Before the holiday season kicked off, I had this grand plan of doing a cookie countdown of all twelve cookies of Christmas leading up to the holiday.  I thought it would be fun to pair the stunning photos of each variety (taken by the great  Brooke Fitts) with a little description and pop that into your inbox each day. 

Now, that is a great idea for the kind of person who pre-plans and schedules posts in advance. But, anyone who knows me will not be surprised to hear that planning isn’t my strong suit. And posting daily is a real stretch goal for me, especially during a season when I’m so busy baking! And I mean so busy baking. Related: Thanks to everyone who preordered Christmas cookies! I sold out in a matter of hours. FYI, cookies will also be available for walk-ins at my pop-ups. Non-planners: I see you 💖

So we’re gonna see if I can pull this off the way I normally do, a little more off-the-cuff. (Read: rushing to get info out to you at the last minute!).  

Let’s be real, you’re gonna be getting cookie deets well into the new year, ha!

So, regardless of how long it takes to actually get through it, I hope you enjoy the beautiful photos and reading about each and every cookie as much as I love making them for you!  

Italian Rainbow Cookies

Kicking off the Twelve Cookies of Christmas countdown with the cookie that started it all.

I first had Italian rainbow cookies years ago in New York, at the kind of place where one buys cookies by the pound. I haven’t stopped thinking about them since.

During peak pandemic times, when we were all home baking, I became obsessed with mastering the Italian Rainbow Cookie. Perfecting my methods of baking, stacking, coating, and slicing to make a striking cookie that tastes as good as it looks.

A labor of love to make, this cookie is really more of a mini cake.  Made with layers of my signature almond cake, apricot jam between the layers, and coated in dark chocolate.  The traditional cake layers are made in the colors of the Italian flag , red, white and green, but these cookies have become a bit of a canvas for me. I often play around with the colors and flavors, tailoring the cookie to fit the season. 

Rarely found commercially in Seattle, these cookies have developed something of a cult following among their local fans. People come to me looking for the guy who makes rainbow cookies.

By the way, if you’re a try-hard (like me), you can make them yourself! The first thing I ever posted on my blog is my Rainbow cookie recipe. Have at it! Or make things easy on yourself and let me do the baking. If that’s you, I’ll see you at one of my pop-ups!