Let's make Christmas cookies!

nBy ANNE B. ADAMS

AND NANCY NASH-CUMMINGS

DEAR ANNE AND NAN: A few years ago, I came across a neat recipe for making Christmas cookies that looked like stained glass. They were in the shape of a Christmas tree with the center cut out. Chopped-up lollipops were sprinkled in the center before baking. I have lost the directions. Can you find them? --- THELMA, Providence, R.I.

DEAR THELMA: We have two recipes for you. The first is probably the one you are looking for, but the second recipe, while slightly more time-consuming, makes beautiful "designer" cookies perfect for holiday decorating and it is a great project for the kids!

Stained Glass Cookies

1/3 cup vegetable shortening

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg

2/3 cup honey

1 teaspoon lemon flavoring

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour (add more if needed)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

Sour Balls, Life Savers or any other colorful hard candy

Separate the candies by color. Put each color in a double bag and break them up with a hammer. Combine vegetable shortening, sugar, egg, honey and flavoring. Blend thoroughly. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Add dry ingredients to first mixture, a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Since different honeys absorb flour differently and eggs vary in size, it may be necessary to add a little more flour to make a dough that can be molded.

Prepare a cookie sheet and line with two layers of wax paper. You can either mold the dough right on the cookie sheet or roll it and cut into desired shapes.

Create a stained-glass window effect by cutting out spaces for the "glass." Spoon the pulverized candy, separated by color, into the spaces. Use a knitting needle to put a hole in the top of the cookie: after baking, fishing line or a string can be threaded through the hole for hanging.

Bake the cookies at 375 F for eight to 10 minutes. Refrigerate until candy has hardened.

Stained Glass Cookies II

3 tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 egg

2 tablespoons water

1/4 cup molasses

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Assorted colorful hard candies, sourballs or lollipops, about one pound

Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add egg; beat well. Add water and molasses; mix thoroughly. In separate bowl, combine flour, salt and spices; add gradually to creamed mixture. Mix until a dough forms and refrigerate at least one hour. Separate candies by color and crush.

On a parchment paper or foil-covered cookie sheet, lightly draw or etch desired designs, making segments within each. Taking a small amount of dough, make long, thin, pencil-width rolls and outline designs with strings of dough. Place crushed candies of different colors in the sections so that candy reaches to dough outline. Bake four to seven minutes at 375 F or just until candy melts. Do not overbake. Refrigerate until cooled; peel off foil. Makes about 5 dozen cookies, depending on size.

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