Your Guide to Candy Cookies

What Is A Candy Cookie?

There are few rules when it comes to making cookies, which leaves you as the judge. Flavors are easily interchangeable, as are fillings and add-ins. Cookies start with a basic cookie dough and can be baked in different ways. You can drop the cookies by rolling the dough into balls and dropping them onto a  cookie tray, or you can chill the dough and roll it out, then use cookie cutters to make shapes for your basic sugar cookie. You can press the dough into a pan and make cookie bars, or you can roll it into a log and chill it, then slice it and put it on a tray and into the oven.

But whatever type of cookie you do, the options for candy and fillings to mix into the dough are endless. Chocolate or butterscotch chips, pecans or walnuts, M&M’s or Reese’s Pieces, raisins or Craisins or really anything you have in your cabinet. There are endless amounts of recipes to create kid friendly cookies which will be both fun to make, and tasty to eat. When those special occasions come up, kids watch you in the kitchen cooking up a storm for parties and gatherings, and they want to help. Rather than nudge them out, invite them in and let them help you make cookies for kids and adults to enjoy at your party. There are so many cookie variations you can try, and the amazing thing is you can always freeze the dough, and pop them in the oven when you want just one or two. But, you won’t be able to stop at just one or two…

How to Make Candy Cookies

The basics of cookies are flour, sugar- white or brown, eggs, a fat like margarine, oil or butter, a flavoring like vanilla or any flavor extract, a leavening agent like baking powder or soda, and salt to balance out the sweetness. Basic cookie dough can easily be converted into any kind of cookie you crave, and can be made either soft, chewy, soft and chewy, or crispy and crunchy.

A candy cookie is a soft cookie or bar, like the classic chocolate chip cookies, but without the chocolate chips. In its place, you can use any candy you fancy to create these kids cookies, or any mix-in you want for a candy surprise. You’ll find some of the best candy to put in cookies with your kid’s leftover nosh, or you can buy some new nosh. Anything that is chocolate or peanut butter based is a great option. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Snickers, M&M’s, Butterfingers, caramel candies, and Rolo’s. But you don’t have to stop there! Any candy will add a fun twist to regular ole cookies.

Candy Alternatives

Hot Tamales, Jolly Ranchers, even Gummy Bears or Candy Corns are great in cookies! Go crazy. The trick is to chop up the candy to mix into the dough, and keep some to put on top of the cookie for show. Or, you can keep the candy whole and wrap the dough around it, so you bite into a chocolaty peanut buttery milky goodness. If you want to do a variation, some great substitutes for candy are peppermint pieces or candy canes, Raisinets- chocolate covered raisins, Hershey’s Kisses, Reese’s Cups, chocolate covered nuts, or any other candy you like. Milky Ways, Almond Joys, even Whoppers go great in cookies. Twix and Kit Kats also work well.

But enough name dropping. There is another type of cookie that is in a class all on its own. It’s a classy cookie. We are referring to, of course, the Stained Glass cookie. This is essentially a rolled out sugar cookie, but the beautiful thing about stained glass cookies is the elegance and class it brings to the cookie family. You can make them in any shape, and the trick is to cut out a hole in the center and fill it with hard crushed candies, and in this way when it bakes, the candy melts and creates the stained glass window effect from which it gets its name. These are awesome cookies to serve at special occasions on account of how pretty they are, but they’re also great for any day you need a pick-me-up and want to have your candy, and eat it too.

The Candy Blossoms Cookie Baking Kit

Baketivity’s Candy Blossom baking kit will be a great addition to your cookie tray, as these shortbread style flower shaped cookies are eye-catching and delicious. The kit comes with a flower shaped cookie cutter to create these classic sugar cookies which will wow a crowd. The center of the cookie will look like a beautiful light-filled stained glass window.

Little hands can help make these crisp buttery flower cookies, which were created with kids in mind. Parents, now you can bake with kids any old day, and the kids’ cookie kit is so easy for your little chefs to do on their own. The kids baking kit comes with all the dry ingredients you’ll need, and easy instructions to follow. Let your little bakers set out the ingredients and help measure, pour and mix.

Use the included ingredients and the wet ingredients you’ll need to create the basic sugar cookie dough, then have little (clean!) hands help roll out the dough, making sure not to roll it too thin. You can chill the cookie dough to make it easier to work with. Using the flower shaped cookie cutter, create the flowers and then use the circle cutter to cut out the center. Keep rolling out the leftover dough until you have used it all. The kit makes approximately 8 cookies.

Once the flowers are ready with the empty circle in the middle, you’ll want to separate the candies provided by color, and have an adult crush them with a flat heavy object like a meat mallet. Crush until you have small pebbles, not fine dust. Then, sprinkle the candy into the center of each cookie, making sure to keep the candy in the center and not on the dough. Fill the center but do not overfill. Keeping the colors separate will help get that brilliant shiny color effect that each beautiful colored candy brings to the cookie.

The melted candy will spread in the oven to a thin opaque layer, almost like a glass colored window. Once out of the oven, let them set and firm up before removing from the baking tray. These cookies are so pretty, kids and adults will love them. The kids baking kit creates beautiful gems which are an impressive treat sure to bring extra cheer.

A fun kid’s activity is included, with a paint set and instructions on how to paint your very own flower! Now your little ones can be artists as well as bakers. The included educational lesson will also teach them all about plants and flowers, and how they grow. Little minds will grow with this wonderful interactive kit.

Happy Baking!

Take homemade cookies to the next level

with Duff’s S’mores Sandwich Cookies

Find more cool kits here!