Quick Rainbow Cookies Recipes

RAINBOW COOKIES

Steps:

• Grease the bottoms of 3 matching 13x9-in. baking pans (or reuse 1 pan). Line the pans with waxed paper; grease the paper. , Place almond paste in a large bowl; break up with a fork. Cream with butter, sugar and egg yolks until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Stir in flour. In another bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold into dough, mixing until thoroughly blended. , Divide dough into 3 portions (about 1-1/3 cups each). Color 1 portion with red food coloring and 1 with green; leave the remaining portion uncolored. Spread each portion into the prepared pans. Bake at 350° until edges are light golden brown, 10-12 minutes. , Invert onto wire racks; remove waxed paper. Place another wire rack on top and turn over. Cool completely. , Place green layer on a large piece of plastic wrap. Spread evenly with raspberry jam. Top with uncolored layer and spread with apricot jam. Top with pink layer. Bring plastic wrap over layers. Slide onto a baking sheet and set a cutting board or a heavy, flat pan on top to compress layers. Refrigerate overnight. , The next day, melt chocolate in a microwave; stir until smooth. Spread over top layer; allow to harden. With a sharp knife, trim edges. Cut into 1/2-in. strips across the width; then cut each strip into 4-5 pieces. Store in airtight containers.

RAINBOW COOKIES

Steps:

• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F. Coat three 9-by-13-inch baking pans with cooking spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper and coat with more cooking spray.
• Beat the almond paste, butter, sugar and salt in a large bowl with a mixer on high speed
• until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to medium; beat in the egg yolks, vanilla and lemon zest, then reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the flour (the batter will be thick).
• Beat the egg whites in a separate large bowl with a mixer on low speed; increase the speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the batter in three batches. Divide the batter evenly among 3 bowls. Mix the red food coloring into one and the green into another, leaving the third plain. Pour one color batter into each pan; spread into a thin layer with an offset spatula.
• Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until just firm, 14 to 16 minutes. Transfer to racks and let cool completely in the pans.
• Remove the green layer to a cutting board; discard the parchment. Top with 1/2 cup jam, the plain layer, the remaining 1/2 cup jam and the red layer. Wrap the stack in plastic wrap. Top with a baking sheet and place a few heavy cans on top. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Make the glaze: Microwave the chocolate, stirring every 30 seconds, until smooth. Unwrap the stack and spread the chocolate on top using an offset spatula. Refrigerate until set, about 10 minutes. Cut into small squares.

QUICK RAINBOW COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 10-by-15-inch rimmed baking sheet. Line the bottom with parchment paper and butter the parchment. Dust the pan with flour and tap out the excess. Set aside.
• Cream the butter and sugar in a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, almond flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer and beat until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Lower the speed to medium and beat in the eggs one at a time, beating until the batter is smooth and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and almond extract.
• Spread the batter in the prepared baking pan with a small offset spatula, spreading until it forms an even layer. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack.
• To assemble, unmold the cake by releasing the edges of the cake using an offset spatula, then flipping the pan over to release the cake onto a cutting board; you may need to tap the pan to help release the cake. Cut the cake in half crosswise with a serrated knife to make 2 pieces, each approximately 5 by 7 1/2 inches. Spread the jam over one of the pieces with a small offset spatula or butter knife. Top with the other cake half, making a sandwich. Trim the edges on all sides so they're even. Spread the chocolate frosting on top. Trim the edges again to neaten them. Sprinkle the nonpereils over the frosting. Cut into 30 pieces, cutting across the short side 4 times (to make 5 rows) and across the long side 5 times (to make 6 rows).

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:

• You'll need three 9-by-12-inch jelly roll pans or rimmed baking sheets to make these layered cookies.
• Prep the pans: Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour three 9-by-12-inch jelly roll pans or rimmed baking sheets and line with parchment paper.
• Make the batter: Combine the almond paste and 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until the mixture is in fine crumbles. Beat in 2 1/2 sticks butter, a few pieces at a time, until well combined. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, until smooth.
• Sift 2 cups flour onto a sheet of parchment and sprinkle the salt on top; add to the mixer bowl and beat until just combined.
• In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until foamy; while whisking, slowly add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and whisk until firm peaks form (or use a hand mixer). Fold about one-third of the egg white mixture into the batter with a rubber spatula, then gently fold in the rest. The batter should be fluffy.
• Color the batter: Divide the batter evenly among 3 bowls. Stir enough red food coloring into 1 bowl to make a deep salmon color. Stir enough green food coloring into another bowl to make a medium green color. Leave the third bowl uncolored.
• Bake the layers: Transfer the batter to the prepared pans (one pan for each color). Dip an offset spatula in water and spread the batter to the edge of each pan, smoothing the tops. Bake, switching the position of the pans halfway through, until the cakes are cooked through and just beginning to brown around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely in the pans on wire racks.
• Assemble the layers: Spread half of the jam evenly over the green cake layer almost all the way to the edges. Unmold the plain cake layer by inverting it onto another pan or cutting board; peel off the parchment.
• Carefully slide the plain layer onto the green layer (use a wide offset spatula to help you, if necessary). Spread the remaining jam on top of the plain layer. Unmold the red cake layer and slide it onto the plain layer.
• Cover the cake with plastic wrap and top with one of the empty pans; place several heavy cans on top to weigh down the layers. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Unmold the cake: Remove the cans and plastic wrap. Place a cutting board on top of the cake and flip to unmold it onto the cutting board. Remove the parchment from the top of the green layer.
• Trim the cake: Trim the sides with a knife to make straight edges. Spray a wire rack with cooking spray; set the rack over a baking sheet. Carefully slide the cake onto the rack, using a wide offset spatula to help you, if necessary.
• Cover in chocolate: Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water; pour over the cake. Dip an offset spatula in the hot water and smooth the top and sides. Let set slightly. Scrape wavy lines into the chocolate with a fork; let cool a few more minutes until the chocolate is mostly set but still slightly tacky.
• Cut into pieces: Slide the cake back onto the cutting board. Slice crosswise into 6 strips, then cut each strip into 8 rectangular pieces. For clean edges, dip the knife in warm water and wipe it with a cloth between cuts. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
• If the lines in the chocolate don't hold their shape, let the chocolate set a little longer and try again.

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.

RAINBOW COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Mix the butter, sugars, egg yolks and vanilla with a wooden spoon until creamy, then mix in the flour in 2 batches. Stir in the orange zest. Roll the dough into about 22 walnut-size balls and sit on baking sheets. Bake for 15 mins until golden, then leave to cool.
• Meanwhile, mix the icing sugar with enough orange juice to make a thick, runny icing. Dip each biscuit half into the icing, then straight into the sprinkles. Dry on a wire rack.