Cousin Angie's 7 Layer Neapolitan Cookies (Italian Flag Cookies)

This Italian American cookie has always been my favorite even as a kid.  Whenever we would go to our local bakery, Savoia's, I would make sure we put a few of these in our box and one for me to eat in the car to go.  My Italian cousin's living in New Jersey would also visit once a year and would bring homemade goodies such as sponge cake with Crema Pasticcera, Almond Torrone, and Neapolitan cookies.  My cousin, Angie Forte's Neapolitan cookies taste better than the ones we get at our local bakery! Last year I decided to ask my cousin if she would share the recipe with me so I could try to make them myself.  She was more than happy to share and explain the process to me.  She said she got this recipe from an Italian Bakery in New Jersey that closed and she was good friends with the owner who shared this recipe with her. 

Quick Fact about these cookies:  These are strictly Italian American cookies and not anything you would actually find in Italy.  They were created by early Italian immigrants to pay homage to the colors of their native Italian Flag.  Now you will find them in any Italian American Bakery! 

Click Here for Printable Recipe:

Ingredients:

* 1- 8oz. container of Almond Paste, room temperature (I use Solo Brand)

*1 Cup (2 Sticks) of Unsalted Butter, room temperature 

* 1 Cup of White Granulated Sugar

* 4 Egg Yolks

* 4 Egg White

* 2 Cups of Good Quality All Purpose White Flour

* 24 drops of Red Food Coloring (or until you get the desired color)

* 15 drops of green food coloring (or until you get the desired color)

* Seedless Raspberry Jam (about 3-4 heaping Tbsp) (I use Smuckers Brand)

* Apricot Jam (about 3-4 heaping Tbsp) (I use Smuckers Brand)

* 12 oz. Package of good quality Melting Chocolate (I use Ghiradelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips)

* Baking Spray with Flour

~*~Tools and supplies you will need~*~

*3- 9X13 Baking Tins (The dollar Store Brand works great!), Wax Paper, Paper Bowls (trust me!), something flat like a book or a cutting board, KitchenAid Mixer (if you have one), Scale (if you have one) fork, spoon, spatula

Procedure:

* Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

* Separate the Egg White and the Egg Yolks

*Using a KitchenAid Paddle attachment mix the Butter, Sugar, Egg Yolks, and Almond Paste together until smooth.  (I found breaking up the Almond Paste with your hands helps before putting it in the mixer).  (Don't worry if you still see a few tiny lumps of Almond Paste)

*Next, add the flour and continue mixing until it is all incorporated.

* With a Fork Whisk the Egg White until nice and frothy!

* Using a Spatula, incorporate the Foamy Egg Whites into the Batter until all incorporated

* Using a Scale, Divide the batter into 3 even amounts into three Paper Bowls

* In the first bowl, add Red Food Coloring and mix well with a spoon

* In the second bowl, add Green Food Coloring and mix it well with a spoon

* Leave the third bowl of batter as is

* Next, Spray each of the 9X13 in. tins with Baking Spray.

* In the First Baking Tin, spread the Green Batter evenly using a Fork

* In the Second Baking Tin, spread the Red Batter evenly using a Fork

* In the Third Baking Tin, spread the Plain Color Batter evenly using a Fork

* Bake for 10-12 minutes (in my oven 12 min. is perfect) (I am able to put two tins in at a time and then I bake the third tin once the first two are done)  

* Put some Apricot Jam into a bowl and stir to get the lumps out

* Put the Raspberry Jam into a bowl and stir to get the lumps out

* Once the cakes are cool (usually 15 minutes because they are so thin), I carefully flip the Green Cake onto a large cutting board lined with Wax Paper.

* Spread a thin layer of Apricot Jam all over the Green Cake.

* Flip the Plain Color Cake over the Green Cake Layer

* Spread a thin layer of Raspberry Jam all over the Plain Color Cake

* Lastly, Flip the Red Cake over the top of the Raspberry Jam Layer

* Put a layer of wax paper over the top and then something flat like a book or a cutting board on top of that.  Put it in the fridge for about 1-2 hours to get the layers to mould together.

* Once it is done refrigerating, put half of the bag of chocolate chips into a microwavable bowl (I use a paper bowl for easy clean up) and microwave for about 1 1/2 minutes or until melted and smooth when stirring.

* Spread an even and smooth layer of melted chocolate over the top of the Cookie Cake (You can let it get messy on the side because the sides will all get trimmed when done) 

* Put the cake bake into the refrigerator until the chocolate has completely hardened.

* Once the chocolate has hardened, Carefully flip the cake over onto the same board lined with a fresh sheet of wax paper

* Put the other half of the bag of chocolate chips into a microwavable bowl (I use a paper bowl for easy clean up) and microwave for about 1 1/2 minutes or until melted and smooth when stirring.

* Spread an even and smooth layer of melted chocolate over the other side of the Cookie Cake (You can let it get messy on the side because the sides will all get trimmed when done) 

* Put the cake bake into the refrigerator until that layer of chocolate has completely hardened.

* When done, use a long sharp knife to trim the edges of the cake to look pretty

* Cut into rectangles and then into desires size cookie pieces!
* If you eat them cold from the fridge they will be dry, so make sure to Eat and serve these at room temperature where they will be moist and delicious! 

~*~Enjoy~*~