Rainbow cookies are an Italian American classic, especially in the New York tristate area. They are a bit of a labor of love, but they are worth it. My Grandma Rosemarie made them every Christmas, and they were something we always looked forward to. Grandma’s were cakier and had a chocolate buttercream frosting on top rather than the traditional hard chocolate shell, which was delicious, but I sometimes longed for a differentiation in texture.
When I was writing this book, my sister Christiana (the biggest rainbow cookie fan) and I put our heads together to figure out how we could tweak Grandma’s recipe to make it even better. After several trial runs and taste tests with my sisters and my employees, I got it. They are super moist but still have that subtle denseness from the almond paste, and there is both apricot and raspberry jam - because why choose? The tart, sweet notes of raspberry and the slightly floral essence of apricot both complement the almond beautifully.
This recipe makes about 35 cookies (though you can cut them to any size you would like), and when sealed in a container, you will find that days later they are still perfection - maybe even better than the day prior.
Chef and baker Danielle Sepsy, founder of the New York City bakery The Hungry Gnome, shares her version in her debut cookbook, The Scone Queen Bakes, out March 24 from Alfred A. Knopf.
From The Scone Queen Bakes © 2026 by Danielle Sepsy. Photo by Nico Schinco. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Danielle Sepsy shares more of her baking on @ChefDanielleSepsy or @thehungrygnome.
In the mood for more cookie recipes? Explore more of Appetito’s favorite cookie recipes.
