Go Back
rainbow cookies
Print
Italian Rainbow Cookies
Prep Time
2 hrs
Cook Time
10 mins
Resting Time
4 hrs
Total Time
2 hrs 10 mins
 
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: Almond, Apricot, Chocolate
Servings: 10 Dozen
Ingredients
  • 5 sticks of unsalted butter softened
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 16 ounces almond paste
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 8 large eggs whites & yolks separated
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Red & green food coloring
  • 1 ¼ cup smooth apricot jam
  • 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Prep the pans by laying parchment paper over each baking sheet. Preheat oven to 350
Bake the cookie layers

  1. In a large & deep bowl, break apart the almond paste and 1 ¾ cup sugar by beating on medium in a stand mixer until the crumbles start to break up a bit.

  2. Beat in all of the butter into the almond paste, half a stick at a time & mix until well combined and the almond become a fine texture. Add in all of the egg yolks, one at a time, blending before adding each additional yolk.
  3. In a medium bowl, combine flour and salt. Slowly add one cup at a time to the creamed butter & sugar, blending in between.

  4. In another bowl, whisk all of the egg whites until foamy. Add in the remaining ¼ cup of sugar & whisk until peaks form & hold their shape. This will take about 5 minutes in a stand-mixer or 10 minutes with a handheld mixer.

  5. Gently fold a third of the egg white mixture into the batter at a time, turning the batter over itself instead of stirring (to not deflate the bubbles). Incorporate the batter entirely with the egg whites. The batter should be foamy.
  6. Divide the batter between three bowls. Add several drops of green food coloring to one of the bowls, adjusting to your preference. Gently fold in. In another bowl, add in the red food coloring. Leave the last bowl uncolored.
  7. Spread each bowl of batter onto its baking sheet. (One pan for each color). Spread the batter out by wetting an offset spatula (or spoon) and pushing the batter out to the edges of the pan, making the whole sheet as even as possible.
  8. Bake the cakes each for 8-10 minutes. They should be fully cooked & just beginning to brown around the edges. Let cool completely in the pans.
Assemble the layers
  1. Spread half of the jam over the green layer. Invert the plain cake layer onto a cutting board by placing cutting board on top of baking sheet & turning it over. Peel off the parchment paper & gently slide on top of green layer. Coat plain layer with remaining jam & repeat the same method to stack red layer on top of plain layer
  2. Cover the cake with plastic wrap & place one of the baking sheets on top of the cake. Put this in the refrigerator & evenly weigh down with heavy cans or containers. Let cake compress for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
Cutting the cookies
  1. Remove cans, baking sheet, & plastic wrap. Place the cutting board on top of the cake and flip to invert it onto the cutting board. Remove parchment paper.
  2. Trim the cake wit a sharp knife, so it is even on all sides.
  3. Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl, stirring every 30 seconds. Using an offset spatula or spoon, spread the chocolate evenly all over the cake. Let set slightly.
  4. While the chocolate is still tacky, slice the cake into rectangular pieces with a sharp knife. (For a clean cut, wipe knife clean of chocolate in between each cut). Slice about 10 strips horizontally & 13 columns vertically, making 130 pieces (roughly 11 dozen). Now, go find some friends to share these masterpieces with!
Recipe Notes

Equipment needed: 3 (15x9) baking sheets, large cutting board, parchment paper Note: The cake needs to be compressed for at least 4 hours before cutting it into individual cookies. This recipe is much easier with a stand mixer than a handheld electric mixer. Store in an airtight container for 10 days.