Getting Ready For Christmas-Cookie Baking Time

 

Rainbow/Venetians/Neapolitan/Tri-Color Cookies

Ingredients

4-ounce can of almond paste

3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs, separated

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

10 drops of green food coloring

8 drops of red food coloring

6-ounce jar of apricot preserves

4 ounces of semisweet chocolate

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 9-inch baking dishes; line with waxed paper; grease paper.

Break up paste in large mixer bowl with a fork. Add butter, sugar, egg yolks and extract and beat with the mixer until fluffy, 5 minutes. Beat in the flour and salt.

Beat egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff peaks form. Stir into the almond mixture with a wooden spoon, using a turning motion similar to folding.

Remove 1-1/2 cups batter; spread evenly into one of the prepared pans. Remove another 1-1/2 cups batter to small bowl; tint green with coloring. Spread into the second pan. Tint remaining 1-1/2 cups batter red. Spread in remaining pan.

Bake 15 minutes or until edges are lightly golden; cake layers will each be 1/4 inch thick. Immediately remove cakes from pans onto large wire racks. Carefully peel off waxed paper. Cool.

Place red layer on upturned jelly roll pan or large platter. Heat preserves; strain; reserve chunks in a strainer for other uses. Spread half of the strained preserves over red layer. Top with a white layer. Spread with remaining preserves. Cover with a green layer, top side up.

Cover with plastic wrap. Weigh down with a large wooden cutting board, heavy flat tray, or large book. Refrigerate overnight.

Melt chocolate on top of a double boiler over hot water.

Trim off the uneven cake edges with a sharp knife. Frost the top layer with half of the melted chocolate. Let the chocolate dry. Turn the rectangle over and frost with the remaining chocolate. Cut cake crosswise into 1-inch-wide strips. Cut each strip into 1-inch squares, Srite in an airtight container in the refrigerator or in the freezer.