ITALIAN RAINBOW COOKIES

* Italian Rainbow Cookies



* 2 Cups of flour

* 4 Eggs yolks

* 4 Egg whites

* 1 Cup of sugar

* 2 Sticks of butter, room temperature

* 3/4 Lb Almond Paste

* 4 Oz Semi-sweet Bakers chocolate

* Food colors: green & red

* Apricot jam




Directions/Steps

1. In a stand mixer add the egg yolks and the butter and mix well.

2. Add the sugar and mix well.

3. Add the almond paste and mix well. Break up the almond paste in small chunks before adding it to the mixer so that it mixes quicker.

4. Add the flour and mix well.

5. Beat the egg whites with a fork until they get a little foamy and add them to the mixer. Mix for a few minutes until you have a soft and uniform dough.

6. Take the dough, divide it in 3 equal parts and put it in three separate bowls.

7. The dough in one bowl should be left white.

8. The dough of one of the other bowls should be colored green and the other one red. Add as much food color as you like until you get the color tone that you prefer.

9. Evenly spread the mixes in three separate ungreased aluminum baking sheets (12"x8").

10. Bake each one at 375F for 10-12 mins. Let them all cool off.

11. Put a piece of parchment paper on a wood board and deposit the green sheet.

12. Spread a thin layer of apricot jam over the entire surface of the green sheet.

13. Place the white sheet on top of the green sheet.

14. Spread apricot jam on the white surface as well.

15. Deposit the red sheet over the white and with your hands press well so that the three sheets will stick together.

16. With a serrated knife trim all four edges of the tricolor sheets.

17. Met the chocolate and spread it over the top of the sheets.

18. Let the chocolate dry, preferably overnight, turn upside down and spread melted chocolate over the other side.

19. Let the chocolate dry and cut the cookies into pieces of about 1 1/2" x 1/2" or as big as you prefer.

* - See more at: http://cookingwithnonna.com/italian-cuisine/seven-layer-rainbow-cookies.html#sthash.i9AhGbwo.dpuf