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Rainbow Cookies

 

Almondy magic.


I took rainbow cookies for granted until I moved out of New York and learned that I couldn't buy them anymore. Now, I make them about once every 4 years because they're kind of a lot of work. But so good.

This recipe is courtesy of my sister, the rainbow cookie queen.

The batch in the above photo was made with marzipan instead of almond paste because the grocery pickup made that substitution and thanks to Covid, I wasn't willing to go store-hopping to find the real thing. It worked and it's delicious, but the marzipan made the whole dough thicker than it should have been. I unscientifically reduced the amount of the sugar in the recipe since it's sweeter than almond paste, but the original recipe is below for a brighter future when I can go out and buy almond paste.


The Recipe:
8 oz almond paste
1 c butter, softened
1 c sugar
4 eggs, separated
2 c flour
6 drops red food coloring
6 drops green food coloring
1/4 seedless raspberry jam
1/4 c apricot jam
1 c dark chocolate chips, melted
  • Line three 9x13 baking pans with parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, cream together the almond paste, butter, sugar, and egg yolks.
  • Stir in flour.
  • In a small bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form.
  • Fold egg whites into dough.
  • Divide dough into 3 equal portions. Mix one portion with red food coloring and one with green food coloring.
  • Spread each portion into its own baking pan.
  • Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes, until lightly browned, and let cool completely.
  • Set up a piece of plastic wrap large enough to wrap all three layers. Place green layer on top, spread it with raspberry jam, place uncolored layer on top of that, spread it with apricot jam, and top with the pink layer. 
  • Enclose with plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator for 8+ hours with cutting board and something heavy on top to compress it.
  • Remove plastic wrap. Top with melted chocolate chips, and refrigerate until chocolate is firm. 
  • Slice into small rectangles.

The Verdict:
Overall grade: A-
Overall reason: Not healthy at ALL, and tons of work, but so delicious.
Time to prepare: About 2 hours of work, plus 9 hours of waiting.
Husband quote: "These are the best rainbow cookies I've ever had." (He's an Oregonian.)

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