• 1 package (200g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup (230g) sugar
• 2 eggs (Medium)
• 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
• About 40 small hard candies, in various colors and flavors
METHOD
1. In a bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, and salt. Mix them.
Place the butter in the mixer bowl, add the sugar, and beat with the paddle attachment or K-beater for 5 minutes until the mixture is fluffy and pale. Add one egg, beat until incorporated into the mixture, and then add the other egg.
2. Continue beating until you have a fluffy mixture. Add the vanilla and the flour mixture little by little. Beat until you have a soft dough. Remove it from the mixer, knead it briefly, and shape the dough into a rectangle. Wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for ½ hour to firm up slightly.
3. Take it out of the refrigerator and roll it out into a rectangle about 4-5 millimeters thick.
Using Christmas cookie cutters, about 4-5 cm, cut the dough into various shapes and designs. Place them on baking sheets lined with non-stick parchment paper. Use a smaller cookie cutter to remove dough from the center of the cookie.
4. Place the colored hard candies (each color separately) in a zip-top bag and crush them with a hammer. Use a tablespoon to fill the spaces you created in the cookies. Use the tip of a pastry piping bag to make a small hole on the edge of the cookie (this will help us thread a string through it).
5. Bake in a preheated convection oven at 170°C (340°F) for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown and the candy has melted.
Remove from the oven and let them cool. If desired, thread a string through the cookies and hang them on the Christmas tree.
