Italian rainbow cookies are delicious, colorful, and gorgeous. These tricolor cookies are made with three cake layers sandwiched in between jam and covered in chocolate. They are soft and fluffy inside while crunchy on the outside. Inspired by the colors of the Italian flag, these layered cookies do take some time to make and assemble but you can do it all from the comfort of your own home.
Why You’ll Love Italian Rainbow Cookies
- The history. These Italian rainbow cookies are an American delicacy, not an Italian one — but they were created by American-Italians from “Little Italy” in New York city. The red, green, and white layers are meant to honor the Italian flag and when assembled right, they do an amazing job!
- Every layer is delicious. Italian rainbow cookies are made with an almond-flavored cake layers sandwiched between sweet raspberry jam or preserves, and then coated in chocolate. And yes, they taste just as good as you’re imagining.
- They are worth the time. These cookies are impressive. Get ready to commit because you need to whip up the batter, bake 3 layers, assemble, and chill overnight before you are ready to cover in chocolate. They do take some time, energy, and creativity to make, but they are so worth it.
Ingredient Notes
To make colorful Italian Rainbow Cookies, you will need the following ingredients (full quantities in the recipe card below):
- almond paste
- granulated sugar
- butter
- eggs
- almond extract
- salt
- all-purpose flour
- food coloring - both red and green food coloring
- raspberry preserves - or substitute with apricot jam.
- semi-sweet chocolate - feel free to use coarsely chopped chocolate or chocolate chips.
You will also need measuring cups and spoons, mixing bowls, and three quarter sheet baking pans(9x13 inch sheet pans) or just reuse one.
How to Make the Best Italian Rainbow Cookies
- Prep. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray three rimmed quarter sheet baking pans (9×13 sheet pans) with cooking spray and then line with parchment paper.
- Make the batter. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, cream the almond paste with ¾ cup sugar on low speed until well combined, about 2-3 minutes. Add butter and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in egg yolks, almond extract, and salt and continue to beat until incorporated. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour. Mix until just combined.
- Whip egg whites. In another mixing bowl, whip the egg whites at medium-high speed until they just hold stiff peaks. Then add the remaining ¼ cup sugar and beat on high speed until they form stiff, glossy peaks, about 2-3 minutes. Fold the egg whites into the batter.
- Divide the batter. Divide the batter evenly into 3 mixing bowls. You can use a kitchen scale to accurately divide the batter into thirds.
- Color the batter. Stir in a few drops of red food coloring into one bowl and a few drops of green food coloring into another, leaving the last bowl plain. Note that the batter will bake up darker than it looks when raw.
- Bake. Pour the batter from each of the bowls into a separate prepared pan. Use a small icing spatula to spread the batter into an even thin layer. Bake each layer for 8-10 minutes, until the edges just start to brown. Allow the cakes to cook in the pan for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
How to Assemble the Layers of Italian Rainbow Cookies
- Green layer first. Line a large half sheet baking pan with parchment paper. Carefully invert the green layer onto the lined baking sheet and peel off the parchment paper. Spread half of the preserves or jam over the cake.
- Then white layer. Flip the white layer on top of the green layer and peel off the parchment paper. Spread with remaining preserves on top.
- Top with red layer. Invert the red layer on top of white layer and peel off the parchment paper.
- Chill. Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and place a quarter sheet pan on top facing up, with heavy objects evenly distributed on top to weigh down the cake. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight. Then, remove the weights and plastic wrap.
How to Coat Italian Rainbow Cookies with Chocolate
- First, melt the chocolate. Melt chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second increments, until smooth.
- Spread chocolate on one side. Use a small icing spatula to quickly spread half of the melted chocolate in a thin layer on top of the cake.
- Chill. Place the cake back in the fridge to allow the chocolate to set, about 15 minutes.
- Spread chocolate on other side. Once set, invert the cake to another parchment baking sheet. Quickly spread with the remaining melted chocolate (if the chocolate has set, just pop it back in the microwave to melt again before spreading).
- Chill. Allow the chocolate to set in the fridge, for about 30 minutes. You can also place it into the freezer to set it quicker.
- Slice. Once set, use a serrated knife to trim the edges to even them out. Then cut into 1.5-inch long rectangles (about 6 rows lengthwise and 8 rows crosswise) and serve.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- How to store: Italian rainbow cookies do best when stored at room temperature as a whole block before cutting. Then, cut pieces as you need them. Whether cut or uncut, keep them in an airtight container. Italian rainbow cookies will last for 2-3 days at room temperature. You can extend their life to 5-7 days by storing them in the fridge, but you will lose some moisture and flavor by doing this.
- How to prevent cracked chocolate: If you are not careful, the chocolate may crack when slicing the cookies. To make it easier to cut your Italian rainbow cookies without cracking the chocolate, you can mix a small amount of coconut or vegetable oil directly into the melted chocolate before coating the cookies.
More Cookie Recipes
- 50 Best Cookie Recipes
- Butter Cookies
- Cake Mix Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Pecan Snowball Cookies
- Cut Out Shortbread Cookies
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Recipe
Italian Rainbow Cookies
- Total Time: 8 hours 50 minutes
- Yield: 48 cookies
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Italian rainbow cookies are delicious, colorful, fluffy, and gorgeous, made with three cake layers sandwiched in between jam and covered in chocolate.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces almond paste
- 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 1 and ¼ cups unsalted butter, softened (2 and ½ sticks)
- 4 large eggs, separated
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- red food coloring (about ¼ teaspoon)
- green food coloring (about ¼ teaspoon)
- 10 ounces raspberry preserves or apricot jam, warmed
- 7 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted
Instructions
Make the batter:
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray three rimmed quarter sheet baking pans (9×13 sheet pans) with cooking spray and then line with parchment paper.
- Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, cream the almond paste with ¾ cup sugar on low speed until well combined, about 2-3 minutes. Add butter and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add in egg yolks, almond extract, and salt and continue to beat until incorporated.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour. Mix until just combined.
- In another mixing bowl, whip the egg whites at medium-high speed until they just hold stiff peaks. Then add the remaining ¼ cup sugar and beat on high speed until they form stiff, glossy peaks, about 2-3 minutes.
- Fold the egg whites into the batter. Divide the batter evenly into 3 mixing bowls. You can use a kitchen scale to accurately divide the batter into thirds.
- Stir in a few drops of red food coloring into one bowl and a few drops of green food coloring into another, leaving the last bowl plain. Note that the batter will bake up darker than it looks when raw.
- Pour the batter from each of the bowls into a separate prepared pan. Use a small icing spatula to spread the batter into an even thin layer.
- Bake each layer for 8-10 minutes, until the edges just start to brown. Allow the cakes to cook in the pan for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Assemble the layers:
- Line a large half sheet baking pan with parchment paper. Carefully invert the green layer onto the lined baking sheet and peel off the parchment paper. Spread half of the preserves or jam over the cake.
- Flip the white layer on top of the green layer and peel off the parchment paper. Spread with remaining preserves on top. Invert the red layer on top of white layer and peel off the parchment paper.
- Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and place a quarter sheet pan on top facing up, with heavy objects evenly distributed on top to weigh down the cake. Refrigerator for at least 8 hours or overnight.
Coat with chocolate:
- Remove the weights and plastic wrap.
- Melt chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second increments, until smooth.
- Use a small icing spatula to quickly spread half of the melted chocolate in a thin layer on top of the cake. Place the cake back in the fridge to allow the chocolate to set, about 15 minutes.
- Once set, invert the cake to another parchment baking sheet. Quickly spread with the remaining melted chocolate (if the chocolate has set, just pop it back in the microwave to melt again before spreading). Allow the chocolate to set in the fridge, for about 30 minutes. You can also place it into the freezer to set it quicker.
- Once set, use a serrated knife to trim the edges to even them out. Then cut into 1.5-inch rectangles (cut 8 rows crosswise and 6 rows lengthwise) and serve.
Notes
How to store: Italian rainbow cookies do best when stored at room temperature as a whole block before cutting. Then, cut pieces as you need them. Whether cut or uncut, keep them in an airtight container. Italian rainbow cookies will last for 2-3 days at room temperature. You can extend their life to 5-7 days by storing them in the fridge, but you will lose some moisture and flavor by doing this.
How to prevent cracked chocolate: If you are not careful, the chocolate may crack when slicing the cookies. To make it easier to cut your Italian rainbow cookies without cracking the chocolate, you can mix a small amount of coconut or vegetable oil directly into the melted chocolate before coating the cookies.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Chill Time: 8 hours
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
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Rory Malone says
I made these for a holiday cookie exchange and they were a hit. One note, if you've never worked with almond paste it is tough. My dough didn't really pour and had to be forcibly spread on the cookie sheets. It took some time but it was worth it.
Katie J says
These turned out amazing! Will be making again for Christmas