Italian Bakery Cookies

[Danny Lamprey]

Hello,

So growing up around Boston, we always had these colorful spiral italian bakery cookies in the house in addition to the Italian Rainbow cookies. I recently was brave enough to attempt the rainbow cookies and they came out very well. The taste is EXACTLY the same to the crunchier spiral cookies but the texture is quite different. Has anyone tackled the cookies? I would love to attempt them but my novice status wouldn't know how to make the recipe different... Plus, if you search "italian cookies" you get lots of different results (mostly not what I am looking for. Here is the ingredients for the seven layer/rainbow cookies. Any help would be appreciated!

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 4 eggs yolks
• 4 egg whites
• 1 cup sugar
• 8 ounces butter, room temperature
• 3/4 pound almond paste
• 4 ounces semi-sweet Bakers chocolate
• colors: green & red
• jam

These are what I am after. The striped ones are the ones i made.

 

[retired baker]

Hello,

So growing up around Boston, we always had these colorful spiral italian bakery cookies in the house in addition to the Italian Rainbow cookies. I recently was brave enough to attempt the rainbow cookies and they came out very well. The taste is EXACTLY the same to the crunchier spiral cookies but the texture is quite different. Has anyone tackled the cookies? I would love to attempt them but my novice status wouldn't know how to make the recipe different... Plus, if you search "italian cookies" you get lots of different results (mostly not what I am looking for. Here is the ingredients for the seven layer/rainbow cookies. Any help would be appreciated!

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 4 eggs yolks
• 4 egg whites
• 1 cup sugar
• 8 ounces butter, room temperature
• 3/4 pound almond paste
• 4 ounces semi-sweet Bakers chocolate
• colors: green & red
• jam

These are what I am after. The striped ones are the ones i made.
View attachment 3134View attachment 3132
View attachment 3133

I worked in Boston baking for 50 yrs, a couple of times I worked with bakers who worked at Mikes and Modern in the north end.
Personally I had no interest in their cookies but can tell you anything you make will be light years better.
They don't use almond paste, not in a thousand years. Almond extract yes.
For the chewy macaroons or amaretti they use macaroon paste, which contains no almonds.
They don't buy butter, so they don't use it.
The buttercream ....isn't.
All the cookies sold on Hanover st are machine deposited.

The rainbow cookies, they buy those, same with the colored leaf dipped in choc cookies.
Canoli shells, same thing, they buy them.
Their cookies are shortening based, sweetex to be precise.

Most of these cookies are sold by the big suppliers such as sysco.

Rainbow Layer – Packed in 5 lb. bulk – 00034 – Cookies United Online Store

ordercookies.net

 

[Norcalbaker59]

I worked in Boston baking for 50 yrs, a couple of times I worked with bakers who worked at Mikes and Modern in the north end.
Personally I had no interest in their cookies but can tell you anything you make will be light years better.
They don't use almond paste, not in a thousand years. Almond extract yes.
For the chewy macaroons or amaretti they use macaroon paste, which contains no almonds.
They don't buy butter, so they don't use it.
The buttercream ....isn't.
All the cookies sold on Hanover st are machine deposited.

The rainbow cookies, they buy those, same with the colored leaf dipped in choc cookies.
Canoli shells, same thing, they buy them.
Their cookies are shortening based, sweetex to be precise.

Most of these cookies are sold by the big suppliers such as sysco.

Rainbow Layer – Packed in 5 lb. bulk – 00034 – Cookies United Online Store

ordercookies.net

1. I think you just broke every Italian American heart in America.

2. This finally ends all arguments over which Italian bakery makes the best cookies and cannoli.

3. I’m not going to tell my NY Italian friend cuz she’s old and she deserves to live out the last few years god will give her on this earth under the delusion that Italian bakers on the east coast are up all night baking cookies and making cannoli shells.

4. I’m literally laughing out loud

 

[retired baker]

The best cannoli and cookies was always made by home cooks.
Youtube shows some of the best old methods, canoli shells made with wine and pistaccios, no bakery can get involved in that.
They can bake it but the customer won't pay for it so...