These cookies are my family’s absolute favorite! They are melt in your mouth good and you most definitely won’t be able to stop at one! Between layers of dark chocolate are three light and fluffy, yet delectably moist almond layers with two sweet layers of apricot preserves and raspberry jam. When you take a bite, it’s heaven in your mouth. Okay, maybe I’m getting a little carried away, but they are really yummy!
Here’s a sneak preview of what your finished product will look like. Seven layer cookies are traditionally made with Italy’s flag colors (red, white, and green), but I thought with the Fourth of July coming up it would be fun to use red, white and blue!
Recipe for Dangerously Delicious Seven Layer Cookies
Before you proceed…share this recipe below with your friends.
They will thank you for it!
1. 1 can (8oz) almond paste
2. 1 c butter
3. 1 c sugar
4. 4 egg yolks
5. 4 egg whites
6. 2 c flour
7. 20 drops red food coloring
8. 20 drops blue food coloring
9. 1/4 c apricot preserves
10. 1/4 c (seedless) raspberry jam
11. 1 pkg. dark chocolate chips
The first step is to divide the almond paste into pieces in your mixing bowl with a fork.
Next, add your butter and sugar.
This step is always my least favorite part. I swear I always end up separating 4 extra eggs because my fourth yolk will break into the bowl! Oh well, I just save the mixed batch of eggs and use them for breakfast the next morning. 🙂
Now add the yolks into the mixer and beat until light and fluffy.
Add your flour and mix until combined.
In a clean bowl, whip the egg whites until a soft peak forms when you pull the whisk out. Unfortunately my egg whites got over beat (I’m going to blame it on being a mom and trying to do too many things at once!) and are not pretty, but you get the idea. 🙂
Form a well in the middle of the batter, add your egg whites, and fold them together.
Divide the batter into 3 (1 1/2 c. ea.) and add red and blue food coloring.
Spread a thin layer of each color batter onto parchment covered cookie sheets, and bake at 350 for 12 min. or until the edges are golden brown. Don’t you think they should have invented Smell-O-Vision by now?
Next, spread the raspberry jam on the blue cookie layer.
Add the apricot preserves to the white layer.
Before we continue, I wanted to share this little picture with you. My husband caught our seven year old nibbling on the red cookie layer. Thank goodness he caught him! Of course we couldn’t be too mad, they are pretty irresistible. 🙂
Okay, stack the cookie layers starting with blue, then white, and then red. Wrap the cookies in saran wrap, and place a baking dish with heavy items on top (i.e. soup cans). The weight on top of the cookies levels the top layer. Refrigerate the saran wrapped cookies with the weighted baking dish overnight. Don’t try to cheat on this step! The cookies taste so much better the day after and are so worth the wait!
The next day, take the cookies out and start melting your dark chocolate chips in the microwave in a bowl for 20-25 second segments, and mix with a spoon in between. Once melted, spread a thin layer on the red cookie layer and then refrigerate. This allows the chocolate to set so you can turn the cookies over and spread a thin layer of chocolate on the blue cookie. Refrigerate again and once your second chocolate layer is set you can cut the cookies. I usually cut them into rectangles, but feel free to get creative!
Dangerously Delicious Seven Layer Cookies!

Ingredients
- 1 can 8 oz almond paste
- 1 c butter
- 1 c sugar
- 4 egg yolks
- 4 egg whites
- 2 c flour
- 20 drops red food coloring
- 20 drops blue food coloring
- 1/4 c apricot preserves
- 1/4 c seedless raspberry jam
- 1 pkg. dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Make one day in advance!
- Preheat the oven to 350. Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper. Using a fork, break up almond paste into small pieces in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter, sugar, and egg yolks. With the mixer, beat until light and fluffy. Add flour and mix until combined.
- In a clean bowl, beat egg whites until a soft peak forms. Add the whipped egg whites to the other mixture and fold them in. Separate dough into 3 bowls (1 1/2 c ea). Add food coloring to 2 mixtures and 3rd mixture is left plain. Spread and bake each mixture for 12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
- Invert each layer onto wire racks, remove the pan, then turn right side up to cool.
- Spread raspberry jam over the blue layer, apricot preserves on the white layer, and the red layer left plain. Starting with the blue layer, stack the white layer on and then the red layer. Holding the edges of the parchment paper lift all three layers onto the cookie sheet. Wrap with saran wrap and place a baking dish on top with heavy items (i.e. soup cans). Refrigerate overnight to ensure tastier cookies and to allow the weighted baking dish to level the top cookie layer.
- Next day, remove cookies from saran wrap and melt dark chocolate chip cookies in the microwave for 20-25 second increments. Spread a thin layer on the red cookie layer and then refrigerate to set the chocolate. Remove cookies, flip over, spread a thin layer of chocolate on the blue cookie layer, and refrigerate again. Remove from the refrigerator and cut cookies into rectangular bars or desired shape. Enjoy!
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There you have it, the finished product! I am so excited for you guys to try your dangerously delicious seven layer cookies! Bon appetit and Happy Fourth!
Want some other 4th of July Food Ideas? Check out below!
Dress up your 4th of July table with these other fun foods – perfect for celebrating!
RaisingCreativeChildren says
Great idea – reminds us of the rainbow cookies of our youth. This got us thinking about the possibilities of having kids explore color possibilities and experiment with how to create the colors they want for the cookie!
Nesleirbag says
These are almost too pretty to eat, Carina, but I’ll bet they taste delicious with that almond paste in them!
Kirsten says
From your pictures, it looks like you he used almond paste – thick and light colored.
But, your directions say to use a can of almond pastry filling. I did that, but it is not a paste – no need to break up with a fork. It is moist and gooey – and dark colored! I hope it doesn’t mess up the red, white, and blue!
Carina says
Thank you so much for catching my mistake Kirsten! I am so silly, throughout my whole post I wrote “almond paste” but in the recipe I listed “almond pastry filling”. I apologize for the confusion!
Momof4 says
Pretty cookie. definitely NOT one to do with kids. Ours did NOT turn out anything like the pic..’disappointed since it is kind of pricey for everything. Our cookie layers were like pancakes,not at all fluffy. Followed directions to a T.
Carina says
Momof4, I am so sorry the cookies didn’t work out for you and your kids! I know how frustrating it can be when baking doesn’t turn out how you want it to! Kirsten brought to my attention in her comment, that I made a mistake listing “almond pastry filling” in the ingredients instead of almond paste. I’m wondering if that’s why your cookie layers were more like pancakes? If so, I apologize for any inconvenience!