Here they are as promised! Rainbow Cookies! This recipe was from one of my very first Cookie Exchanges. My sister was the ambitious one! She didn’t have any kids yet and had lots of time! (She has 5 now!) The recipe itself isn’t really that hard, it is however time-consuming. Many things to do but if you follow the directions you’ll have no problems. Some rainbow cookies have a chocolate layer on the bottom as well as the top, this one has only chocolate on top. Either way they are delicious and your friends and family will be impressed when you tell them you actually baked them yourself!

I was trying to find a picture from this party way back when. It had to be in the mid-late 1990s. I’m still looking though so if I find it (after 5 or 6 moves I’m lucky I find anything!) I will add it in. I know I must have a photo of it somewhere so be patient and I’ll search for it.

This recipe will NOT, I repeat NOT, be low-calorie. Then again, most cookies that are really good aren’t! It is the season for eating and being merry so no worries this time. Just get in the kitchen and bake like crazy! I wonder if I asked my sister to make these today what she would do. Hmmm…Oldest child is 12 and youngest is now 6. Free time? Sure! NOT! She’ll just laugh at me.

Cousin Linda (L) and sister Michele (R)

I may still do an exchange this year if I want to throw one together real fast. I just love them. I just wish everyone else did! I have so many fun memories of the past ones I’ve had. Like my cousin Linda showing up to the party with cookies that were still warm from the oven! As my sister-in-law Maureen told her, “Linda, the party starts at 4:00, that doesn’t mean start baking at 4:00!” She was also late to the party. The following year I told her an hour before everyone else. Guess what? She showed up on time, an hour before everyone else! It’ll never happen again though!

INGREDIENTS:

3 sticks butter

1½ cups sugar

1½ cups flour

4 eggs

4 ounces almond paste (½ stick or ½ can usually)

1 bag (about 12 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips

red, green, yellow food coloring

1 jar seedless raspberry jam (use sugar-free here if you want to save a little calories)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine butter, sugar, flour, eggs and almond paste in a large bowl with an electric mixer.

2. Divide batter evenly into 3 bowls (something that won’t get stained). Add yellow, green and red food coloring into bowls. One color per bowl. Add a few drops at a time till the color you want is reached.

3. Spray three 11½ x 8 (1½” deep) aluminum pans with cooking spray. Line with wax paper and spray again. Pour each bowl into a separate pan.

4. Bake individually for 15-20 minutes at 350º.

5. After cooling, remove from pans, stack and layer with raspberry jam. Don’t put jam on the top. Just between the two bottom layers.

6. Place chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on HIGH for 2 minutes. Stir till smooth. Frost top of layers only with the melted chips. After chocolate hardens (put in fridge to help this along), cut into individual squares. Store in refrigerator.

**Not sure how many this will make but it also depends on how big or small you cut the squares. Enjoy!