Have you voted in the photo contest?
Four of our trip pictures have been entered in a photo contest run by the good folks at easycar.com. Oh happy day - all four photos are currently in the top 10 out of 370 photos. You can vote for each by clicking here, (remember 10 is a good vote! *smile*) here, here, and here.
Yes, you CAN vote for all four photos.
You can only vote once from any given IP address - this means you can vote once for EACH pic from both at home and at work! If you have two computers networked at home, you can only vote on one of them, however. If you have a Blackberry though, that is a third vote. If you send these links to friends, relatives, or people who bug you with unwanted e-mails - just think of the of votes! It boggles the mind.
Heck, do what I do - vote at every hotel, conference centre, and friend's house in which you find a PC attached to the internet. Don't be shy at all. :-)
My grandmother used to make these cookies when I was younger - although she stopped as I got older - likely because they were too fiddly for her arthritic hands. Ever since I found the recipe in a Taste of Home cookbook I've wanted to try them but I was afraid of the recipe - it just seems intimidating!
This week, in my frenzy of festive baking, I decided to throw caution to the wind and revisit my childhood. I discovered that these cookies aren't hard to make - as long as you work through each of the steps carefully.
Paul gave them the 'sampler' test tonight and decided that they were wonderful! When I tried my first one I closed my eyes and was immediately transported back to my childhood Christmases at my grandmother's house.
Enjoy!
Rainbow Cookies
1 can (8 ounces) almond paste
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
4 eggs, separated
2 cups all-purpose flour
6 to 8 drops red food coloring
6 to 8 drops green food coloring
1/4 cup seedless red raspberry jam
1/4 cup apricot jam
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chipsGrease the bottoms of three matching 13-in. x 9-in. baking pans (or reuse one pan). Line the pans with waxed paper; grease the paper.
Place almond paste in a large mixing bowl; break up with a fork. Cream with butter, sugar and egg yolks until light, fluffy and smooth. Stir in flour. In another mixing bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold into dough, mixing until thoroughly blended.
Divide dough into three portions (about 1-1/3 cups each). Color one portion with red food coloring and one with green; leave the remaining portion uncolored. Spread each portion into the prepared pans. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until edges are light golden brown.
Invert onto wire racks; remove waxed paper. Place another wire rack on top and turn over. Cool completely.
Place green layer on a large piece of plastic wrap. Spread evenly with raspberry jam. Top with uncolored layer and spread with apricot jam. Top with pink layer. Bring plastic wrap over layers. Slide onto a baking sheet and set a cutting board or heavy, flat pan on top to compress layers. Refrigerate overnight.
The next day, melt chocolate in a double boiler. Spread over top layer; allow to harden. With a sharp knife, trim edges. Cut into 1/2-in. strips across the width; then cut each strip into 4-5 pieces. Store in airtight containers.
Yield: about 8 dozen.
Very Proustian! And Colorful!
Posted by: Kathryn Gerth | December 19, 2008 at 07:46 PM
Certainly colourful - that is why I love them (well, that and the fact that they taste GREAT!)
Posted by: JDeQ | December 19, 2008 at 09:33 PM
MADE THE RAINBOW COOKIES THEY WERE GREAT BUT IS THERE A EASY WAY TO SPREAD THEM INTO THE PAN THAT MADE ME CRAZY VERY HARD TO DO
Posted by: DOT | December 20, 2008 at 11:12 AM
They are lovely, Jerry!! Something about them reminds me of my childhood, walking past bakeries in our neighborhood in NYC where they would make such nice creations!
Posted by: diana | December 20, 2008 at 11:59 AM
Ooooh, those are so pretty! I wonder if I could make them with my hand-held beater?
Posted by: sandrac | December 21, 2008 at 07:15 PM
Dot - i had some problems as well - then I used an offest spatulat and it worked quite well.
Diana - I am impressed - I've yet to meet a bakery in NY that I could walk PAST!
Sandra - I think that the Sunbeam might finally meet its maker! LOL
Posted by: JDeQ | December 22, 2008 at 08:07 AM
JERRY! I love those cookies; yours look fantastic. My aunt used to make them each year for us; I may have to guilt her into a batch. :D
Posted by: Kim | December 23, 2008 at 06:20 PM
Oh, reading a blog page is SO much better when the samples arrive in the mail!
Yes, these are definitely worth the bother!
Mille Grazie!
Posted by: Palma | December 23, 2008 at 09:30 PM
You had better do that quickly Kim because they take some time to bake! LOL
Palma - I'm glad that your package arrived. Enjoy.
Posted by: JDeQ | December 24, 2008 at 06:43 AM