Sliced Rainbow Cookies for St Patrick’s Day

This rainbow cookie recipe has long been a favorite of the kids in the Hey Mom! What’s Cooking? house, they love the bright rainbow colors. They also make a perfect treat for St Patrick’s Day. So here you go our favorite St Patrick’s Day Rainbow Cookie recipe straight from my kitchen to yours.

a plate of colourful rainbow stripped cookies

St Patrick’s Day Rainbow Cookies

When you think of St Patrick’s day one of the first things that come to mind after Shamrocks are Rainbows right? Well, these rainbow cookies are one of the simple ways that we celebrate St Patrick’s Day here.

red, orange, yellow, green and blue stripped cookies on a plate with a glass of milk behind

Yes before you tell me food coloring isn’t great for the kids! I know, but it’s not often and they do make brilliant cookies to share.

What food coloring to use for Rainbow Cookies

If you want to get bright and vibrant rainbow colors in your cookies like we have then you will want to use a food coloring gel instead of a liquid. The gel is much stronger and a little will color the dough for the cookies really well.


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Close up of a colourful St Patrick's Day stripped rainbow cookie

Ingredients for St Patrick’s Day Cookies

  • 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 ½ cups white sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Red, orange, yellow, green, and blue food coloring gel

How to Make Rainbow Cookies for St Patrick’s Day

1. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder until combined. Set aside.

dry ingredients in a bowl for making cookies

2. In a separate bowl, beat together the butter and sugar.

unsalted butter and sugar for creaming together to make cookies

3. Add the egg and vanilla and beat to combine.

egg and vanilla extract added to creamed butter and sugar for making cookies

4. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined.

5. Separate the dough evenly into five bowls. Add three to four drops of gel food coloring to each bowl and work the coloring into the dough until the dough is fully tinted. Wear gloves to keep the food coloring from staining your hands.

cookie dough in 5 bowls with a few drops of food coloring gel added to the centre of each

6. When all the dough is colored, place each color in a quart size zip top bag and press the dough into a rectangle in the bottom of the bag, making sure to keep each color roughly the same size.

colourful cookie dough in zip top bags ready to go in the fridge to chill

7. Place the dough in the refrigerator to chill for at least two hours.

layered colourful cookie dough ready to be wrapped to chill again for rainbow cookies

8. When the dough has hardened, use scissors to cut the bag from around each color and stack them in the order of a rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, and blue.

9. Make sure the edges are lined up evenly on the stack, then wrap the entire stack tightly with plastic wrap. Place the dough back in the refrigerator to chill for 2 hours.

10. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

slices of rainbow cookie dough on a wooden chopping board

11. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and slice the stack into ¼ inch slices. Trim the rough edges off each slice, then cut the slice in half down the middle to make two cookies.

rainbow cookie dough in rectangles on a lined baking tray ready to go in the oven

12. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet, leaving around one inch between each cookie for spreading. Place the remaining cookies in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake your next batch.

13. Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, then allow the cookies to cool on the pan for around five minutes. After that, transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before serving.

rainbow cookies out of the oven and cooling on a wire wrack
Yield: 24 Cookies

St Patrick's Day Rainbow Cookie Recipe

St Patrick's Day Rainbow Cookies stacked on a plate

A bright and colourful Rainbow cookie recipe ideal for St Patrick's Day treats for the whole family.

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chilling Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 ½ cups white sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Red, orange, yellow, green, and blue food coloring gel

Instructions

  1. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder until combined. Set aside. dry ingredients in a bowl for making cookies
  2. In a separate bowl, beat together the butter and sugar. unsalted butter and sugar for creaming together to make cookies
  3. Add the egg and vanilla and beat to combine. egg and vanilla extract added to creamed butter and sugar for making cookies
  4. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
  5. Separate the dough evenly into five bowls. Add three to four drops of gel food coloring to each bowl and work the coloring into the dough until the dough is fully tinted. Wear gloves to keep the food coloring from staining your hands. cookie dough in 5 bowls with a few drops of food coloring gel added to the centre of each
  6. When all the dough is colored, place each color in a quart size zip top bag and press the dough into a rectangle in the bottom of the bag, making sure to keep each color roughly the same size. colourful cookie dough in zip top bags ready to go in the fridge to chill
  7. Place the dough in the refrigerator to chill for at least two hours.
  8. When the dough has hardened, use scissors to cut the bag from around each color and stack them in the order of a rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, and blue. layered colourful cookie dough ready to be wrapped to chill again for rainbow cookies
  9. Make sure the edges are lined up evenly on the stack, then wrap the entire stack tightly with plastic wrap. Place the dough back in the refrigerator to chill for 2 hours.
  10. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  11. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and slice the stack into ¼ inch slices. Trim the rough edges off each slice, then cut the slice in half down the middle to make two cookies. slices of rainbow cookie dough on a wooden chopping board
  12. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet, leaving around one inch between each cookie for spreading. Place the remaining cookies in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake your next batch. rainbow cookie dough in rectangles on a lined baking tray ready to go in the oven
  13. Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, then allow the cookies to cool on the pan for around five minutes. After that, transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before serving.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

24

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 175Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 127mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 1gSugar: 13gProtein: 2g

Did you make this recipe and loved it?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

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