Tre Colori (Italian Rainbow Cookies)

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Sift flour into a bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of a food processor, add almond paste and pulse to break it up.

To the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl using a handmixer, add butter, almond paste and sugar. Cream together until light and fluffy.

Add 4 egg yolks and mix well. Slowly add and sifted flour and mix until just combined.

Whisk egg whites until they become foamy and add to the mix. Mix on medium speed until combined in a thick batter is formed.

Separate the batter into three equal parts. Note: I use a kitchen scale to do this but you can do this by eye if you prefer. Dye one part green and one part red, leaving the other part as is. The amount of die you use is to preference, depending on how dark a color or you are trying to achieve.

Please parchment paper onto 3 quarter sheet sized baking pans. Add the batters to each pan and spread using a spatula. The batter is very thick and will be hard to spread, try to spread it as evenly as possible.

Assembly:

Place the green layer down onto a cutting board lined with parchment paper first. Spread preferred flavored jam on top. Place the white layer next and spread jam on top. Now place the red layer on top of that and gently press down to make the layers stick together. Note: If you add too much jam the layers will slide around and fall apart after you cut them. Place just enough jam so that the layers stick together. If you would like a cleaner edge, you can cut the edges of the sponge cake after adding jam.

Cutting:

To prevent the chocolate from cracking when you cut the cookies, first score the cookie with a sharp knife where you’re going to place your cuts. Then with the tip of a sharp knife slowly press down to cut your cookies. I never use the whole blade to cut the cookies. I always use the tip of the knife and I only go down about 3 inches into the knife.