Italian Rainbow Cookies

• Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C.
• Line the bottom of three 9 by 13-­inch / 24 by 36cm pans with greased parchment paper.
• In a food processor, pulverize the sugar and almond paste. Add the butter a few tablespoons at a time and blend well, making sure the mixture is smooth before adding the next few tablespoons. Scrape the sides of the bowl to make sure it is all blended evenly.
• Add the yolks, one at a time, until evenly blended. Add the milk and almond extract. Add one-­third of the flour (2/3 cup / 80g) and pulse until just combined. Repeat with the remaining flour (1 1/3 cups / 160g).
• In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until they are just holding stiff peaks. Add one-­third of the whipped whites to the almond paste mixture and pulse to incorporate. Pour the mixture out of the food processor bowl and into the bowl of egg whites and fold everything together. Divide the batter into three bowls. Color one bowl with the red food coloring, another with the green, and leave the last bowl without color.
• Spread the red batter in a prepared pan. Repeat with the green batter in the second pan, and natural-­colored batter in the third pan. Bake in the top and bottom thirds of the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until set. Check after 10 minutes to make sure they are baking evenly and rotate top to bottom and back to front if needed. Allow to cool completely in the pan.

To Assemble

• Brush the sambuca over the baked red layer, still in the pan, and then cover it with half of the raspberry preserves, making sure to spread it all the way to the edges. Invert the natural-­colored layer over the raspberry-­topped red layer (be sure to remove parchment paper once it is in place), and cover with the remaining preserves. Invert the final green layer on top of the raspberry-­topped natural-­colored layer. Press the three layers gently together, then peel off the top parchment paper from the green layer.
• Spread half of the chocolate evenly over the top. Using a serrated knife or a fork, draw squiggly lines in the chocolate to create a wavy pattern. Refrigerate the layers until the chocolate is well set, about 30 minutes. Flip the layers over onto a cutting board or sheet of parchment paper, remove the parchment paper from the red layer, spread with the remaining melted chocolate, and create the wavy pattern again. Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.
• Using a thin, sharp knife dipped in hot water to prevent the chocolate from cracking, trim the edges, so you have a clean, even edge. Cut the layers into small pieces—­I went with 1 by 2 inches / 2.5 by 7.5cm, but it’s totally up to you.