Rainbow Cookies

We have a strong affinity for venetians (also known as tricolore cookies or rainbow cookies). These 7 layer cookies have 3 layers of colored almond sponge sandwiched between jam and topped with chocolate on both sides. They are moist and light but also maintain a denseness from the almond paste. The chocolate shell that lines the outside layers of sponge provides a balanced texture and flavor. They are somewhere between a cookie, cake, and petit four and remain one of our favorite things we make each holiday. 

Venetians are an Italian-American cookie created with the colors of the Italian flag. These cookies were introduced by Italian-American bakeries in the late 19th or early 20th century, and have since spread to other bakeries. With the red and green colors, they are particularly popular at Christmas.

Growing up, we cherished these every holiday when our Italian neighbor would bring them over. She rang the doorbell and within minutes, not a cookie remained. They were perfect each year. The appearance of her layers were even and not overly artificial in color. The flavors were natural but strong. The sponge was light but maintained a slight density from the almond paste. We loved these so much that she kindly made hundreds for our high school graduations and eventually passed down the recipe so we can continue the tradition each year. 

Being one of our favorite cookies, we made it a point to try every rainbow cookie we could find in Manhattan one weekend. These are hard to come by on the West Coast. Even in Little Italy in San Francisco, you can’t find a rainbow cookie on a normal day. Some pop up around the holidays, but in New York, many of the Italian bakeries you walk into will always have a rainbow cookie. After trying almost a dozen rainbow cookies across Manhattan, not many hold a candle to our neighbor’s recipe so whether you are craving a rainbow cookie (like we so often are) in Manhattan or somewhere where they are hard to come by, you can have a great one anytime! 

How to make the rainbow cookies:

Step 1 – Prepare the rainbow cookies batter

Start by lining 3 standard sized cookie sheets with wax paper. This recipe will make a large rectangle of cookies. To prepare the batter, break almond paste up with your fingers into the base of a stand mixer or a large bowl with a hand mixer. We have tried grating, using a fork, and several other methods to break up the almond paste and find that using your hands is just as good as other methods. Add sugar to the mixture and continue to break up the almond paste. Then add in the butter, egg yolks and almond extract. Beat until light and fully (about 5 minutes on medium high speed). Once the mixture is light and fluffy, add in the flour and salt. Stir together until just combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites and ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. With a spatula, fold together the almond mixture and the egg whites until evenly combined.

Step 2 – Make the rainbow cookies layers 

To make the layers, split the batter into thirds. There should be three bowls of batter. In one bowl, add the red food dye and stir until it is evenly combined. Be careful to stir gently so the egg whites don’t deflate! In the second bowl add the green and do the same. After adding the color, there should be three bowls: a white, green, and red bowl of batter. Evenly spread the batter into the prepared cookie sheets and bake.

Bake the layers at 350 for 15 minutes or until the outside is just golden brown. The middle should be just barely cooked and the cakes will be about ¼” thick. Once they are done, remove the cakes from the oven and allow them to cool thoroughly.

Step 3 – Assemble the rainbow cookies (and sit overnight)

Once the cakes are cooled, it is time to make the filling and assemble. In a small saucepan, heat the jam and Grand Mariner. Once it is heated, strain the mixture so no pieces of fruit remain. Take ½ of the warm preserves and spread them over the green layer until it thinly and evenly coats the entire layer and edges. Slide the white layer on top of the green layer (and jam) and spread the remaining ½ of the preserves on top. Lastly, slide the red layer on top. The end result should be: green layer, jam, white layer, jam, red layer. Cover with plastic wrap and weigh it down by topping the cookies with a heavy cutting board and/or some cans. Place in the refrigerator overnight.

Step 4 – Spread on the chocolate (and enjoy!)

Melt the chocolate in the microwave, stirring often. Take ½ of the melted chocolate (or just enough to form a very thin, even later) and spread it to form a thin, even layer covering the entire red side. Once it hardens, flip the layers over and do the same to the other side. Trim off the edges and cut into 1” x ½” rectangular pieces. 

Ingredient Notes:

• Almond paste: make sure to use pure almond paste for these cookies. This is what gives the delicious texture and flavor. Do not use marzipan (there is more sugar in marzipan) or any artificially flavored replacements.
• Almond extract: we like the taste of almond extract, but if you don’t leave this out! Most of the almond flavor comes from the almond paste but this just makes it that much tastier. Despite our affinity for almond extract, we only use a small amount due to the artificial flavor it can cause if too much is used.

Print

Rainbow Cookies

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Resting Time 8 hours hours

Total Time 8 hours hours 45 minutes minutes

Servings 72 small cookies

Ingredients

• 1.25 pounds almond paste
• 5 ½ sticks of butter softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 8 eggs separated
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 3 cups flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
• ~10 drops green and red food color
• 16 oz apricot preserves
• 3 tablespoons grand marnier
• ¾ pound valrhona or high quality chocolate

Instructions

• Line 3 cookie sheets with wax paper
• Break almond paste up with your fingers into the base of a stand mixer or a large bowl with a hand mixer. Add the sugar and continue to break up the almond paste until only smaller pieces remain. Add butter, egg yolks and almond extract. Beat until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes on medium high speed)
• Once the mixture is light and fluffy, beat in the flour and salt until just combined
• In a separate bowl whisk the eggs whites and ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar until stiff peaks form
• With a spatula, fold together the almond mixture and the eggs whites until evenly combined
• Split the batter into thirds and add the red food dye into one third and the green into the other creating a white, green, and red bowl of batter. Evenly spread the batter onto the 3 prepared cookie sheets
• Bake the layers at 350 for 15 minutes or until the outside is just golden brown (the cakes will be about ¼” thick)
• Remove the cakes and allow them to cool thoroughly
• Once the cakes are cooled, heat the jam and Grand Mariner in a saucepan. Strain the mixture so no pieces of fruit remain. Spread ½ of the warm preserves over the green layer until it thinly and evenly coats to the edges. Slide the white layer on top of the jammed green layer and spread the remaining ½ of the preserves on top. Slide the red layer on top
• Cover with plastic wrap and weigh down with a heavy cutting board and/or some cans. Place in the refrigerator overnight
• Melt the chocolate and spread ½ or just enough to form a very thin even layer covering the entire red side. Once it hardens, flip the layers over and do the same to the other side. Trim off the edges and cut into 1” x ½” rectangular pieces

Entertainer’s Note:

This makes a huge batch so make sure to pop some in the freezer or hand them out as part of cookie boxes!