Holiday Rainbow Cookies Recipes

ITALIAN RAINBOW COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar 2-3 minutes or until thick and lemon-colored. Gradually add almond paste; mix well. Gradually add flour, butter, salt and extract., Divide batter into thirds. Tint one portion red and one portion green; leave remaining portion plain. Spread one portion into each of three well-greased 11x7-in. baking dishes., Bake 7-11 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and edges begins to brown. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., Place red layer on waxed paper; spread with 2 tablespoons jam. Top with plain layer and remaining jam. Add green layer; press down gently. , For glaze, in a microwave, melt chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Spread half over green layer. Refrigerate 20 minutes or until set. Turn over; spread remaining glaze over red layer. Refrigerate 20 minutes or until set. , With a sharp knife, trim edges. Cut rectangle lengthwise into fourths. Cut each portion into 1/4-in. slices.

RAINBOW COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line three 9x13 inch baking pans with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, break apart almond paste with a fork, and cream together with butter, sugar, and egg yolks. When mixture is fluffy and smooth, stir in flour to form a dough. In a small bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold egg whites into the dough. Divide dough into 3 equal portions. Mix one portion with red food coloring, and one with green food coloring. Spread each portion into one of the prepared baking pans.
• Bake 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly browned. Carefully remove from pan and parchment paper, and cool completely on wire racks.
• Place green layer onto a piece of plastic wrap large enough to wrap all three layers. Spread green layer with raspberry jam, and top with uncolored layer. Spread with apricot jam, and top with pink layer. Transfer layers to a baking sheet, and enclose with plastic wrap. Place a heavy pan or cutting board on top of wrapped layers to compress. Chill in the refrigerator 8 hours, or overnight.
• Remove plastic wrap. Top with melted chocolate chips, and refrigerate 1 hour, or until chocolate is firm. Slice into small squares to serve.

HOLIDAY RAINBOW COOKIES

Steps:

• Beat the eggs with the sugar until the mixture is pale yellow; this will take several minutes.
• Incorporate the flour thoroughly and then add the melted butter.
• Add the almond extract.
• Take off two, 1 cup portions of the batter so that you now have three thirds. In other words, divide the batter into 3 equal portions which should be approximately 1 cup each.
• To one portion, add a few drops of red food coloring.
• To the second portion, add a few drops of green food coloring.
• One portion will remain yellow.
• Pour each portion of batter into it's own greased and floured 11 X 7 inch baking pan.
• You will have one with green, one with pink and one with yellow batter.
• Bake these in a 350 degree F. oven for 12 minutes, or until the cake starts to pull away from the sides of the pan.
• Remove the cakes from the oven and cool to room temperature.
• Turn the red cake onto a cutting board and spread half the jam (1/4 cup) on top.
• Place the yellow layer of cake on top of the jam coated pink cake and spread the other 1/4 cup of jam on top of that yellow layer.
• Finally place the green layer on top of the yellow layer.
• Melt 3 oz. of the chocolate with 1/2 tablespoon oil in the microwave for about 30 to 60 seconds and stir to combine.
• Spread on top of the green cake layer and refrigerate until firm.
• Now melt the remaining chocolate and oil the same way and spread on the red cake layer which you've placed side up toward you. The cake has the green side coated with chocolate facing down.
• Refrigerate until firm.
• Cut into 1 inch squares and serve. * You can keep the ends that you trimmed off of the four outer sides before cutting the cake into squares.