Ingredients

The following ingredients have 12 Servings
  • 1 14- ounce bag fruit-flavored hard candies (unwrapped)
  • 1 cup 2 sticks, 1/2 lb. unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup 200g granulated sugar
  • 1 egg (lightly beaten)
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 3 cups 375g all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
  • Pinch of salt

Instruction

  • Place same colors of candies in separate zip-top bags. Use a rolling pin or small hammer to crush the candies. Pour each color of crushed candy into separate bowls.
  • Beat butter and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer just until incorporated. Add egg and almond extract. Mix again on low speed. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
  • Add the flour and salt. Mix on low speed until dough is formed and there are no longer any streaks of butter in the mixing bowl.
  • Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and form into a ball. Wrap the dough tightly and refrigerate 1 hour.
  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Working on a well-floured surface, knead dough slightly, squeezing it with your hands to flatten ball into a disc. Roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut shapes with larger (4-inch) cookie cutters, and then stamp a smaller shape from the center of the larger cookie. Lay shapes with cut-outs in the centers on a cookie sheet. Refrigerate 30 minutes. This will help the cookies maintain a crisp shape during baking.
  • Use a spoon to fill the centers of cookies with crushed candies. Bake 5-7 minutes, or until crushed candy is melted. Remove cookies from oven and carefully fill each with more crushed candy. Bake an additional 5 minutes, or until the newly added crushed candy is melted and smooth. Remove pan from oven and let cookies cool completely on pan. When the cookies are cool, gently remove them to a platter and serve.