Authentic Italian Rainbow Cookies Recipe: A Delicious Burst of Color and Flavor (2024)

FAQs

What is the origin of the Italian rainbow cookie? ›

Sicilian immigrants are believed to have invented the dessert in New York. The dessert also goes by the name of a seven-layer cookie thanks to the way the ingredients are layered. Rainbow cookies feature three layers of cake, two layers of raspberry jam, and two layers of chocolate.

While there is no direct analogue to rainbow cookies in Italy, Italian food historian Mary Taylor Simeti speculates that the Italian-American rainbow cookie is based on the tri-colored gelato di campagna, a nougat with the same colored layers.

Historically, immigrants from Italy created the rainbow cookie to pay homage to their ancestral country (the colors represent the Italian flag).

Pizzelles are the oldest known cookie and originated in the mid-section of Italy. They were made many years ago for the “Festival of the Snakes” also known as the “Feast Day of San Domenico”.

This is the proper name for the biscuit we know as biscotti, which in Italian just means “cookies.” Twice-baked and sliced, these ultra-crunchy, not-too-sweet biscuits are usually studded with nuts and simply beg to be dipped in coffee, tea, or a glass of vin santo.

Rainbow cookies originate in Italy, but Italian Americans added the color scheme to celebrate their heritage. The yellow layer used to be a white layer, so you'd have the Italian flag.

Italian Rainbow cookies are sometimes also called Neopolitans, Venetian Cookies, 7 Layer Cookies, Italian Flag Cookies, and even Tri-color cookies. Many of you probably know them as Seven Layer Cookies (3 cake, 2 chocolate and 2 jam).

Biscotti History

In medieval Italy, a variation of biscotti known as cantuccini was created in the Tuscan town of Prato. This version of biscotti was made with almonds and was typically enjoyed with a sweet dessert wine like vin santo.

For cookies, bars, cakes/cupcakes, biscuits, scones, or anything that needs a tender crumb, use Farina di grano tenero, 00. This is your “cake flour.” Nobody wants a chewy cake. For bread, I recommend starting off with Farina di Manitoba, grano tenero, 0; this is similar to standard American bread flour.

What is the most popular Italian cookie in the United States? ›

Biscotti Amaretti is the most famous Italian cookie of all. Made without flour or any added fat this almond macaroon is light, crunchy and intensely almond.

The word biscotto, used in modern Italian to refer to a biscuit (or cookie) of any kind, originates from the Medieval Latin word biscoctus, meaning 'twice-cooked'.

While you may not find rainbow cookies in Italy, it is authentically an Italian American creation. In the early 1900s, the recipe was created by Italian immigrants as a way to honor their country of origin.

The colours of the rainbow or the rainbow order is the following – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.

A macaron is a colorful, delicate sandwich cookie, and a macaroon is a mound of sweet, shredded coconut. No matter how different they are, the similar spelling of these two confections has led to confusion over which cookie is which.

In 8th century Abruzzo, Italy, the pizzelle was created and heralded for its subtle sweetness and satisfying crispy texture. These golden waffle cookies are so important to the people of south-central Abruzzo that two neighboring towns still argue about which town originated the pizzelle.

Another claim is that the American name derives from the Dutch word koekje or more precisely its informal, dialect variant koekie which means little cake, and arrived in American English with the Dutch settlement of New Netherland, in the early 1600s.

Rainbow cookies were made popular in the late 1800's and early 1900's by Italian-American bakeries, particularly those found in New York City (think: De Lillo's or Cafe Ferrara). The cookie seems to be a product of cross-cultural assimilation. There's no counterpart to it in Italy.