When it comes to baking, I tend to stick to the basics.
I’m not going to bake a 3-tier cake from scratch. Give me some butter, sugar, and flour and I’ll make drop cookies all day long. The easier, the better.
These cookies are about as intense as I’ll go. I kept seeing people posting neapolitan cookie pictures on a holiday recipe group I’m a part of on Facebook, and I really wanted to give them a whirl. Was it the best decision I ever made? Probably not. These were very intensive cookies and I even had to enlist the help of my husband to get them done.
They’re delicious, but they’re not quite traditional Neapolitans. I didn’t have any cocoa powder to make the classic chocolate, nut, and almond flavor levels, so I adapted. I went with one flavor for each of the three layers, and died the last one green to give it a more festive flair.
My layers also didn’t come out very straight. They’re a bit curved, a bit tie-dye-esque. Do I care? Nope. I made these on a whim, and the people at work ate them—so I’m going to chalk that up as a win in my book.
If you’re into almond flavoring, you’ll love these cookies. They’re like simple sugar cookies but with an added kick of flavor with the almond extract. They taste wonderful with a hot cup of coffee or a cold glass of milk. I’m also thinking Santa would really like these left out for him on Christmas Eve…
Enjoy!
Christmas Neapolitan Cookies
Sweet sugar cookies with an almond kick, made in festive Christmas colors.
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tsp. almond extract
- Red and green food coloring
Directions
- Line a 9×5″ loaf pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together sugar and butter. Beat in egg, vanilla, and almond extract.
- In another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly add flour mixture to creamed butter mixture. Beat until well mixed.
- Lay out three bowls. Separate dough into three equal portions. Dye one red with red food coloring (mix with hands until you get the desired red color). Dye another batch green with green food coloring. Keep last batch of dough free of dye.
- Press red dough into the bottom of prepared loaf pan. Top with original dough that wasn’t dyed, and then press green dough on top of that. Try to get it even by using your fingers.
- Refrigerate dough for 3 hours until firm.
- Take out dough using parchment paper overhang. Slice in half lengthwise, then cut 1/8″ square cookies out of each half.
- Lay out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until edges are firm. Remove cookies to a wire rack to cool.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Line a 9×5″ loaf pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together sugar and butter. Beat in egg, vanilla, and almond extract.
In another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly add flour mixture to creamed butter mixture. Beat until well mixed.
Lay out three bowls. Separate dough into three equal portions. Dye one red with red food coloring (mix with hands until you get the desired red color). Dye another batch green with green food coloring. Keep last batch of dough free of dye.
Press red dough into the bottom of prepared loaf pan.
Top with original dough that wasn’t dyed, and then press green dough on top of that. Try to get it even by using your fingers. Refrigerate dough for 3 hours until firm.
Take out dough using parchment paper overhang. Slice in half lengthwise, then cut 1/8″ square cookies out of each half.
Lay out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until edges are firm. Remove cookies to a wire rack to cool.
