After Sarah Kieffer's cookbook 100 Cookies was released, I kept seeing photos of her colorful strawberry-vanilla-chocolate Neapolitan Cookies all over social media. I am a fan of Neapolitan ice cream and enjoy eating all three flavors together, so I had to give the recipe a try.
All three components of the cookie start out as a vanilla dough that you make by beating room temperature butter with sugar until light and fluffy; adding egg, egg yolk, and vanilla; and mixing in the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, and salt). You divide the dough into thirds. One third stays as is; one third gets mixed with Dutch-process cocoa powder; and the last third gets mixed with ground freeze-dried strawberries and optional food coloring (I did use a bit of electric pink gel food color). I used a #60 scoop to portion out each different flavor of dough; smooshed together a scoop of each flavor to form the Neapolitan cookie; and rolled each cookie in granulated sugar before baking. I got 23 cookies from a batch of dough.
I was so pleased that the three different doughs blended together successfully during baking to create a seamless final product. These cookies were so freakin' delicious. First, they had the perfect texture: crisp on the outside and chewy inside. But just as important, you could clearly taste each distinct flavor, and each was separately delicious. The strawberry was intense and bright; the chocolate was rich and deep; and the vanilla was clean and sweet. I would happily eat a cookie made entirely out of any of the individual flavors.
I've made lots of cookies and bars that are a combination of two different doughs or flavors, and often the end result taste-wise is a unitary blend of the input parts. This tri-color cookie is not a gimmick. Each individual component stands on its own, and their combination is exceptional. My tasters loved the cookies as much as I did, and I know I will be making these beauties again and again.
Recipe: "Neapolitan Cookies" from 100 Cookies by Sarah Kieffer, recipe available here at Sarah's blog.
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