Rainbow Cookies...I need an amazing recipe!

It'd hard to find a GREAT rainbow cookie by me, so this year I'm making them!

Please share your recipe! TIA!!!

Message edited 12/5/2013 9:50:21 PM.

Re: Rainbow Cookies...I need an amazing recipe!

I've been using this recipe for years and I always get compliments:

RAINBOW COOKIES

7 oz. almond paste
1 c. softened butter
1 c. sugar
4 eggs, separated
2 c. sifted flour
Red food color
Green food color
Yellow food color
1/2 c. seedless red raspberry jam
1/2 c. apricot preserves
1 (6 oz.) pkg. semi-sweet or milk chocolate morsels
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease 3 (13 x 9) pans, lined with well greased waxed paper.
Break up almond paste into small pieces; add butter, sugar, and egg yolks. Mix with mixer at medium speed until well mixed. Beat in flour with a wooden spoon. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form and add to almond paste mixture; mix well.

Split batter up into 3 bowls (approximately 1 1/2 cups each). Add several drops of red to bowl #1, several drops of green to another, and yellow to the third.

Bake each pan 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Invert onto wire rack until completely cool.

On large cookie sheet or cutting board, place together: green, raspberry, yellow, apricot, and pink on top. Cover with Saran wrap. Place a heavy board or book on top and put in refrigerator over night.

Next day trim edges. Melt down chocolate morsels; spread over top. Allow to cool completely. Cut into 1/4-inch wide x 1-inch long bars. Enjoy!

Re: Rainbow Cookies...I need an amazing recipe!

I use this one from allrecipes with a couple of tweaks and get amazing reviews!!!

I add almond extract and instead of almond paste use almond filling. I read a lot of the reviews and they suggested those changes.

link

Re: Rainbow Cookies...I need an amazing recipe!

Re: Rainbow Cookies...I need an amazing recipe!

We use Lidia's recipe, very similiar to the one above, but uses only apricot jamLidia's Rainbow Cookies

Make sure you weigh the cakes overnight, it really makes the layers even. Also, we have had best results using paste food coloring.

This year I am going to try it in cake form-Rainbow cookie cake

Re: Rainbow Cookies...I need an amazing recipe!

This is my recipe...everyone always loves them. I use almond filling instead of almond paste. I also put chocolate on top, bottom, and the sides. They're also called 7-layer cookies so without the chocolate on the bottom, they're really on 6 layers...also, I'm a chocoholic

Ingredients:
• 12 ounce can of almond filling
• 1 ¼ cup unsalted butter (2 ½ sticks), softened
• 1 cup sugar (separated into ¼ cup and ¾ cup)
• 4 eggs, separated
• 1 tsp. almond extract (optional, but I use it)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• red & green food coloring, (yellow food coloring is optional for brighter color--I use it)
• ~1/4 cup seedless red raspberry jam
• ~1/4 cup apricot jam (strain or remove chunks of apricot)
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted
• chocolate sprinkles & powdered sugar (optional, but I use them)

Directions:
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line three 9x13” baking pans with parchment paper, leaving overhang on two ends for easy removal after baking
• In stand mixer, beat egg whites with whisk attachment until they just hold stiff peaks
• Add the ¼ cup of sugar a little at a time until they hold stiff, glossy peaks…transfer to another bowl
• Switch to paddle attachment and beat almond filling with butter and ¾ cup sugar until fluffy (about 3 minutes)
• Add yolks and optional almond extract and beat until well combined (about 2 minutes)
• When mixture is fluffy and smooth, reduce speed to low and mix in flour
• Fold in egg whites, one half at a time
• Divide dough into 3 equal portions. Mix one portion with red food coloring, one with green food coloring, and either leave the third portion plain or mix with yellow food coloring
• Spread each portion into the prepared baking pans.
• Bake approximately 8-10 minutes in preheated oven until just set. They may look undercooked but toothpick will come out clean.
• Using paper overhang, carefully remove from pan and cool completely on wire racks.
• When cool, place green layer onto a piece of plastic wrap large enough to wrap all three layers & put on cookie sheet. Spread green layer with raspberry jam, and top with yellow layer. Spread yellow layer with apricot jam, and top with pink layer. Enclose with plastic wrap. Place a heavy pan or cutting board on top of wrapped layers to compress. Chill in the refrigerator at least 8 hours or overnight (I usually do it overnight)

• Remove weight and plastic wrap. Trim edges with sharp knife and bring layers to room temperature
• Melt a little less than half of the chocolate and spread thin layer on top. Chill in fridge uncovered for 15 minutes or until chocolate is completely set.
• Remove from fridge and place wax or parchment paper on top and invert onto another pan.
• Melt remaining chocolate.
• Cover top and sides of layers with remaining melted chocolate. If adding sprinkles, add them immediately before the chocolate sets.
• Refrigerate for a few minutes and then score the top & sides into small squares so that the chocolate won't crack when you try to cut it once chocolate is solid
• Refrigerate for another hour, or until chocolate is completely firm
• Cut along the scored lines, sprinkle with powdered sugar, & serve

Message edited 12/7/2013 10:18:21 AM.

Re: Rainbow Cookies...I need an amazing recipe!

Thank you!!!
I saw that allrecipe one & the mention of using almond filling.
To those of you who make them, do you do that as well?

Re: Rainbow Cookies...I need an amazing recipe!

We make them fairly often and have never used almond filling. The recipe we have calls for almond paste, so that's what we use. I think I want to try using almond filling.

ETA: we also frost the top, bottom, sides with chocolate.

Message edited 12/8/2013 8:52:04 AM.

Rainbow Cookies...I need an amazing recipe!

These sound amazing!

Re: Rainbow Cookies...I need an amazing recipe!

I made them.......AWESOME! I was a little afraid, because it didn't look like I divided the batter even...but when it all came together & I cut them....looked great & tasted even better! In fact my DH & I thought better than we remember at NY bakeries.

Thank you for sharing & now it's apart of my annual christmas cookie baking!