Cinnamon Cookies with Stained Glass

To prepare these delicious candy-filled cookies, the first step is to start by mixing the sugar with cold butter, cut into cubes, until the mixture becomes fluffy and airy. This process will ensure a fine and pleasant texture of the cookies. Once we have obtained a smooth cream, we add the whole egg and continue to homogenize well, ensuring that the egg is completely incorporated into the mixture.

After the egg has integrated, it's time to add the vanilla essence, which will provide an enticing aroma to the cookies. We then sift the flour together with the baking powder, an important step that will help avoid the formation of lumps and ensure an even distribution of the leavening agent. We start kneading the dough either by hand or with a mixer equipped with hooks, until we obtain a homogeneous, slightly elastic, and non-sticky dough. Once the dough is ready, we wrap it in plastic wrap and let it chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. This resting time is essential, as it helps to firm up the butter and makes it easier to roll out the dough later.

After the dough has cooled, we sprinkle a work surface with a little flour and begin to roll out the dough into a sheet about 5 mm thick. Using a round cutter, we cut circles from the dough. From each circle, we use a smaller cutter to cut out the center, thus obtaining cookies with an attractive shape. We place the dough circles on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, making sure to leave a little space between them to allow for expansion while baking.

In the center of each circle, we place a colored candy, which will melt during baking, providing a sweet surprise in each cookie. The cut-out pieces from the dough can be sprinkled with a delicious combination of sugar and cinnamon, thus adding extra flavor and a special appearance. These cut-out shapes can be baked alongside the candy-filled cookies, creating a varied assortment.

We preheat the oven to a moderate temperature and place the tray with the cookies inside. We bake for about 8-10 minutes or until the cookies turn golden and are well-baked. The whole house will fill with a pleasant scent, and the cookies will become slightly crunchy at the edges. Once they are ready, we let them cool on the tray, so they firm up a bit before transferring them to a rack to cool completely. This cooling moment is crucial to achieve the desired texture of the cookies. Enjoy them with a cup of milk or flavored tea!