Halloween Stained Glass Cookies

These Halloween stained glass cookies will be the talk of your Halloween party! Made with a no-spread crispy sugar cookie dough, these cookies use melted candies to look like stained glass. They are the perfect Halloween dessert for parties or whenever you want a spooky Halloween treat!

These Halloween cookies are ready in 30 minutes, even though your guests will think they took hours to make!

And, if you want more show-stopping Halloween desserts, make these witch cauldron brownies!

How To Make These Halloween Stained Glass Cookies

1. Make the sugar cookie dough using this recipe. Do not bake it yet.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

3. Use a small food processor to crush the candies. Alternatively, place them in a zip lock bag, seal it, and crush them with a rolling pin. I crush the candies by color so I don’t have to separate them later. If crushed together, separate them into colors before moving on.

4. Roll out the sugar cookie dough to 1/3-1/2 inch thick.

5. Use the Halloween cookie cutters to cut out shapes in the dough. Transfer them to the baking pan, leaving at least 1 inch in between.

6. Use a paring knife to trace and cut the centers out of the cookies. Leave at least 1/2 inch of dough around the edges. Remove the centers.

7. Fill the cut-out centers of the cookies with a teaspoon of crushed candy, keeping one color in each cookie. Make sure to spread the pieces to the edges.

8. Bake the cookies for 6-8 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly brown. The candy pieces should be melted and bubbly.

9. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool for at least 5 minutes on the baking sheet.

10. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack, only when the candy centers are completely set.

Important Recipe Notes

Jolly ranchers work best for this recipe as they give the most transparent glass effect. One jolly rancher should make 2-3 cookies, depending on the size of your cutouts.

You can also use crushed Life Savers candies or any other fruit-flavored hard candy. Using a more opaque candy like Life Savers will create an opaque center. For this recipe, I used a combination of Jolly Ranchers and a small amount of Life Savors. This gave me a slight tie-dye effect in several of the cookies.

Roll out the extra dough from the inside of the cookies to make more.

Watch the cookies so they do not burn. Check the cookies halfway through and three quarters through to ensure they do not burn. The candy center will turn brown and will not be opaque.

Most of the bubbles in the candy will disappear quickly, but you can also use a toothpick to pop them.

Leftovers can be kept for up to a week in an airtight container. Keep them at room temperature on the counter.

Halloween Desserts

Halloween S’mores Dip– This Halloween s’mores dip is made with classic s’mores ingredients and Halloween peeps, making it a budget-friendly dessert. 

Reese’s Oreo Bat Cookies– Your cookies are getting an upgrade this Halloween with these Reese’s Oreo bat cookies! A fudgy cake mix is used for the cookies and they are topped with Reese’s, Oreo’s, and candy eyes to create the most adorable bats ever. 

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