How to Make
Rainbow Cookies!
This recipe makes about 60(30) cookies. These not-too-sweet
cookies are soft with a slight crunch and have just a hint of cream cheese
flavor in them. They stay fresh in a cookie jar or container for quite a while.
You can use any cookie dough recipe that is labeled "refrigerator or
icebox" or that in the instructions you must roll, refrigerate and slice
prior to baking.
The dough is sticky and need to be chilled to work with.
***Dough will be sticky, you will wonder how in the heck you will manage it,
but keep chilling it and it will be fine *****
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened.................1/4 cup
1/2 cup shortening..........................1/4cup
1- 3 oz package cream cheese softened ................6 teaspoons(1 oz.)
2/3 cup sugar..........................................1/3 cup
1/2 tsp salt.......................................1/4 cup
1 egg.................................................1egg
1/2 tsp almond extract (or vanilla extract )........................1/4 teas
2 cups all purpose flour...............................1 cup
of all purpose flower
Direction (Follow them carefully)
Combine butter, shortening and cream cheese in a large bowl, beat together
until smooth. Add sugar and salt. Beat until combined. Beat in egg and almond/vanilla
extract until combined and gradually add the flour beating until combined.
Form dough into a ball with your hands, if it is super sticky, put it in the
refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Turn dough out onto countertop and form a long "log" shape divide the
dough into 6 portions. I initially divided the dough into five portions and
then took some dough off each piece for the sixth one.
Each portion should be slightly larger (by, let's say 20%) so you have a range
in sized from smaller to larger.
Sorry, I don't have a better description of this process or better
measurements.
You would be okay if you just divided them into 6 equal pieces, you will just
end up with thinner rainbow stripes at the top of the rainbow.
Place each portion of dough into individual bowls and tint the dough different
colors. Starting from Largest piece to smallest piece: Red, Orange, Yellow,
Green, Blue, and Violet/Purple.
Cover bowls and chill for 2 hours in fridge or 45 minutes in freezer.
Cut a couple pieces of parchment paper or waxed paper and use them to roll the
dough out on, it will be sticky.
Violet piece:
roll out into a 8" (approx) log and set aside.
Blue piece:
Roll out into an 8" long rectangle. The width of the rectangle will be
wide enough to go completely around the violet log without overlapping too
much.
Try to get an even thickness (about 1/8")
Place or roll the violet log onto the edge of the blue rectangle and using the
parchment paper to help, roll the blue rectangle onto the violet log so that it
covers it completely. Seal up seams, roll completed log a few times on the
parchment to make sure the layers have adhered to one another and to round out
the shape.
Continue with each color, subsequent rectangles will get larger as they need to
cover a large log, that's why the amount of dough needs to be increased with
the colors of the rainbow going up to the top of the rainbow.
*Keep the unused colors in the fridge until you are ready to use them
*If at any time the color log you are working on becomes too soft, put in the
freezer for 15-20 minutes to firm it up and make it easier to work with
Once the red dough goes on, roll a few times to round off the log and then wrap
and refrigerate several hours or overnight, or put it in the freezer for an
hour.
Cut the log in half if desired and then slice off 1/4" slices with a sharp
knife.
Cut the round slice in half if desired and place on greased (or parchment or
silicone mat covered cookie sheet) about 1" apart.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~OR~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bake them as a round slice and cut them in half immediately after baking when
they are still hot.
Bake for 13-15 minutes at 350F (this varies widely by oven, cookie sheet and
whether or not you are using a silicone mat) Mine took closer to 20 minutes
because my cookie sheet is insulated and I use a silicone mat.
Bake until they are set and the bottoms are just a tiniest bit light brown.
Let cool on cookie sheet 3 minutes and then place on racks to cool completely.
