Stained Glass Window Slices

A very popular holiday no-bake confection in Newfoundland, these Stained Glass Window Slices were enjoyed all year round in our home. My mom would prepare these whenever the mood hit and they were delicious every single time. You can add salted peanuts to these too!

Sit back and let me tell you about the easiest recipe you can possibly make to serve your guests this Christmas.  These little slices of chocolatey, marshmallowy goodness are extremely simple to prepare, but look quite pretty! Loaded with marshmallows, these Stained Glass Window Slices are made with chocolate and peanut butter too!

The Christmas season is busy enough as it is, and we all like to show off to our guests with our décor and whatever might be on the menu, so why not take a little help wherever you can get it!?

You know what else is great about these cookies?  Well, I’ll tell you – there are only 5 ingredients!  You can yield approximately 24 rather large slices – depending on how thick you slice them – for about $10. Oh, I forgot one more great thing!  You simply leave the log in your fridge and take it out whenever you need it.  It’s very freezer-friendly too and retains a freshly made taste.  Just remove the log from your freezer and let it sit at room temperature for 4 or 5 minutes.  Slice off what you need and put the rest back into the freezer for another time.

Now, I decided to make these with coloured marshmallows because I wanted to mimic a stained glass window loo, but you can use the mini white marshmallows too.  I just though the coloured marshmallows would look more like a church window. Presentation matters, folks! 

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So, welcome, Dear Reader, to the start of my annual holiday-themed recipes. Traditionally, every year I share a series of recipes that you might already be familiar with. For example, I’ve previously shared 12 Holiday Trifles, 12 Holiday Bars & Squares, and even these 12 Edible Holiday Wreath recipes! Also, some of my favourite recipe collections from previous years are my 75 Homemade Gifts from Your Kitchen, my 50 Make Ahead Freezer Friendly Christmas Recipes, and my 30 No-Bake Christmas Recipes post.

This year I’m doing it differently. Rather than sharing multiple back to back series, I’m sharing a new holiday-themed recipe almost every day from now until Christmas Eve. For those of you who have followed my annual Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas series, don’t worry, you will still get lots of new cookie recipes this year too. I will not, however, be publishing the cookies back to back in a 24-day series. This would have been my 8th year running the series and it becomes very exhausting, so this year, I’m spreading the recipes out so that I’m not sharing the same type of recipe every day.

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! And, just in case you’re curious, you can see previous annual posts for my 24 Cookies of Christmas Series here!

MARSHMALLOWS ARE OFTEN USED IN NO-BAKE TREATS

I used to not make many confections with marshmallows until recently. I do love them, but after just one or two, I seem to go into sugar shock. Ha! When it comes to snacks and treats, I’m all about salty snacks. I can easily forego sugary snacks. I’m one of those people who will eat one or two of something and then I don’t want to see it anymore. I bake a lot, so it’s quite common to try one or two of whatever it is and package the rest up for a friend or a neighbour. In some cases, especially if I make something with chocolate, John.e refuses to let me get rid of it. He loves chocolate!

As you know, Dear Reader, John.e is a vegetarian and marshmallows have gelatin in them. Gelatin is made with collagen from animal parts, so obviously, he isn’t going to eat anything with marshmallows in it. Sounds gross, doesn’t it!? So, I was quite happy to find vegan marshmallows, and now I can make more marshmallow treats. You can 100% use Dandies Vegan Marshmallows in this recipe. They have a peppermint-flavoured vegan marshmallow that works so well in this recipe!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Marshmallows – Every kid loves the taste and texture of a marshmallow!  They are soft and puffy with just the right amount of sweetness and vanilla flavour.  Mini marshmallows work best here.
• Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
• Butter – Make sure your butter is at room temperature! Use unsalted butter.
• Peanut Butter – Use creamy peanut butter. I have not tested this recipe with natural peanut butter or nut butter alternatives.
• Coconut – Baking coconut comes in sweetened and unsweetened and in different sizes.  Unless otherwise stated, use unsweetened coconut when baking otherwise the result might be too sweet.  Be sure to check the size too – is it supposed to be shredded, grated, etc?  The size of the coconut will affect the outcome of your recipe.

HOW TO MAKE STAINED GLASS WINDOW SLICES

Measure the butter, peanut butter, and semi-sweet chocolate chips into a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second increments, stirring well between each increment until all three of those ingredients are combined, creamy, and smooth. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.

In the meantime, lay a sheet of aluminum foil over a half sheet pan. If possible, use heavy-duty foil and be sure to use a large enough piece so that the ends drape over the sides of the sheet pan. Place a sheet of parchment paper onto the foil. (A half sheet pan measures 13 x 18 inches.) Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the coconut lengthwise down the center of the parchment paper and set aside.

Next, stir the marshmallows into the melted chocolate mixture. Stir well, ensuring that every single mini marshmallow is covered with chocolate. Spoon the marshmallow mixture into a large log lengthwise down the center of the parchment paper. Sprinkle the remaining coconut over top and along the sides of the marshmallow log. Fold one side of the parchment paper up over the log followed by the opposite side. They should slightly overlap. Repeat that with the aluminum foil. Firmly roll the whole log, pushing gently to compact the marshmallow and chocolate mixture. Twist the foil ends to seal. Transfer the log to your refrigerator for at least 2 hours before unwrapping and cutting into 1/3rd inch slices.

THE TYPE OF COCONUT IS IMPORTANT

When it comes to coconut to bake with, there are two kinds – sweetened and unsweetened. Those two types can be found in different levels of fineness and coarseness. It’s important to use unsweetened coconut for this recipe. Otherwise, these Stained Glass Window Slices may be too sweet to eat!

You’ll want to use an unsweetened coconut. The size of the shredded coconut won’t make a difference to the taste, but it certainly will make a difference when you try to slice the log into slices. The longer shreds of coconut will make for a messier slice and you want your delicious cookie to look just as amazing as it tastes!

Depending on the brand, some coconut is shredded, grated, or desiccated. Shredded usually refers to larger pieces, while grated tend to be smaller. Desiccated has nothing to do with the size of the pieces but means the coconut is dried or that the moisture has been removed. In most cases, you will find a fine or medium grade. Fine is my personal coconut of choice in most cases and it is what I used here. Medium will work too.

STORING, PACKAGING, & FREEZING

When it comes to most cookies, they taste best at room temperature, but they don’t hold up well to being left out on your countertop for a long time. Most cookies will stay fresh in a cookie jar or food-safe container with a lid for 3-5 days if left to sit on your kitchen countertop, but these cookies/slices need to stay refrigerated – especially in the cooler months when your house tends to be on the warmer side with the heat on.

If you plan to freeze your Stained Glass Window Slices, you certainly can! I would leave them in a log and freeze the log whole. Pop it out of the fridge and let it rest at room temperature for 5 mintues before slicing. If you have already sliced the log, pile the slices into a clean, food-safe container with a sheet of plastic wrap, parchment paper, or waxed paper between each layer. The container must be freezer-friendly! You’ll want to ensure a very tight-fitting lid too. I use these quite often when freezing baked goods. I like to place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the container before pushing the lid on. This helps to create a better seal. The goal is to keep all of that freshness locked in!  

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!