Stained Glass Biscuit

[TrickyD]

Has anyone made these successfully? I mean the ones where you cut out a hole in the middle of the biscuit, fill hole with crushed boiled sweets and bake. Then you hang them on the tree where they are much admired.

I had a go last year, but DH has kindly reminded me that I said "Never again" .

Fiddly to make, the crushed sweets melted unevenly, and not much admiration.

Any hints other than 'Don't bother" ?

I've never tried but I really want to.

I see pictures online of Kirsty Allsop festive loveliness, the glistening sugary colourful glass-syrup, and then think that in reality there'd be rotting biscuit and fruit flies everywhere.

I had no problem with flies or rotting pastry, but not much in the way of festive loveliness.

I am sitting here with last year's "Get Ahead for Christmas' , its cover featuring a perfect star with a clear glassy centre and pretty royal icing decoration. It is what fooled me into trying last year.

AutumnCrow, perhaps you could have a go at the weekend, you know you want to, and report back.

I always want to make these - saw the the exact same recipe and was tempted. Mine always look okay but I think out of a batch you will only get a very small number that look great on the tree and lots that look very sticky. My advice would be crush the boiled sweets down to a powder and use much less in each hole than you think you will need.

I've made these years ago, but just used a whole boiled sweet (the sort of round, flat kind), and from memory they turned out pretty well.

Yes, PaulGalico, it was the tiny proportion that looked more or less OK compared to the substandard large majority which was so dispiriting.

We did crush fairly finely, maybe not into a powder though.

However, I swear I have seen other recipes which just advocate putting a whole sweet into the middle and letting it melt. I find it hard to believe this would work.

Cross post. Oreo! Just shows how little I know about making stained glass biscuits. Thanks!

Last year sliced big oranges (not satsumas) into pieces about 5ml thick. Baked them low in the oven for about 40 minutes (I think - just check until they're dried out) I strung them onto my tree and on my presents wrapped in brown paper and string. I was very proud of myself for absolutely minimal effort and eco friendly wrapping too!!

I don't understand them. Don't they go soggy and sticky not to mention dusty? Why make food which can't be eaten.

I made this at school, but I've never tried since. We didn't put them on the tree, I think I shared mine around the bus on the way home.

No, raininsummer, they did not go soggy or dusty because the DGCs snaffled them fairly rapidly from the tree.

Chillisauceboss , I bought a packet of dried orange slices in Poundland for adding to a festive (ish) wreath and will probably go back for more as the saving in time and mess was good. I also bought some packs of cinnamon sticks from there too. Not suitable for human consumption but good for poncy decs.

Ah well snaffling them up quickly would work. I was imagining them on the tree for 2 or three weeks until the 12th day or something.

No I haven't made them but I did make tree biscuits which went soggy once.

Any biscuits on the tree need to be eaten quickly or they fall off when they go soft (experience with gingerbread decorations).

Waitrose this morning - stained glass biscuit kits spotted but I resisted the temptation to buy as they were £5.99 and didn't look as if they would make many. I could spoil make a lot for that.

My DS is 18, we did this when he was about 5, there is still one from a batch of 12 that comes out every Christmas.

We used flat bright boiled sweets.

Use a whole boiled sweet, flatish if poss. Worked for me. Also make sure your biscuit recipe produces a fairly firm dough.

Hang them on the tree?Are you kidding? They do look pretty,I admit. But if you must...do it, take a pic, remove and eat.

They do look pretty but I'd be tempted just to eat them . I did a gingerbread house with the dc years ago but it was a huge faff. Messy .was like an episode of Rogue Builders with all the botching ...I do miss the vibrant colours of sweets in the 80s though. (Loads of colours removed due to allergies and tolerances)

I’ve made them every year for a decade but it never once occurred to me to actually hang them on the tree. In my house baked goods have to be vigorously defended with a wet tea towel or they are scoffed straight from the oven tray.

I tried, but the sweet soaked into the biscuit and looked awful - I have no idea where I went wrong.

I stick with iced biscuits these days. Much easier.

They do look pretty but I'd be tempted just to eat them . I did a gingerbread house with the dc years ago but it was a huge faff. Messy .was like an episode of Rogue Builders with all the botching ...I do miss the vibrant colours of sweets in the 80s though. (Loads of colours removed due to allergies and tolerances)

We do a gingerbread house for each kid each year (avoid the costco ones, first thing I've had from there that was inedible - back to Ikea this year).

Kids love it, mess everywhere, then the next day they sit there and lever the sweets back off like little burglars.

I did the stain glass effect ones a few years back. I eco using a whole boiled sweet but the feedback from the adults was that they prefer the normal biscuits as they were less sweet and kinder on teeth. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I am impressed with Treestump's expertise with the Ikea gingerbread house. I was so enraged with the walls' refusal to stand up that I actually threw it across the kitchen. It was the advice to use caramel to stick it together that turned out to be useless.
However, Lidl's version is easy and lovely provided you use proper icing to construct it.

Ok, I've cracked and I'm off out to look for flat, boiled sweets of various and wondrous colours

Report back please, AutumnCrow. The exact type is a matter of great importance.

Following so I can learn from all your mistakes and produce a perfect batch, first time, on Christmas Eve. [santa]