They said it couldn't be done...

Italian Rainbow Cookies.

 

I date an Italian boy with a crazy Italian family.  At all of their big family gatherings, one of the cousins brings these interesting and delectable little Italian cookies.  Colors of red and green with flavors of almond, raspberry, and apricot, they are pretty irresistible.  I always thought she made them from scratch and couldn't wait to steal the recipe to try them on my own.  Here's the thing though: she buys them in a store. 

So I pushed a little further, asking a few of the family members if they had a recipe.  Well of course they did but they warned me against making them.  They all said "they're too hard, take too long, too complicated" or "I've tried and they never turn out.. you just can't do it."

 

Challenge Accepted.

With no way to steal one of their recipes, I set out to find my own recipe.  I ended up finding one here. I noticed one major flaw though, where is the raspberry preserves?  Everytime I've eated these cookies I know there has been a hint of raspberry.

 

To me, light and fluffy egg whites are my favorite way to start any recipe.

When I went to spread the dough, I found it a little hard to spread it all the way to the edges of the pans.  As long as you make sure they are even, they don't have to reach each side.

 

WARNING:  While the cakes are cooling, DO NOT STACK THEM, even between the layers of parchment papers.  They will stick.  These aren't regular cookies or cakes, they're sticky.  Don't stack them until the instructions say to.

 

 

When you spread the jam, try to do it evenly but not to the edges.  You'll trim them later and don't want the jam spilling out.  After they're stacked, you have to refridgerate them for at least 8 hours.  I cheated and made these before bed on Friday night, chilled them while I peacefully slept, and finished them on Saturday morning.  No inconvience and no hastle this way.

 

And Voila!  They are beautiful and almost finished.  When you trim the edges be sure to keep them aside.  They are just as amazing as the finished cookie and gives you something to pick on while you melt and chill the chocolate.

I used Ghirardelli Baking Chocolate for the finish, always my favorite.

Once you put the top layer of chocolate on, freeze them for a good 15-20 minutes before trying to flip it over for the second layer.  After the second layer, freeze for 30 minutes to an hour before you even think of cutting them.  With the difference of texture between the cookie and chocolate, it is a mess to cut them.  Freezing them helps the cookie reach the hardness of the chocolate.

 

After that... Enjoy!  Try not to eat them all ;-)  They keep for up to 2 weeks in an air tight container, and even longer in the freezer.

 

Makes about 5 dozen cookies, depending on how you cut them.

Warning:  These are time consuming.

Ingredients:

4 large eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
1 (8-oz) can almond paste
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
25 drops red food coloring
25 drops green food coloring
6 oz apricot preserves, heated and strained

6 oz raspberry preserves, heated and strained

8 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped

Directions:

1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 13- by 9-inch baking pan and line bottom with wax paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on 2 ends, then butter paper.

2. Beat whites in mixer fitted with whisk attachment at medium-high speed until they just hold stiff peaks. Add 1/4 cup sugar a little at a time, beating at high speed until whites hold stiff, slightly glossy peaks. Transfer to another bowl.

3. Switch to paddle attachment, then beat together almond paste and remaining 3/4 cup sugar until well blended, about 3 minutes. Add butter and beat until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add yolks and almond extract and beat until combined well, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low, then add flour and salt and mix until just combined.

4. Fold half of egg white mixture into almond mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly.

5. Divide batter among 3 bowls. Stir red food coloring into one and green food coloring into another, leaving the third batch plain. Set white batter aside. Chill green batter, covered. Pour red batter into prepared pan and spread evenly with offset spatula (layer will be about 1/4 inch thick).

6. Bake red layer 8 to 10 minutes, until just set. (It is important to undercook. They’ll look like they’re not done, but a tester does come out clean.)

7. Using paper overhang, transfer layer to a rack to cool, about 15 minutes. Clean pan, then line with parchment or wax paper and butter paper in same manner as above. Bake white layer in prepared pan until just set. As white layer bakes, bring green batter to room temperature. Transfer white layer to a rack. Prepare pan as above, then bake green layer in same manner as before. Transfer to a rack to cool.

8. When all layers are cool, invert green onto a parchment or wax-paper-lined large baking sheet. Discard paper from layer and spread with half of preserves. Invert white on top of green layer, discarding paper. Spread with remaining preserves. Invert red layer on top of white layer and discard wax or parchment paper.

9. Cover with plastic wrap and weight with a large baking pan. Chill at least 8 hours.

Remove weight and plastic wrap. Bring layers to room temperature. Melt chocolate in a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat. Keep chocolate over water. (Alternately, you can do what I did: melt the chocolate 3.5 ounces at a time just to make sure it doesn’t seize up between steps, though that shouldn’t be a problem if you only let it set for 15.)

10. Trim edges of assembled layers with a long serrated knife. Quickly spread half of chocolate in a thin layer on top of cake. Chill, uncovered, until chocolate is firm, about 15 minutes. Cover with another sheet of wax paper and place another baking sheet on top, then invert cake onto sheet and remove paper. Quickly spread with remaining chocolate. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

11. Cut lengthwise into 4 strips (I cut them into more, because I wanted them 1 to 1 1/2 inches wide, as I remember them). Cut strips crosswise into 3/4-inch-wide cookies.

Mint Chocolate Chip... Cake?

My birthday came around on New Years Day, so I figured, what birthday cake am I going to make myself?  Well it obviously had to be better than anything else that I had made to date, right?  So this is what I decided on: A delicious Mint Chocolate Chip Cake.

 

"Isn't that just an ice-cream flavor?" This is the response I got from almost everyone upon my making it.  But the answer is, of course not!  This cake is almost too goo to believe (mainly because mint chocolate chip is my favorite).  The hard chocolate shell and chips in the icing make it a perfect combination of smooth and crunchy.

 

Did you just die?

First things first, you make this deliciously moist chocolate cake.  Now, here's a little trick that I picked up that may revolutionize your life.  Wilton Bake Even Strips. You wet them, wrap them around the pan, and poof!  The moisture helps the cake to bake even throughout, and more importantly, flat.  This makes stacking cakes so much easier.

 

Now that the cakes are done, it's time for the best part! Mint Chocolate Chip Icing!  It is really a more solid form of the ice cream and is what makes the cake so delicious.

Layer one and this fantastically chunky icing goes on great.  I thought it would be difficult to spread, but have no fear, it's a piece of cake ;-)

 

Then you add layer two and dump the rest of the icing all over this cake!  Try not to eat it all in the proccess.

 

Now melt that delicious mint chocolate and pour it right on top.

 and...... VOILA!  One beautiful and irresistable cake.  Happy Birthday to me!

 

Chocolate Cake:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup flour
9 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup brewed coffee, cooled
1/2 cup milk

Mint Frosting:
1 cup butter, softened
8 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
1/2 cup milk plus 2 Tbsp
11 oz mini chocolate chips
1/8 tsp green food coloring gel

For the topping:
1 bag mint chocolate chips

1. In medium bowl, sift cocoa with flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside. In measuring cup, mix coffee and milk together. Set aside.
2. In mixer, beat butter and sugar for about 5 minutes until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time. Slowly add in dry ingredients alternating with the coffee/milk blend (about 3 additions of each).
3. Pour cake batter into two prepared pans (two 9inch cake pans lined with parchment paper and then greased and floured). Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes. Remove and allow to cool about 10 minutes before removing from pans. Cool completely before frosting.
4. For frosting, in food processor, pulse dark chocolate until small bits (not powder)! Set aside.
5. In mixer, beat butter, powdered sugar and milk (slowly add the milk, you may not need it all) for 3-5 minutes, until smooth and creamy. Add in extract and food coloring gel. Mix until fully blended. Add more milk if necessary to desired consistency. Fold in chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips.
6. Frost first layer of cake, then top it with second layer. Completely frost sides and top of cake.
7. Melt the bag of mint chocolate chips in the microwave on 30 second intervals on HALF power.  Stir in between each interval and do this until mostly smooth.  (There may be a bump or two but you don't want to burn it.)