Rainbow Cookie Macaroons (Kosher for Passover)

Ok, so… For my own conscience, I should probably come clean about something right off the bat.

*DEEP INHALE* Ihaven’tkeptkosherforPassoversincebeforemyBatMitzvahwhichwasin2005. THERE, I ADMITTED IT. *catches breath*

I’M SORRY!!! I may have a biblical name, but by all accounts, I am as Jew-ISH as they come. That said though, I am very devoted to the traditions I grew up with, with food being very high at the top of that list (duh).

On Passover – as is true for a lot of Jewish holidays – we celebrate our people’s freedom and perseverance by recalling bad stuff that happened to them and then eating a giant meal. First, we sit around a seder table for *hours* nibbling raw horseradish, salty parsley, dry unleavened bread, and hockey pucks made of fish. THEN, after we feel sufficiently grateful (or maybe just hangry?), we stuff our face with delicious brisket and matzo ball soup. 

As a whole though, Passover food is underrated in my opinion (gefilte fish notwithstanding 🤢).

Charoset? Low key slaps. Why don’t we eat it all year?

Manischewitz? IYKYK. (P.S. Have you ever seen someone try Manischewitz for the first time? It’s hilarious.)

Matzo? Pretty bland by itself, but a great vehicle for pretty much anything. Also, matzo farfel is superior to most other hot cereals. Don’t @ me.

AND, those chocolate covered jelly rings?!? Everyone hates them but me. The more the merrier, I say!

(All this, and yet I can’t give up pasta for 8 freakin’ days… But it’s what it is.)

Now that my guilt is alleviated (lol jk, it never is!) let’s move on to the business of the day: macaroons. These Passover treats are pillowy, chewy coconut clouds that are naturally gluten free and SO delicious. You can dip them in chocolate, eat them plain, OR go off the rails entirely and turn them into these “rainbow cookies.”

Rainbow cookies are a love them or hate them situation, and I LOVE THEM. Fun fact: recently, I found myself wondering why rainbow cookies were always on platters we got from the Jewish deli when they’re actually an Italian dessert. A simple web search revealed to me (even though I probably could have figured this out with common sense) that when European Jewish and Italian immigrants settled together in New York City in the early 20th century, the rainbow cookie found its way into Jewish-American culture.

No matter who’s making it though, my ideal rainbow cookie HAS to tick all of the boxes: tender cake, marzipan (or at the very least, a good almond flavor), jam, AND chocolate. This recipe gets there by taking a coconut macaroon and making it tender, flat, colorful, and almond scented, dipped in chocolate and hugging a layer of jam.

Now, I should mention that I originally debated posting this recipe for two reasons. 1) It was a hit on the first try, and I usually like to test things multiple times to make sure. And 2) it’s more complicated than I usually like my recipes to be. BUT THEY ARE JUST SO DANG CUTE AND FUN (and delish), and when I floated them on Instagram y’all went nuts. Also, Passover starts two days from now. So, here you go! Hope it works 😂 

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How to customize this cookie / factors to keep in mind:

The color

You can use any kind of water-based food coloring (including natural food coloring), using any colors you like! I used 3 drops of each classic color (red, green, and yellow) in each bowl. I whisked the color into the egg white mixture BEFORE folding in the coconut (this order is important!) and got a pretty muted color. I probably could have used a few more drops and gotten more vibrant colors, but I was afraid to thin out the egg white mixture too much. I have not tested this recipe with gel-based food coloring, so I can’t promise what the results will be – but it could work! 

The chocolate

I used 75% dark chocolate chips, and the flavor was very rich. If you prefer a “milder” chocolate, opt for semi-sweet or milk chocolate. You can apply the chocolate in any way you please. Here, half of my cookies are dipped, and the other half have a thin layer of chocolate spread on the flat side with the excess scraped off. With the latter method, the sandwiches get a thin layer of chocolate in the middle, so you get chocolate with every bite. I personally felt this was more reminiscent of a rainbow cookie.

If you choose to dip, do be mindful that the chocolate layer builds up really quickly! If you want to err on the side of less chocolate, only apply chocolate to one cookie per sandwich (as opposed to both and then putting them together, as I have done here), or opt to drizzle the chocolate on AFTER assembling the sandwiches.

The coconut

You could use a coconut with a finer shred than I did here, but I am not sure how a “chunkier” flake would hold up. Either way, be sure to opt for unsweetened – you can control the sweetness better this way.

The egg white

Consistency is key – pale, creamy, shiny, and dripping in “ribbons” off of the whisk is what we are looking for. I whisked it by hand and it came together pretty quickly. I would say there is no need for an electric beater here, but if you do choose to use one, be careful that you do not overwhip the egg whites. The consistency above is what will create a texture that is slightly crackly, chewy, and moist on the inside.

***PRO TIP:You’re going to have 4 egg yolks left over. When Passover is over, use them for this tiramisu recipe, or salt-cure them to shave on top of pasta, risotto, or roasted veggies!***

The filling

Traditionally, apricot and raspberry jams are the two most commonly found in rainbow cookies, but you can use whatever you have on hand. If you want to go that extra marzipan-y mile, feel free to also add a thin layer of almond paste to the sandwich. Or, if you’re trying to be all pastry chef about it, pipe some almond paste in the center and a ring of jam around it.

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