Italian rainbow cookie
Photo: sweetfixNYC · CC BY-SA 2.0

History

Italian rainbow cookies were created by Italian-American bakers in early-20th-century New York as an edible salute to the Italian tricolore flag. They became a fixture of the city's Italian bakeries (Veniero's in the East Village, opened 1894; the Italian-American pastry counters of the Lower East Side and Williamsburg). The cookies are now baked across New York Italian bakeries and bagel shops, sold by the pound from the case. Junior's and William Greenberg Desserts on the Upper East Side both keep the tradition; Williamsburg's Italian bakeries (and even Russ & Daughters' rotating cookie case) sell them.

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Common allergens: Gluten, Egg, Dairy, Nuts

Make it at home

Yield 60Hands-on 45 minTotal 4 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 8 oz (225g) almond paste
  • 1 cup (225g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (200g) caster sugar
  • 4 large eggs, separated
  • 2 cups (250g) plain flour
  • 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 tsp almond extract
  • Red and green gel food colouring (use gel, not liquid; liquid thins the batter)
  • 1 cup (320g) seedless raspberry jam, warmed and strained
  • 1 cup (320g) apricot jam, warmed and strained
  • 12 oz (340g) dark chocolate (60% cocoa), chopped
  • 2 tbsp neutral oil

Method

  1. Heat oven to 175C / 350F. Line three 23cm by 33cm baking tins with parchment, leaving overhang.
  2. Beat the almond paste, butter and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, then the almond extract.
  3. Sift in the flour and salt; fold to a smooth thick batter.
  4. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. Fold into the batter in three additions, keeping as much air as you can.
  5. Divide the batter into three equal bowls by weight. Leave one plain; tint one red and one green with gel colouring (start with a few drops, build up).
  6. Spread each colour into a prepared tin in a thin even layer (the layers should be about 1cm thick).
  7. Bake each layer for 10 to 12 minutes until the top is just set; do not brown.
  8. Cool completely on a rack.
  9. Spread the green layer with the warmed apricot jam. Top with the plain layer; spread with the warmed raspberry jam. Top with the red layer.
  10. Cover with parchment, then a flat baking tin, and weight with tinned tomatoes. Press in the fridge overnight (or a minimum 4 hours).
  11. Melt the chocolate with the neutral oil over a double boiler until smooth.
  12. Spread half the chocolate thinly over the top layer; chill 15 minutes until set.
  13. Flip the slab over, peel the parchment, spread the remaining chocolate over the now-top side. Chill 15 minutes.
  14. Trim the edges with a hot sharp knife. Cut into 60 small rectangles (about 2.5cm by 4cm).

Tip from the editors. Wipe the knife with a hot wet cloth between cuts; the chocolate cracks if cool. Store in airtight tins separated by parchment; they keep two weeks.

Where to eat italian rainbow cookie

Italian rainbow cookie in New York City

Veniero's ★ 4.4

$ BakeryItalian American pastryEast Village

Veniero's has filled cannoli on East 11th Street in the East Village, New York City since 1894. Sfogliatelle, pignoli cookies, ricotta cheesecake.

Worth the queueCannoli

TipCannoli are filled to order at the counter; never buy pre-filled. Espresso at the bar is the after-dinner move.

Directions Book

William Greenberg Desserts ★ 4.5

$ BakeryBlack-and-white cookies, schneckenUpper East Side

William Greenberg Desserts on Madison Avenue has baked the canonical black-and-white in the Upper East Side, New York City since 1946. Schnecken.

Worth the queueBlack-and-white cookie

TipOrder black-and-whites in the bigger six-inch size. Pre-order schnecken at Rosh Hashanah; they sell out a week ahead.

Directions Book

Junior's Restaurant ★ 4.2

$ BakeryNew York cheesecakeDowntown Brooklyn

Junior's on Flatbush Avenue Extension has baked New York cheesecake in Brooklyn New York City since 1950. Cream-cheese-base, graham-crust, sour-cream top.

Worth the queueOriginal New York cheesecake

TipThe Brooklyn original is the right room. The Times Square outpost serves the same cake under different lighting.

Directions Book

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