In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla until fluffy.

Add the eggs and beat until well combined.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.

Gradually add that dry ingredient mixture to the butter mixture and stir until well combined.

Transfer the dough to a smaller bowl and cover it with plastic wrap.

Chill for at least 1 hour or overnight.

While the dough is chilling, crush the hard candies by separating the colors and placing them in a resealable bag. Strike them with a rolling pin or flat end of a meat mallet until they are fine crushed.

Line 1-2 baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and work with about ⅓ of it at a time. Keep the portion you aren’t working with in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.

Cover the work area with a dusting of additional flour.

Roll the dough to about ¼” thick.

Cut the dough with cookie cutters in the desired shapes.

Transfer the cut-out dough to the prepared baking sheets.

Cut the center of each cookie with smaller cookie cutter in the desired shapes.

Repeat with the remaining dough until it is all used.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Fill the center cut out with the crushed candies, being careful to not overfill it or get the small pieces of crushed candies on the cookie dough.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly golden brown, rotating the baking sheet about half way through for even baking.

Remove the cookies from oven and let them cool on wire rack ON THE BAKING SHEET for 5 minutes before removing them from the baking sheet and letting them cool completely on the wire rack before storing.

Store in airtight container in a single layer.