Aren't these Rainbow Sandwich Cookies lovely! I know I love the classic sugar cookie with frosting. This is the same thing, but reversed. Instead of tinting the frosting, you're tinting the cookie dough. You frost one cookie and then put another cookie on top. These cookies are making me feel excited for a new spring season.
Regular food coloring works fine, but if you happen to see gel food coloring, that will give you the more intense colors you see here. I think this looks like a fun baking project to do with your kids.
Here's the recipe and directions for making these sweet, pretty cookies. Oh yeah, and, ahem, be sure to read the whole recipe all the way through before starting.
Rainbow Sandwich Cookies
Sugar Cookie Dough Recipe via Food Network
Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon milk
Directions:
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Place butter and sugar in large bowl of electric stand mixer and beat until light in color. Add egg and milk and beat to combine. Put mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl.
Frosting Filling Recipe via AllRecipes
Ingredients:
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup shortening or unsalted butter
5 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
In a large bowl, cream together the confectioners' sugar and shortening until smooth. Gradually mix in the milk and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth and stiff, about 5 minutes.
Build Your Rainbow Cookies via Group Recipes
Ingredients:
Cookie dough
Frosting filling
Food coloring or food gel
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375°F. Divide dough evenly among 3 bowls (or 1 for each color you have); tint each dough by stirring in a few drops of desired food color.
2. Shape 1/3 cup of each color of dough into a rope about 5 inches long and 1 inch in diameter. Place ropes side by side and a little more than 1/4 inch apart on floured surface; roll until 1/4 inch thick. Cut with 2- to 2 1/2-inch egg-shaped cookie cutter so each cookie has 3 (or however many) colors. Sprinkle with sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. (When re-rolling dough scraps, carefully lay matching colors together.)
3. Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Spread frosting on bottoms of half the cookies. Top with remaining cookies.
To get the flower design you see in the photo, check out the directions in The Cooking of Joy.
