Amazing Rainbow Cookies For Christmas
Creating these rainbow cookies at home just became a reality, and you'll love the simplicity of this Italian-American classic. Imagine a tri-colored, cakey cookie bursting with almond flavor, sandwiched with jam, and elegantly coated in a thin layer of chocolate. The recipe streamlines the process with one batter and a convenient flip-and-peel technique, making it a breeze to stack layers and remove parchment. Plus, it's cost-effective, using almond extract and chocolate chips for a budget-friendly twist. Perfect for your next Christmas cookie swap, and you might just win the contest!
Ingredients
- Nonstick baking spray
- 2 cups unsalted butter, softened
- 1 3/4 cups + 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
- 6 large eggs, separated
- 1 tablespoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- Red and green food coloring
- 2/3 cup seedless raspberry jam, divided
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F with oven racks in the upper and lower third. Grease 3 9-by-13-inch baking pans or quarter sheet pans with nonstick baking spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and set aside.
- In a stand mixer, beat butter and 1 3/4 cups of sugar until well combined. Add egg yolks one at a time, then stir in almond extract and salt. Gradually add flour and beat until just combined.
- In a large bowl, beat egg whites until foamy, gradually adding the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar until stiff peaks form.
- Fold one-third of the egg whites into the batter, then fold in the remaining egg whites until smooth.
- Divide the batter into three bowls and add food coloring to each. Spread each batter in prepared pans and bake until set, 14 to 16 minutes. Cool the cakes in the pans for about 30 minutes.
- Turn out the green layer onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, peel off the parchment, and spread with 1/3 cup of jam. Invert the white layer on top, spread with the remaining 1/3 cup of jam, and invert the red layer on top. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
- Unwrap the cake, spread half of the melted chocolate over the top, and refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.
- Invert the cake onto a cutting board, spread the remaining chocolate, create wavy patterns with a fork, and chill until set, about 30 minutes.
- Warm a knife, cut into about 24 pieces, warming the knife after each slice.