Today’s cookie idea offers a fun new seasonal take on stained glass cookies. Once you have baked the frames, the decorating possibilities are endless, making it a great project for kids. All I had to figure out was how to make the said frame. See, I had a clear picture of what I wanted the cookie to look like but I could not find a snow globe cookie cutter. Oh well, that never stopped me =) I’ll just make one up using other shapes. Here is how to do it:

 Let’s start by making our cookie dough. In the bowl of an electric mixer, place butter and sugar:

Mix until light and fluffy:

Add the egg and vanilla extract:

Add flour and mix on low speed until the dough comes together:

Place dough between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and roll out to 1/8″ thick:

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

I am using 3 cookie cutters to get the right shape: one shaped like a trophy for the base and 2 circle cutters (one slightly smaller than the other) for the globe part.

Using the bottom part of the trophy cookie cutter, cut out a few bases:

Cut out disks using the large circle cutter.

Place the dough pieces on your baking sheet. Using the same large circle cookie cutter, cut out the top part of the base:

Place the dough disk in that space:

Side note: I love this shape. It looks like a little guy with a huge head. I gotta remember it for a future project.

Use the smaller circle cookie cutter:

I wasn’t crazy about the shape of the base so I ended up cutting the smaller end of it off with a pairing knife:

Much better! Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes:

Now let’s work on the glass piece. In a glass measuring cup, mix corn syrup and sugar until the mixture resembles wet sand:

Microwave for 2 1/2 minutes:

Melted sugar is HOT HOT HOT so be very careful. Let cool  a bit and stir slowly to incorporate any last pieces of sugar. Microwave for another minute:

Let the liquid sugar cool for a few seconds. In the meantime, move the baked cookies to a clean piece of parchment paper.

Pour liquid sugar in the center of the cookie:

While the sugar is still warm, sprinkle white sugar decos on the sugar glass to look like snow. Make sure to sprinkle more towards the base of the globe to look more realistic:

Let cool completely before adding the last details. It doesn’t take more than 30 minutes.

To decorate these cookies, you can use a wide variety of ingredients and techniques like candy, fondant pieces or sugar decos.

I used royal icing to outline the snow globe and draw little snowmen:

Happy Holidays!