December 21, 2019
An Italian-American favorite…
The rainbow cookie has always been a favorite cookie in the Petteruti household every Christmas season.
Representing the colors of the Italian flag, the chocolate-coated, almond-flavored cookies were invented by Italian-Americans who settled in the New World in the early twentieth century in order to pay homage to their homeland.
I’ve tried so many versions of the cookie, and it really is tricky to get just the right recipe. These have just the right amount of almond flavor and are perfectly soft. The cookie to chocolate ratio is also extremely important – I prefer a very thin layer of semisweet chocolate to sandwich the layers together.
If you make this recipe, be sure to tag your creation with the hashtag #foodfinessa.
Favorite Rainbow Cookies.
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup white, granulated sugar
- 4 ounces almond paste, cut into cubes
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 7 drops red food coloring
- 7 drops green food coloring
- 1/2 cup seedless raspberry or apricot jam
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Mix the eggs and sugar together in a large bowl for 2-3 minutes. Beat in almond paste and then butter, flour, salt, and almond extract. Divide the batter into thirds, and color one with red food coloring, another with green, and leave the third non-colored.
- Line three 11×17-inch baking sheet with parchment paper, and spread the red batter on one sheet, the green on another, and the white on the third. Bake each layer for 7-10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.
- Spread about 1/4 cup of the jam on the red layer, and top with the white layer. Spread remaining jam on the white layer, and top with the green layer. Spread half of the melted chocolate on top of the green layer. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until the chocolate has completely hardened. Flip the sheet over, and spread the remaining half of the chocolate on the bottom side of the red layer. Refrigerate once more until all the chocolate has set. Remove from fridge, and cut into small squares. Serve fresh or store at room temperature for up to a week. Enjoy!
