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Thursday, November 12, 2009

CHRISTMAS RAINBOW COOKIES

Christmas Rainbow Cookies on Foodista
2 - 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 drops red food coloring
1/4 cup finely chopped, well-drained maraschino cherries or candied cherries
1/4 cup flaked coconut
4 drops green food coloring
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup chopped pistachio nuts

Line the bottom and sides of a straight-sided 8 x 4 inch loaf pan with waxed paper of foil.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture until well blended.

Divide dough evenly into 3 parts. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate about 15 minutes.

To make pink layer, remove 1 portion of dough from refrigerator. Add red food coloring one drop at a time. Stir in cherries. Press dough firmly and evenly in the bottom of the prepared pan . Refrigerate dough.

To make white layer, stir in coconut into second portion of dough. Press i firmly and evenly over pink layer. Refrigerate dough.

For the green layer, add green food coloring a drop at a time to remaining portion of dough. Add almond extract and pistachio nuts and mix well. Press it firmly and evenly over the white layer. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Invert pan of cookie dough onto a cutting board. Remove waxed paper or foil. Cut crosswise into 1/4 - inch thick slices. Then cut each slice vertically into 3 equal pieces. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Makes: 6 dozen cookies

Notes:
This recipe sound complicated to make, but the recipe is easy to follow, one step at a time.
The pink, white and green cookie makes an attractive addition to any Christmas Cookie Tray.


32 comments:

  1. We are going to a cookie exchange in December and I think these would be perfect. I was looking for something different. Thanks!!

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  2. Sounds wonderful - at my house we'd call them Italian flag cookies :-)

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  3. These look so different and almost too pretty to eat! I will give them a try for Xmas this year. Thanks!

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  4. I love the look of these cookies! So festive...

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  5. So cute!

    Thanks for visiting All That Splatters! I'll be checking back here often, too!

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  6. Thanks for visiting me too!! These cookies are great for the holiday...thank you for sharing...I'm going to a cookie exchange and i think they will be a big hit!

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  7. Ohhhh I like that flavor combination! Very fun cookies. I never knew how that made tri-colored cookies, now I do!
    I just love your blog!!!!
    Yvonne

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  8. They look yummy but I wonder if they would still bake up well without the coconut. We're not big fans of the flaky white stuff. Maybe finely chopped macadamia nuts or white chocolate?

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  9. They're so very pretty..Hopefully when I make mine, they will look this good.

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  10. I love cookies that stand out on a plate. These would really add some color and flavor to an assorted plate. Thanks! Sue

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  11. always looking for a new cookie recipe--especially a pretty one!

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  12. These look and sound so good! My kids will enjoy helping out with these. Thanks for the recipe!

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  13. I love cherries in the cookies and the colors are perfect for Christmas.
    Joyce

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  14. What festive cookies! I'm not a fan of coconut so I'm wondering if the taste was very prominent?

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  15. Yum, these sound like cookies I would love. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

    :)
    ButterYum

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  16. These cookies were always a favorite of my children. I haven't made them in an age. Thanks for the recipe and the memory.

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  17. How cute! I bet my kids would love these! Thanks for a great recipe!
    God bless,
    Amanda

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  18. These cookies look great. We have a cookie swap every year right before Christmas and these look like a beautiful addition.

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  19. Beautiful cookies, Geri! Thanks for sharing. I'll be squeezing these into our holiday cookie making :)

    Blessings!
    Gail

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  20. Oh, gorgeous. I love the green/white red striped effect! So "Christmassy." :~D

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  21. Oh dear, TOO pretty to eat!

    Very nice job, I'm sure they don't last long when you serve them. :) Thank you for sharing the recipe.

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  22. Very festive. Just perfect for the upcoming holidays!

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  23. These are so cute!

    Never saw anything like them before. My hubby's family would like them since they are Italian!

    :)

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  24. What a great looking cookie. I love the colors. I will be trying these. Thanks for sharing:)

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  25. Those look great! Thanks for joining in the fun at Friday Favorites!
    ~Liz

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  26. Do you have a recipe for chicken and dumplings? I really like your recipes and if it came from you, I'd try it - I am craving chicken and dumplings - help :)

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  27. Yummy! And so pretty too!!! Thanks for sharing. :)

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  28. Oh what a neat idea to add the extra flavors and textures to a fun Christmas cookie. Yum! Thanks for sharing!

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  29. We make these ribbon cookies every Christmas too...ever since I was a little girl! :) Yours are beautiful. Ours our a different color. I am going to try to do your colors this year. Thank you!

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  30. These are so pretty! I love the different flavors in each color layer, too.

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