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Rainbow Cookies

Classic Italian-American multi-layered almond cake cookies filled with sweet apricot jam and coated in rich chocolate.

57 minMediumServes 24190 cal/serving

Italian-AmericanDessertOven and StovetopVegetarianHalal-friendlyKosher-stylePork-FreeAlcohol-FreeNightshade-FreeShellfish-FreeSesame-FreeLow-SodiumCorn-Free

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Ingredients

  • 8 oz almond paste, broken up
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs, separated
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp red food coloring
  • 1 tsp green food coloring
  • 1/2 cup apricot jam, warmed
  • 6 oz semisweet chocolate chips, melted

Instructions

  1. 1

    Preheat oven to 350F and line three quarter-sheet baking pans with parchment paper.

  2. 2

    Beat 8 oz broken up almond paste and 1 cup softened unsalted butter together until smooth.

  3. 3

    Add 1 cup granulated sugar and egg yolks from 4 separated large eggs, beating until light and fluffy.

  4. 4

    Fold in 2 cups all-purpose flour until just incorporated.

  5. 5

    In a clean bowl, whip egg whites from 4 separated large eggs to stiff peaks, then fold gently into the batter.

  6. 6

    Divide batter equally into three bowls, mixing 1 tsp red food coloring into one bowl and 1 tsp green food coloring into another.

  7. 7

    Spread each colored batter into a prepared pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

  8. 8

    Stack cooled cake layers with 1/2 cup warmed apricot jam spread between them, weight down, and chill overnight.

  9. 9

    Spread 6 oz melted semisweet chocolate chips over top and bottom layers, chill until firm, and slice into small squares.

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Questions

What temperature do I cook Rainbow Cookies at?

For Rainbow Cookies, the oven is set to 350 F (about 175 C) in step 1. The longest stretch at that heat is 12 minutes, in step 7.

Why fold instead of stir in Rainbow Cookies?

Step 4 reads: "Fold in 2 cups all-purpose flour until just incorporated." Folding keeps the air you just beat in. Stirring at step 4 would knock it out and the result would come out dense.

Can I make Rainbow Cookies dairy-free?

Yes. The dairy in Rainbow Cookies is 1 cup unsalted butter, softened. Swap the butter for olive oil where it melts, or a plant-based block butter where it is creamed. The richness shifts slightly, but the method does not change.

Can I make Rainbow Cookies gluten-free?

Yes. The gluten in Rainbow Cookies is 2 cups all-purpose flour. Swap the flour for a 1-to-1 gluten-free baking blend (where it only thickens a sauce, half as much cornstarch also works). Everything else proceeds as written.

How many calories are in Rainbow Cookies?

One serving (the recipe makes 24) is about 190 calories, with 3 g protein, 22 g carbohydrate and 10 g fat, plus 1 g fiber and 45 mg sodium. The figures are estimates computed from the ingredient list.

Which part of Rainbow Cookies can be done ahead?

Everything up to step 8. Step 8 is a built-in pause of overnight, or about 8 hours: "Stack cooled cake layers with 1/2 cup warmed apricot jam spread between them, weight down, and chill overnight." Do everything up to that point ahead of time and pick up at step 9 when you are ready to finish.

Serve it with

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