What are these delicious morsels? These are rainbow cookies! They aren’t really « cookies » but layers of cake sandwiched between apricot jam and topped with chocolate. It’s a traditional cookie from Italy but has become tradition for Jewish people too. That’s probably why you remembering seeing them in a Jewish bakery.
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Daryl suggested making them together because they are Passover friendly (no rising ingredient).
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It’s an undertaking (10 eggs!) but I had fun and it took me back to culinary school days of assembling cakes, like the Opera cake 😋.
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I experimented with natural food dyes and it worked!!! For pink- I used beet juice and for green- matcha powder. Flavors were good and it didn’t change the texture. So I’ll keep that in mind for future baking projects.
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So the verdict on these Rainbow Cookies? They are delicious and fun. It was my first time making and trying them. I love the simple flavors of the cake, apricot jam and chocolate. It’s not too sweet and is a perfect tea cake. I’d love to make them again, make the layers thinner and experiment with more natural food dye colors. Blue sounds fun. Oh yea, and they’re gluten free! So that’s pretty cool.
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See the first part in my Instagram live video. At bottom of post.
Rainbow Cookies
Ingredients (Makes 35 cookies):
- 10 ounces (2½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing
- 4⅓ cups (410g) finely ground almond flour
- 2½ cups (205g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons almond extract (I used vanilla extract)
- 10 large eggs, separated
- 1 to 2 teaspoons green food coloring (I used 2 t. matcha powder)
- 1 to 2 teaspoons red food coloring (I used 2 t. fresh beet juice)
- ½ cup apricot preserves (or raspberry)
- 1½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Equipment:
- Stand mixer or handheld mixer
- 3 – Quarter sheet pans (or 3 disposable aluminum 9″x9″ pans sold in markets. I used 8″x8″ and it was a bit thick)
- 3-4 bowls
- Scale
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Directions:
1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease three quarter sheet pans with butter (or spray) and line them with parchment paper.
2 In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, confectioners’ sugar, and salt until combined.
3 In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and almond extract (or vanilla) on medium speed for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing well after each addition. With the motor running, slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated, then transfer the batter to a large bowl. Clean the stand mixer bowl and return it to the mixer.
4 Switch to the whisk attachment. Put the egg whites in the clean stand mixer bowl and whisk on medium-high speed until they hold stiff peaks, then gently fold them into the batter in three additions. Weigh the total contents and divide it 3 ways. Stir the green food coloring into one bowl and the red food coloring into another. Leave the third bowl untinted.
5 Spread the batter from each bowl evenly into the 3 prepared pans. Bake until risen and firm, about 10-15 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Let the layers cool completely, then run a paring knife around the sides of each layer and invert them onto a cutting board. Remove the pans and discard the parchment paper. Let cool to touch.
6 Line one of the quarter sheet pans with clean parchment, then place the red layer on it. Spread the fruit preserves evenly over the red layer. Then place the white layer and spread with another layer of apricot jam. Top with the green layer.
7 In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine ¾ cup chocolate chips and 1 tsp. vegetable oil. Mix. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring after each, until melted and smooth. Spread the chocolate mixture evenly over the rainbow cookies and refrigerate until firm, 30 minutes.
8 Carefully flip the cookies (using a baking sheet or plate with parchment). Repeat heating the rest of the chocolate mixture, ¾ cup chocolate chips and 1 tsp. oil. Spread the remaining chocolate mixture evenly over the bare side. Use the fork to decorate it with lines if you’d like. Refrigerate until firm, for 30 minutes.
9 Transfer to a cutting board and trim the edges. It’s easiest to use a hot bread knife to do this. I run the knife under hot running water after each cut and wipe it dry with a paper towel. This yields the cleanest cut. Cut into 1½-inch squares, then transfer to a platter and serve.
