Spring Time Rainbow Cookies

Rainbow Cookies have always been a favorite of my family.  I wanted to make them with a Spring Twist so here are my version of Rainbow Cookies in pretty Spring colors!  Really anything goes!  For Valentine's Day it would look so pretty in shades of Pink and Red, 4th of July - Red, White and Blue!  Here for Springtime I choose, Pink, Teal and Lime Green.  This recipe is a little labor intensive but I promise you, it's worth it!  It' a crowd pleaser!

Ingredients:

8 ounces almond paste
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs, separated
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam
1/4 cup apricot preserves
3/4 Cup chocolate chips

1 teaspoon coconut oil

Preparation:

Preheat the over to 350 degrees F.   Spray three 13" x 9" x 2"  pans with cooking spray. Line each pan with parchment paper and coat the paper with cooking spray.

In a large bowl add almond paste. Use a fork to break it up into small crumbs.  Using a hand mixer  combine almond paste, butter and sugar and mix until fluffy.  Next, add the egg yokes and beat until incorporated.  Now add the flour and use a wooden spoon to stir until well combined. 

In separate bowl beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the almond batter until thoroughly blended.

Separate the cookie batter into 3 small bowls and a different food color to each bowl and mix until desired color is achieved. 

Add each of the three colored batters into one of the prepared pans, using the spatula to spread the batter to the edges. Bake at 350 degree F and rotate pans halfway through the bake time so that they bake evenly. until the edges are golden, about 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool in the pans for about 5 minutes, then invert onto cooling racks and allow to cool completely.

To Assemble:

Place one layer on a large cutting board or a large inverted baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. Spread the raspberry jam evenly over the top. Place the 2nd layer on top and spread with the apricot preserves. . Top with the last cake layer. Cover with plastic wrap and place a heavy cutting board on top to weight it down. If you don't have a large heavy cutting board you can put another sheet pan on top an weight down with cans. Refrigerate overnight.

The next day, melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil together in a microwaveable bowl. Spread the chocolate on top of the cooled cake and let it dry slightly. Trim the rim of the cake with a serrated knife to make clean edges. Cut the cake into strips and then cut each strip into squares. 

The BEST Hamantashen

Happy Purim!

We all just love Hamantashen and we only make this to enjoy once a year during the Jewish Holiday Purim.   These are delicious little trangle shaped pastries filled with anything you like.  The most traditional fillings are Prune, Poppy Seed and Apricot jam but anything really goes!  So fill them with any topping you like!  Favorites in my house are Strawberry, Raspberry and Fig jam and as you can imagine Nutella is a big hit!

When we were still living in NJ we would go every year to our Chabad's Hamantash Bake and this is the BEST recipe from our Rabbi's wife, Malky.  If you still haven't found the perfect Hamantashen recipe, look no further!  You will not be disappointed.

I'm excited for the kids to make this with me again this year!

Ingredients:

3 Eggs
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
3/4 Oil (vegetable or canola)
1/4 Cup Orange Juice
3 Teaspoons Pure Vanilla
3 Teaspoons baking powder
5-5 1/2 Cups Flour

Preparation:

In a large bowl beat eggs and sugar together until combined.  Add oil, vanilla and orange juice and mix until incorporated.  Next add baking powder and just enough flour until you form a dough that is not sticky.  Keep extra flour on hand and you can always add more if needed.   (dough can be made ahead, formed into a flat disc, wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 24 hours if needed)

On a floured surface, using a floured rolling pin, roll out dough to about 1/4 inch thickness.  Use a circle cookie cutter or you can kick it "Old School" like I do and use the top of a glass to cut out as many circles as you can from your dough.

To form your Hamantashen place about 1/2 teaspoon of your filling in the center of your circle of dough and pinch or fold your dough into a triangle.  Please see diagram below:

Bake at 350 F for about 10 minutes until the dough is slightly brown on the bottom of pastry.

*Flavors show: Fig, Apricot, Strawberry, Lemon and Chocolate.

How to Fold a Hamantashen: