Valerie Bertinellis Neapolitan Cookies Recipes

BREAKFAST SANDWICH COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Add the butter and cream cheese to a large bowl, using a hand mixer, beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the bowl and add the egg and beat again until combined.
• In a separate medium bowl, add the flour, chives, baking powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat to combine. Fold the cheese and bacon in by hand.
• Spoon a 2 tablespoon sized ball onto the prepared baking sheet and gently press to slightly flatten. Sprinkle on a pinch of pepper. Repeat with the remaining dough.
• Bake until lightly golden, about 25 minutes. Serve with room temperature butter and jam if desired.

COCONUT-CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Steps:

• Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt to a large bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
• Add the coconut sugar and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat together until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, being sure to fully incorporate before another addition. Once incorporated, add the vanilla and beat to combine. Add in the flour mixture and beat until no more flour spots are visible. Fold in the chocolate chips and coconut by hand. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Scoop out a 2-tablespoon size portion of dough and roll it into a ball. Place the dough ball on the prepared baking sheet. Continue scooping and rolling until you have about 10 to 12 cookies per sheet, leaving 2-inches between them. Bake until the edges have set, but the center is still soft, about 14 minutes.
• Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Let the baking sheets cool completely and bake the remaining dough. (Alternatively, the remaining cookie dough can be wrapped and frozen for up to 1 month.)

CHOCOLATE AND ORANGE HAZELNUT COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Add the chocolate-hazelnut spread, flour, orange zest, orange juice, egg and salt to a large bowl. Using a hand-mixer, beat on medium-high until thoroughly combined. Fold in the hazelnuts by hand.
• Use a 1 tablespoon size ice cream scoop to scoop balls of the cookie dough straight onto the prepared baking sheets, keeping them 2-inches apart. Bake until the edges are set but the tops are still slightly soft, 13 to 15 minutes
• Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheets before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

NEAPOLITAN HOLIDAY COOKIES

Steps:

• Special equipment: 3 quarter-sheet pans or three 13-by-9-by-2-inch jelly roll pans
• Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Coat 3 quarter-sheet pans (or three 13-by-9-by-2-inch jelly roll pans) with cooking spray. Line each pan with parchment paper and coat the paper with cooking spray as well.
• Place the almond paste in the bowl of a stand mixer. Break it up into small pieces with a fork. Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment and add the butter and sugar to the bowl. Beat the mixture on high speed until light and fluffy, about 7 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium, add the egg yolks, and beat until incorporated. Turn the mixer off and stir in the flour with a wooden spoon until well combined. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl.
• Clean the mixer bowl thoroughly and fit the mixer with the whisk attachment. Beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the batter until thoroughly blended.
• Transfer 1 1/2 cups of the batter to a medium bowl, then transfer another 1 1/2 cups of the batter to a second medium bowl. Add the red food coloring to one of the bowls and stir until the batter is tinted throughout. Add the green food coloring to the second bowl and stir until the batter is tinted throughout. Scrape each of the three batters into one of the prepared pans, using the spatula to spread the batter to the edges. Bake, rotating and switching the positions of the pans halfway through, until the edges are golden, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool in the pans for about 5 minutes, then invert onto cooling racks and allow to cool completely.
• To assemble, place the green layer on a large cutting board or a large inverted baking sheet lined with wax paper. Spread the raspberry jam evenly over the top. Place the yellow layer on top and spread with the apricot preserves. If there are large chunks of apricots, remove and chop them up to make them more spreadable. Top with the red layer. Cover with plastic wrap and place a heavy cutting board on top to weight it down. Refrigerate overnight.
• Place the chocolate chips in a microwaveable bowl and melt in the microwave on low power about 2 minutes. Spread the chocolate on top of the cooled cake and let dry slightly. Trim the rim of the cake with a serrated knife to make clean edges. Cut the cake crosswise into twelve 1-inch-wide strips, then cut lengthwise into 1 1/4-inch strips. The cookies will keep, covered, up to 1 week.