Stained Glass Cookies

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  
• 3/4 cup sugar
  
• 1 large egg yolk
  
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 6 ounces colored hard candies
  
• Additional sugar
  
• Ribbon

1. Use a mixer to beat the butter and 3/4 a cup of sugar in a large bowl until well mixed. Beat in the yolk, lemon peel and vanilla extract. Add flour and salt and beat the mixture until it begins to clump together. Divide the dough into three equal pieces. Flatten each of the pieces into disk; wrap each in plastic and refrigerate at least two hours. (Dough can be prepared two days ahead. Soften the dough slightly at room temperature before rolling out.)
2. Finely grind the colored hard candies separately. Transfer each color to a separate small bowl; cover and set aside.
3. Position one rack in the center and one rack in the top third of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll out one dough disk on floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Using a 2 1/2- to 2 1/4-inch-diameter cookie cutter, cut out the cookies. Using a small cookie cutter (about one inch in diameter), make a cutout in the center of each cookie.
4. Transfer the cookies to your prepared baking sheets. Spoon the ground candies into cookie cutouts, filling the cutouts completely to the same thickness as the cookies. Sprinkle the cookies lightly with additional sugar. Repeat with the remaining dough disks, ground candies and additional sugar. Re-roll the dough scraps and cut out additional cookies. Place them on sheets and fill cutouts with ground candies and sprinkle them with sugar.
5. Bake the cookies until they are firm and light golden and ground candies look translucent, about eight minutes. Cool the cookies completely on baking sheets. (Can be made ahead. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to one week, or freeze up to one month.)