•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.
