8 minutes. Let cool and sprinkle candy in a single layer in negative space of each cookie. Return to oven and bake until lightly golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks; carefully remove with a metal spatula.
5. Mix together some of the royal icing with food coloring until desired shade is reached for wings. Transfer to a small squirt bottle. Outline wings (see Butterfly or Dragonfly templates) with colored icing. Draw several zigzags across entire surface of the outlined area. If necessary, use a toothpick to spread evenly. Using tweezers, add candy decor to wing edges, if desired (see Butterfly or Dragonfly templates). Let dry.
6. Mix together some of the royal icing with food coloring until desired shade is reached for bodies. Transfer to a small squirt bottle. Outline body (see Butterfly or Dragonfly templates) with colored icing. Draw several zigzags across entire surface of the outlined area. If necessary, use a toothpick to spread evenly. Using tweezers, add dragees or candy eyes to create eyes (see Butterfly or Dragonfly templates). Let dry.

When you are all done and they have dried for 24 hours (you don’t want icing dripping down your window!) you can hang them in your window or add a skewer and stake it into a potted plant for a colorful look.