These are beautiful, and you can even hang them as edible ornaments.
2-1/2 C flour
3/4 t salt
3/4 C butter, softened
3/4 C sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla
8 oz bag fruit-flavored hard candies
3/4 t salt
3/4 C butter, softened
3/4 C sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla
8 oz bag fruit-flavored hard candies
Cream the butter and sugar together with a mixer for about 5 minutes. Stir in the egg and the vanilla. Combine the flour and salt and stir it into the butter mixture. Form the dough into two long sausages and refrigerate them for a couple of hours.
Unwrap the hard candies and sort them by color into the different baggies. Wrap each bag in a towel and crush the candies with a rolling pin.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Roll the dough out 1/8 inch thick. Using a round 2-inch cookie cutter, cut out a batch of cookies, then cut a 3/4- or 1-inch circle out of the center of each one. Lay each on the parchment-lined trays and fill the centers with a scant teaspoon of crushed candy. If you want to hang them up, use a straw to poke a hole near one edge.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until golden, then allow them to cool on the cookie sheets on a rack for at least 10 minutes before removing with a spatula.
Gather up the scraps, but before re-rolling, chill the dough for 15 minutes or so again.