Rainbow Cookies With Video Food

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.

RAINBOW COOKIES (WITH VIDEO)

Steps:

• Sift together the flour and baking powder into a small bowl and set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together for 1 minute. Add egg and vanilla. Add half of dry ingredients, stir completely, then add second half.
• Separate dough into 5 equal portions, with an indentation or small "bowl" in the middle of each ball of dough.
• Add 1-2 drops of gel food coloring to each ball of dough, in the middle of the indentation you created. Only use one color of gel per dough mound: red, yellow, green, blue, and purple.
• Knead each ball of dough separately, working in the food coloring until you have five brightly colored balls of dough.
• Roll purple dough out into a 1 inch thick log, about 6" long. Set aside.
• Roll out the blue dough so that it is the same length as the purple log of dough, but flatten the blue dough so that it is only about 1/4" thick. Place the purple dough log in the middle of the blue dough, rolling up the sides of the blue sheet of dough so that it surrounds the purple dough to form one larger log.
• Repeat what you just did with the blue dough with each additional color, until you have one log of dough. Make sure that all of the colors are firmly pressed together with no gaps.
• Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 1 hour to overnight.
• When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Line two cookie trays with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
• Remove cookie dough log from fridge and slice into 1/2 inch cookies - then slice again through the middle.
• Place onto prepared baking sheet 1 inch apart.
• Bake 8-10 minutes, the cookies will appear matte in appearance (not shiny). Allow to cool before frosting.
• Use a plastic piping bag to draw "clouds" on each end of your rainbow cookies with white icing. Allow to set completely before serving.

ITALIAN RAINBOW COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 8-by-4-inch loaf pans and line them with parchment paper that comes at least 2 inches up the long sides of the pan. If you don't have 3 loaf pans, you can bake the layers in batches.
• In a large bowl or in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. With the mixer running on medium, gradually add 2 tablespoons of the sugar. Increase the speed to medium high and beat to stiff peaks. Set aside.
• In a large bowl or in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter, almond paste, salt and remaining 1/2 cup sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium and add the yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the lemon juice and almond extract, then reduce the speed to medium low and gradually add the flour. Mix to combine. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the whites.
• Transfer one-third of the mixture to one of the loaf pans and use a small offset spatula to spread it out evenly. Transfer another third of the mixture to a separate bowl and fold in the green food coloring. Fold the red food coloring into the remaining third. Transfer these into the remaining 2 loaf pans, spreading them out evenly.
• Bake until the tops are just set and no longer shiny; begin checking for doneness at 12 minutes. Let cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then lift them out and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
• Stack up the loaves (from bottom to top: green, white, red) with 1 1/2 tablespoons jam between the layers. Wrap the loaf firmly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
• Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or by microwaving it in 30-seconds increments, stirring after each. Remove it from the heat and stir continuously until it is no longer hot. Spread it over the top and sides of the cookie loaf and refrigerate to firm up for about 15 minutes. Cut into 1-inch squares.

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.

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:

• Cream together almond paste, butter, eggs, and sugar.
• Add flour slowly. Mix until all combined.
• Separate dough into three equal parts in separate bowls.
• Add red food coloring to one bowl.
• Add blue to the other. You can color the other bowl if you prefer.
• Spray a cookie sheet with vegetable spray.
• Spread dough out onto tray.
• Repeat using remaining trays and dough.
• Bake 350°F for ten minutes.
• Let cool. When cool, invert onto hard surface like counter tops lined with saran wrap or parchment paper.
• Take red cookie layer and spread with half of the raspberry jam.
• Place blue layer on top.
• Spread blue layer with raspberry jam.
• Place plain layer on top.
• Wrap in saran wrap and place a heavy book on top for at least 8 hours or overnight if you prefer.
• After it has rested, dilute apricot jam in water and heat over stove.
• Spread thinly on top layer.
• Cool.
• Melt chocolate.
• Spread evenly on top of apricot jam.
• Refrigerate until chocolate has set.
• Cut into squares in the amount of your choice.