Italian Rainbow Cookies
(from BearNakedBaker’s recipe box)
Source: BNB
Prep time: 60 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Serves 30 people
Categories: Bars/Brownies
Ingredients
- 8 ounces almond paste
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 + 1/2 sticks (1 + 1/4 cups) unsalted butter, softened, cut into pieces
- 4 large eggs, separated
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted (measure first)
- 1 teaspoon red food coloring, gel or paste preferred
- 1 teaspoon green food coloring, gel or paste preferred
- 2 (15 oz. jars) smooth apricot or raspberry jam
- 1 pound semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon melted shortening
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour three 15 by 10 inch rimmed sheet pans and
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line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper.
- Mix the almond paste and all but 2 tablespoons of the sugar in an electric mixer fitted with the
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paddle attachment on medium speed until you have fine crumbles. On low speed add the butter,
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a little at a time and mix until well combined.
- On low speed add the egg yolks, one at a time, and mix until smooth. Beat in salt and flour on
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low speed until just combined.
- In a separate bowl beat the egg whites until foamy while slowly adding the remaining 2
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tablespoons sugar, continue beating on medium speed until stiff peaks form. When the beater is
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lifted the whites should stay stuck to it.
- Fold about a third of the egg whites into the batter to start then gently fold in the remaining egg
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whites.
- Divide the batter evenly into three bowls. Leave one bowl plain. Add red food coloring to the
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second stirring to make a deep salmon color. Add green food coloring to the last bowl, stirring to
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make a medium green color.
- Spread batter into each of the prepared pans with an offset spatula as evenly as you can it will
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be very thin. Bake, rotating pans to opposite racks, until cakes are cooked through and just
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beginning to brown around the edges, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cakes
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cool completely on wire racks.
- Put the green cake on a large cutting board and spread one jar of jam evenly over the cake
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almost to the edges. Top with the plain layer. Spread the remaining jar of jam over the plain
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layer almost to the edges. Top with the red layer.
- Top the red layer with a piece of parchment then wrap the entire cake in plastic. Top with
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another pan, weighted with cans. Chill in a cool place or in the refrigerator at least 4 hours or
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overnight.
- Unwrap the cake. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler until smooth. Stir in the shortening.
- Pour the chocolate over the top the cake and spread it evenly from edge to edge with an offset
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spatula. Allow the chocolate to set in a cool place .