Spumoni Slices

These cookies are the slice-and-bake version of spumoni ice cream. One base dough gets divided into thirds: one tinted pink with chopped candied cherries, one darkened with melted chocolate, and one colored green with pistachios, rum flavoring, and a few drops of food coloring. Layered in a loaf pan, chilled, and sliced thin, they bake up into striking tri-colored cookies.

The loaf pan method is clever. Pressing each colored dough in flat layers creates clean, distinct stripes when sliced. Lining the pan with plastic wrap makes the chilled block slide right out for easy cutting. Each ¼-inch slice gets cut into three pieces, so you end up with 84 petite cookies from one batch.

After a 4-24 hour chill, the dough firms up enough to slice cleanly without smearing the colors together. A quick bake at high heat sets them with lightly browned edges and a tender, shortbread-like crumb.

Chef Tips

• Press each layer evenly and firmly in the pan. Uneven layers create thin spots that break when sliced.
• Chill for at least 4 hours. The dough must be completely firm to slice without distorting the color layers.
• Use a sharp, thin knife and clean it between cuts. Chocolate smeared onto the cherry or pistachio layers looks messy.
• Watch closely during baking. At 8-10 minutes, these go from perfect to overdone quickly.

Variations

• Drizzle with melted white chocolate instead of green icing for an elegant finish.
• Replace rum flavoring with almond extract in the pistachio layer for a different character.
• Add a pinch of peppermint extract to the green layer for a holiday mint-chocolate-cherry twist.