raspberry jam

Italian Rainbow Cookies

December 14, 2018 by Marisa 29 Comments

Italian Rainbow Cookies are dense almond scented cake layers with raspberry and apricot jams nestled between the sheets of sponge cakes. This three layer cake is then topped with melted chocolate and a generous sprinkle of festive nonpareils for a truly eye catching and special holiday treat. They’re almost too pretty to eat and totally irresistible!

This post was originally published in December of 2015 and republished December 14, 2018 with updated photos and content.

When planning my Christmas baking, these pretty Italian rainbow cookies are one of my very first to make. You can bake them up to two weeks before Christmas as this allows the flavours to mellow. Also, both the raspberry and apricot jams layered between the sponge cakes keeps these rainbow cookies moist and packed full of yummy flavours.

I love them not only for their almond scent but also for their visual appeal. They’re bright and cheerful adorned with festive sprinkles and instantly put me in my happy place! They’re little morsels of deliciousness on a platter!

They’ve graced my Christmas cookie tray for many years and have always been one of the first to disappear.

About using homemade almond paste

I had always made these cookies with store bought almond paste before but where I live a good almond paste is always hard to find. Nowadays I much prefer making my very own.

You’re going to find it so so easy to make! And, I’ve simplified it from the original recipe I posted a few years back from Kristina Castella’s cookbook titled Crazy About Cookies. I’ve omitted the simple syrup as this made the paste a little too loose which had some readers skeptical. Although it had worked wonderfully, it yielded more then you would need to make these rainbow cookies. My revised version makes just enough to use in this recipe.

All you need are a few simple ingredients of blanched almonds (see note below for blanching your own). Add some powdered sugar, almond extract, a food processor and your good to go!

However if making your own seems somewhat daunting, by all means go for the store bought variety…whatever works for you is fine.

They’re absolutely wonderful any time of the year but are extra special for Christmas and will impress your guests!

Simply plate, serve and enjoy with your favourite cup of coffee or tea!

If you make this recipe remember to tag @marisasitaliankitchen on Instagram so I can see your creation!

Print Recipe

Italian Rainbow Cookies

A tri-coloured sponge cookie with homemade almond paste, layered with both raspberry and apricot jams and spread with melted chocolate.

Course: Cookie

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Italian Rainbow cookies

Servings: dozen

Author: Marisa

Ingredients

ALMOND PASTE

1 1/4 cup blanched almonds To blanch your own see note below
1 1/4 cup icing sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
3 tablespoons water

CAKE LAYERS

1 1/4 cups almond paste
1 cup butter softened
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs separated
2 cups all-purpose flour
10-12 drops red food colouring
10-12 drops green food colouring
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
1/2 cup apricot jam
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
chocolate sprinkles of your choice

Instructions

ALMOND PASTE

Place the almonds and 1/4 cup of the icing sugar in a food processor and pulse until the mixture has the appearance of coarse sand.
Add in the remaining sugar and pulse until the mixture is very fine.
Add the almond extract and water then pulse again until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

CAKE LAYERS

Butter three, 13 inch by 9 inch baking pans. Line the pans with parchment paper and grease the paper.
Preheat oven to 350*F
In a large bowl, cream together the almond paste, butter, sugar and egg yolks until fluffy and smooth.
Stir in the flour.
In a small mixing bowl, beat the egg whites (with clean beaters) until soft peaks form.
Fold the beaten egg whites into the cake batter until it is thoroughly blended.
Divide the cake batter equally among three small bowls.
Colour one portion with the red food colouring and one with the green and leave the third portion uncoloured.
Spread each portion of cake batter into the prepared pans, smoothing the top with an offset spatula.
Bake in preheated oven for about 10-12 minutes, until the edges are a light golden brown.
Transfer the pans on a cooling rack.
Once cooled, invert the green layer onto a cookie sheet and peel off the parchment paper. Spread the raspberry jam evenly all over.
Top with the uncoloured layer and spread evenly with the apricot jam.
Top with the pink layer and cover with saran wrap or cling wrap.
Set a cookie sheet on top to compress the layers together. Refrigerate overnight.
The next day, melt the chocolate in the microwave, in 15 second intervals until melted. Spread the melted chocolate over the pink layer and top with sprinkles of your choice.
Set aside and allow the chocolate to harden.
Once the chocolate is set, trim off the edges with a sharp knife.
When ready to serve, cut 1/2 inch strips across the width and then each strip into 4 pieces. Store in airtight container and keep refrigerated.

Notes

Blanching Almonds

Place the almonds in a pot of boiling water and allow to simmer for about 60 to 70 seconds. The almonds will start to rise and bob on the surface. The skin will have a shriveled up appearance.

Drain the almonds and run under cold water then pat dry with a clean dish towel.

One at a time, gently press on the almond between your thumb and index finger to release the nut from its skin.

Allow the blanched almonds to dry at room temperature, on a clean dish towel, before proceeding with the recipe. This can also be done overnight.

If your pressed for time you can dry the almonds in a low heated oven for 5 minutes or so.

Butterball Cookies

December 4, 2018 by Marisa 45 Comments

Cute as a button and with only 3 ingredients in the dough, these Butterball Cookies are simply irresistible! They’re sandwiched together with seedless raspberry jam and rolled in aromatic vanilla sugar for a sparkly appeal. They also make a wonderful nut free cookie recipe to add to your repertoire.

This post was originally published in December of 2015 and republished December 4, 2018 with updated photos and content.

My exquisitely fragrant Vanilla Sugar is ready and waiting to coat these cute little one bite Butterball Cookies!

I am filling mine with raspberry jam as it seems to be everyone’s favourite. But also because the redness of the jam really adds a festive colour this time of the year. This is especially wonderful when you serve a platter full of Christmas cookies. They stand out like little jewels ready to be plucked off the tray!

Alternately the butterball cookies can be filled with Nutella or even chocolate ganache. However you choose to fill them they will garner many smiles from both kids and adults alike.

Its not an overly complicated recipe or with any fancy techniques. We are taking a few simple ingredients, which you probably already have on hand. And, we are turning them into these irresistible buttery morsels.

So get comfortable, play your favourite holiday music and lets roll some butterballs!

How To Make Perfect Butterball Cookies

You will need 3 cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.

Make sure your dough has been chilled at least 4 hours before rolling the cookies. You can also make the dough up to 5 days in advance and refrigerate till ready to use.

Measure out 1/4 teaspoon of cookie dough and roll in the palm of your hands, no bigger than the size of a hazelnut in it’s shell.

Continue with the remaining dough and chill the butterballs in your freezer for 30 minutes before baking.

When ready to bake space them out on the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart as these will spread. Bake one cookie tray at a time while keeping the remaining cookies chilling in the freezer.

Once the cookies are baked and cooled, place a small dollop of jam on the flat surface of one half of the cooled cookies and top with another half to sandwich them together. Roll the cookies in the vanilla sugar.

They’re simply beautiful served in an elegant footed glass bowl and also make a wonderful addition to any holiday cookie platter.

Which ever way you serve them, they’re sure to impress your guests!

If you make this recipe remember to tag @marisasitaliankitchen on Instagram so I can see your creation!

Print Recipe

Butterball Cookies

Irresistible Butterball Cookies! They're sandwiched together with seedless raspberry jam and rolled in aromatic vanilla sugar for a sparkly appeal.

Prep Time1 hr

Cook Time8 mins

Total Time1 hr 8 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: nut free cookie, butterball cookie, sandwich cookie, vanilla sugar, raspberry jam

Servings: cookies

Author: Marisa

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
1 cup vanilla sugar for rolling

Instructions

Using a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the butter on medium speed for about 3 to 5 minutes until the butter is light and fluffy. Mix in the sugar until well blended then add in the flour and continue mixing until the dough is formed. Wrap the dough with saran wrap and chill the dough for about 3 hours. Chilling the dough will prevent the cookies from spreading out too much when baked.
Preheat the oven to 375*F.
Use a small spoon to tear out small pieces of dough and use the palm of your hands to roll them out into small balls about the size of a hazelnut. Place them on a cookie sheet and chill them in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Line 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Place the cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets (cookies will spread). Bake one sheet at a time for 8 to 10 minutes or just until the cookies are firm and pale golden in colour. Keep the remaining cookie sheets chilled till ready to bake the next batch.
Spread the flat side of half the cookies with the jam and then top with remaining cookies to form a sandwich. Once you have paired them and formed little sandwich cookies, roll them in vanilla sugar to coat all over.

Notes

This recipe is adapted from a wonderful cookbook: Chocolate and Vanilla by Gale Gand

Raspberry Linzer Cookie

February 13, 2015 by Marisa 4 Comments

These classic heart shaped Linzer cookies filled with ruby red raspberry jam make a perfect Valentine’s dessert.

With all the flavors of the original Linzertorte and said to be the oldest cake in the world. The Linzertorte, dating back to 1653 from Admont Abbey in Austria, is filled with preserves and has a lattice pattern on top. Who new!!!

These cookies are eye catching, gorgeous, delicious and usually the first snatched up from my platter of cookies.

I find the hazelnuts really compliment the raspberry jam but you can also make them with almonds. Just remember to grind them really fine so that you have no problem pressing the cookie cutter through the dough. You can use any shape and size cookie cutter that you like. I used a 3 inch and a 2 inch heart shaped cookie cutter.

This would make a fun weekend project for the little ones in the house and just as pleasing to the older kids.

Happy Valentine’s Day !!!!

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 egg
2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 cups hazelnuts, toasted and finely ground
2/3 to 3/4 cup seedless raspberry jam
3/4 cup of icing sugar,approximately

To Toast Hazelnuts: Preheat oven to 350*. Place hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast for 10 to 15 minutes until they are fragrant and lightly golden and the skin is blistered. Wrap them in a clean kitchen towel and rub to loosen the skins. It’s ok if you can’t get all the skin removed. Let them cool completely before grinding them in a food processor.

For The Cookies

Preheat oven to 375*

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl beat butter, sugar and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy.

Add the egg and mix until well combined. Beat in the flour until combined and stir in the nuts.

If your dough is not holding together just knead it gently and you’ll be good to go.

Divide the dough in half keeping one half covered with saran wrap while working with the other so it doesn’t dry out. Lightly flour your workplace and rolling pin. Roll one half of your dough ball to about 1/8 inch thick.

Cut out dough using a 3 inch heart shaped cookie cutter. Use an off-set spatula to pry the cookies off the counter and gently place on your prepared cookie sheets. I place 12 cookies on each pan about 2 inches apart.

On the second pan of cookies use a 2 inch heart shaped cookie cutter to cut out the center.

Keep the small cutouts to re-roll and make more cookies.

Bake in preheated oven for 6 to 8 minutes or until the edges are slightly browned.

Let cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before you transfer on a cooling rack to avoid any breakage.

Repeat with the remaining ball of dough, rolling and cutting out the cookies and re-rolling the small cut out pieces until you have used up all the dough.

When the cookies are cooled, spread some raspberry jam on the “whole” cookie covering almost till the edge.

Sift icing sugar on the cookies with the carved out centres and gently place them over the jam filled cookies.

You can bake these cookies in advance and freeze unassembled cookies in layers separated between wax paper in an airtight container for up to 3 months. When ready to serve just thaw and fill with jam. They keep well at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Makes about 36 sandwich cookies.

This recipe was adapted from Better Homes and Garden.