Gluten-Free Italian Rainbow Cookies

Italian rainbow cookies are tiny striped monuments — three almond sponge layers in tricolor, glued with jam, sealed in chocolate. They’re a project with a payoff measured in bragging rights, and almond paste keeps the gluten-free layers plush for days.

Yield: About 40 small cookies · Time: 2 hr + overnight press

Ingredients

• 8 oz (225 g) almond paste, grated
• 1 cup (225 g) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup (150 g) sugar
• 4 eggs, separated
• 1 1/2 cups (210 g) gluten-free all-purpose flour blend
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Red and green gel coloring
• 3/4 cup apricot jam, warmed and strained
• 7 oz (200 g) dark chocolate, melted

Directions

1. Beat the almond paste, butter, and sugar smooth; add yolks, then flour and salt.
2. Whip the whites to soft peaks and fold in.
3. Divide into thirds; tint one red, one green. Spread each into its own lined 9×13 quarter-sheet and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 10–12 minutes.
4. Stack the cooled layers with jam between, red to green; press overnight under a weighted sheet pan.
5. Coat the top with chocolate, set, flip, coat the bottom, then trim edges and slice into small rectangles.

Pro tip: The overnight press under weight is the step that turns three cakes into one sliceable striped block — don’t negotiate with it.

Gluten-Free Notes

If you are cooking for someone with celiac disease, cross-contact matters as much as ingredients — clean surfaces, dedicated utensils, and certified or labeled gluten-free packaged goods are the safe path.

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Browse more in Cookies & Bars, or explore our gluten-free breakfast recipe database and hot cereal guide.