Rainbow Chocolate Nonpareil Cookies Recipes

RAINBOW SPRINKLE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add in cream cheese, egg, vanilla extract, almond extract. Mix together until combined.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix into the large bowl on slow to medium speed, adding in a little at a time, until evenly moistened.
• Place sprinkles or nonpareils in a small bowl. Using a cookie scoop or a tablespoon, roll cookie dough into balls (about 1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons of dough or to preference. You can make little cookies or extra large!)
• Roll the dough in the sprinkles, leaving the bottom of the ball sprinkles (no sprinkles on the bottom section). BUT, cover the rest with as many sprinkles as possible - the more the better - and place on the cookie sheet about 2 inches or so apart. (the cookies will spread a bit, so leave space!)
• Use the bottom of a glass and gently press down on the cookie to slightly flatten it. You want them between 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch thick.
• Bake in the oven for approximately 10-12 minutes (every oven cooks differently so watch them, mine took closer to 12 minutes, but you don't really want them to brown).
• Let cool on pan for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

SLICE AND BAKE RAINBOW COOKIES RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Using a hand mixer or standing mixer, beat butter until creamy.
• Add powdered sugar and beat until combined. Add the eggs, vanilla, and salt. Beat until well combined.
• Gradually, add the flour until dough is moist and holds together, but doesn't stick to your hands.
• Place dough on a cutting board and form into a ball. Cut in half, then cover one half with plastic wrap and set aside.
• Divide the other half into 6 pieces. The outer layers of the rainbow will need a little bit more dough, so make two of them slightly larger than the others.
• Dye the dough with food coloring by placing a ¼ teaspoon of dye on the ball of dough and kneading it until it is one solid color. Gloves optional but suggested.
• Starting with purple, roll the dough into a log about 6-8 inches (15-20 cm) long. This will be the center of the rainbow.
• Next, roll out the blue dough with a rolling pin until it's about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick, slightly longer than the purple, and wide enough to wrap around the purple dough. Repeat with the green, yellow, orange, and red doughs. The further away from the purple you get, the wider the dough needs to be to go around the previous color, making the red dough the widest.
• Wrap the blue dough around the purple, pinching together any cracks that form, cutting off any excess dough. Repeat with the rest of the colors.
• Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
• Once chilled, remove the plastic wrap, and cut the dough in half to make 2 rainbow shapes. Set aside.
• Cut the reserved dough in half, roll out to ¼-inch (6 mm) thickness, and make it slightly longer than the rainbow log.
• Place the rainbow dough in the center and wrap the plain dough around it, again, pinching together any cracks and smoothing out the surface.
• Repeat with the other halves. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill for another 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350˚F (180˚C).
• Once chilled, remove the plastic wrap. Slice cookies about ½-inch (1 cm) thick and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until the bottom has browned slightly.
• Cool on a cooling rack.
• Enjoy!

RAINBOW CHOCOLATE NONPAREIL COOKIES

Steps:

• Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350 (F). Prepare a sheet pan by lining with parchment paper; set aside.
• In a medium bowl, combine 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a freestanding electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine 1/2 cup unsalted butter, 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, and 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Beat on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, until the mixture is light, fluffy, and has doubled in volume.
• Once the mixture is light and fluffy, reduce the mixer to its slowest speed. Add 1 large egg and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, mixing until both have just incorporated into the butter and sugar. With the mixer still on its slowest setting, add the dry ingredients (from the 2nd step) in three big portions, only beating until the flour has just incorporated in to the mixture. Add 6 ounces rainbow chocolate nonpareil discs and 4 ounces roughly chopped dark chocolate, beating on the mixer's lowest speed just until the chocolate has incorporated throughout the dough.
• Use a 1-tablespoon sized cookie dough scoop to portion out 3 ounce dough balls. Use your hands to roll them into a rough ball, straightening and flattening any nonpareil discs accordingly (this will make prettier cookies, I promise). Press the top of each ball to flatten it and create a sort of squat disc. Arrange on the parchment lined sheet pan, leaving at least 3 inches between each dough ball.
• Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the edges are set and the tops are brown, but the center is still a little bit doughy. Be careful not to overbake the cookies, or they'll be rough and crunchy and I'll cry! Unless you like a crunchy cookie. In which case, I won't.
• Once the cookies are done, transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool on the sheet pan for 20-25 minutes, before using a spatula to lift them out the pan and transferring them to the wire rack to cool until warm enough to eat. Enjoy!

ITALIAN RAINBOW COOKIES

Steps:

• Arrange 2 racks in the center of the oven and heat to 350 degrees. Make room in your refrigerator for 1 half-sheet pan. Grease 3 (13-by-9-inch) baking pans or quarter-sheet pans with cooking spray or a little oil, then line with parchment or wax paper. (This helps the paper stay in place.) Spray or oil the parchment.
• Combine the flour and salt in a medium bowl. In the bowl of a standing mixer (or with a hand mixer), or in a large bowl if using an electric hand mixer, break up the almond paste using a fork or your fingers. Add butter, sugar, egg yolks and almond extract. Using the paddle attachment, beat on high until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl halfway through. Turn off the mixer, add a third of the flour and salt, then beat on medium-low until just combined. Repeat with another third, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, and continue until all the flour is added and incorporated. Transfer batter to a large bowl. Rinse and dry the mixing bowl.
• Add egg whites to the mixing bowl and beat on high speed with the whisk attachment until stiff peaks form, 30 to 45 seconds. Fold the egg whites into the batter until just combined.
• Remove one-third of the batter to one of the prepared pans. Use an offset spatula to evenly spread the batter in the pan all the way to the edges. (This can get a little tricky, but have patience and take your time. The oil on the pan should help hold the paper in place, but if you're having trouble, hold the paper in place with one hand while you spread with the other.) Remove another one-third of the batter to a medium bowl and add a couple drops of green food coloring. Stir until blended, and add more to reach your desired shade. Transfer green batter to a prepared pan and spread evenly. Add a couple drops of red food coloring to the remaining batter, stir to combine, add more as needed, then transfer to the last pan and spread evenly. Firmly tap each pan on the countertop to release air bubbles.
• Bake for 10 to 11 minutes, rotating pans halfway through, until the edges are barely browned, the tops are just set, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Immediately slide cakes from the pans onto racks using the parchment paper. Cool completely.
• Using the parchment paper, slide the green cake onto a half-sheet pan. In a small saucepan, heat preserves over medium until loose, then strain through a fine mesh sieve. Spread half of the preserves over the green layer, going all the way to the edge. Carefully flip the uncolored layer on top (use a large offset spatula to help), and remove the parchment paper. Spread with the remaining preserves. Top with the red layer and remove the parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap and place another rimmed baking sheet on top of the cookies. Transfer to the refrigerator, then top with heavy cans so the weight is evenly distributed. Refrigerate overnight.
• Melt half of the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave in 30-second bursts. Using an offset spatula, spread the chocolate on the top and to the edges, then refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Melt the remaining chocolate. Place a piece of parchment or wax paper on a cutting board, then place on top of the cake and invert the cake onto the board. Spread the bottom with the remaining chocolate. Let cool for a few minutes, then use the tines of a fork to draw waves in the chocolate and add sprinkles, if desired. Refrigerate until almost firm, but still slightly soft, about 5 to 10 minutes. (If you wait until the chocolate is fully set, the chocolate will crack when you cut.)
• Run a sharp knife under hot water, dry, then trim the edges and save for snacking. Cut the cake into 1-inch squares, running the knife under hot water and drying between cuts. Return to the refrigerator to set completely. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container with wax paper between layers. Allow to come to room temperature a bit before serving.