It’s finally Christmas cookie season, and I take this time of year seriously. I love everything about baking cookies — there truly is something for everyone. If I ever meet someone who claims they don’t like cookies, I’m determined to find the one they do. These gluten free rainbow cookies are the Cadillac of Italian bakery treats. They were always the ones I hunted for first in the bakery box. Simply put, they’re my favorite. This chocolate-covered almond cake is at least as good as the original, gluten-containing bakery versions I grew up with. All three of my children love them too — partly because they love a good competition and partly because they know they’ll have to fight me for that last piece.
I first shared a rainbow cookie recipe on the blog over three years ago; that post now redirects to this updated version. As I’ve learned more about gluten free flours and blends over the years, I’ve tried to tweak the recipe, but I always come back to the original formula I developed in 2010. For this version I’ve focused on clearer instructions and better photos, including step-by-step images to help along the way.
One thing to know: all three layers taste essentially the same — they’re simply different colors. If you’d prefer to avoid food coloring, you can keep the layers natural; the cookies will still have the classic almond flavor and tender texture you expect from an authentic rainbow cookie.
Gluten Free Rainbow Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies and Filling
- 8 ounces almond paste, broken up with a fork (brands like Love ‘n’ Bake and Solo are gluten free)
- 16 tablespoons (224 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 4 eggs (200 g weighed out of shell), at room temperature, beaten
- 2 cups (280 g) all-purpose gluten free flour blend (see notes on suitable blends)
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- Red liquid food coloring (8–10 drops)
- Green liquid food coloring (8–10 drops)
- 1/2 cup (160 g) seedless raspberry or strawberry jam
Chocolate Topping
- 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup (2 2/3 fl oz) heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line three quarter-sheet pans (9″ x 12″) with unbleached parchment paper and set aside.
Make the cookie dough
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle (or using a hand mixer), cream the almond paste and melted butter until combined. Small clumps are fine.
- Add the sugar and then the beaten eggs, mixing well after each addition. The batter will be thick.
- Add the gluten free flour, xanthan gum, and kosher salt. Mix until the dough comes together and is smooth.
- Divide the dough into three equal portions, about 500 g each.
- Add green food coloring to one portion and mix to combine. Add red food coloring to another portion and mix. Leave the third portion plain, or color as you prefer.
- Divide the three dough portions among the prepared pans. With wet fingers and a wet spatula, press and stretch each dough into an even layer; the dough is sticky.
Bake and assemble the layers
- Bake each pan, one at a time, in the center of the oven for about 10 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown. Let cool slightly in the pans.
- Carefully transfer the green layer to a sheet of parchment and spread half of the jam evenly over it.
- Gently place the plain (or middle) layer on top, taking care not to handle the cake too much to avoid cracking.
- Spread the remaining jam on the plain layer, then place the pink (red) layer on top.
- Cover with parchment and weigh the stack down with a few books to compress the layers.
- Refrigerate the stacked layers for about 30 minutes, or until they have flattened and compressed slightly.
Make the chocolate topping
- Place the chopped chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the cream and butter over medium-low, stirring frequently, until the butter melts and the cream begins to simmer.
- Pour the hot cream and butter over the chocolate and stir until smooth and shiny.
- Pour the melted chocolate over the chilled cookie stack and spread evenly with an offset spatula or knife. Chill in the refrigerator until the chocolate sets, about 20 minutes.
- Trim the edges with a large serrated knife, then slice into about 21 even rectangles.
- Serve immediately, or wrap tightly and store in the freezer until ready to serve.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.