I’ve invited RecipeLion to share a fun rainbow cookie recipe with you. RecipeLion is a great place to find recipes. You can even find my Blueberry Spinach Leprechaun Muffins recipe (and many more) over there!
With St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner, we’re thrilled to share out Rainbow Cookie recipe and tutorial with the Merry About Town readers! We made these cute little rainbow-shaped cookies in the RecipeLion Test Kitchen last year and they were a big hit! Making the colorful dough and rolling them up together is a ton of fun.

You won’t believe how bright and beautiful these sweet little treats turn out. Your kids will be in awe of them. Serve them up with a Copycat Shamrock Shake for a gorgeous green St. Patrick’s Day treat!
These cookies work best when you give the dough some extra time to freeze. This helps the cookies retain their shape and ensures that the colors don’t mix or combine while you’re cutting them. With this in mind, give yourself a little extra time if you plan on making them.
Adorable Rainbow Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 pound plus 8 tablespoons butter (3 sticks or 3/4 cup), cut into pieces and kept very cold
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon each color gel food coloring: red, orange, yellow, green, violet
- Edible gold sprinkles (for decoration)
Instructions:
Combine 2 cups of the flour with the baking powder, salt, and sugars in a food processor; pulse to mix. Add the cold butter in pieces; process in short bursts until the mixture has a crumbly consistency. Add vanilla extract and process several times in 5-second pulses until dough ball forms.

Divide the dough into 6 equal portions. Add one portion of dough to the bowl of a stand mixer (with paddle attachment) and tint with the red food color. Add 2 tablespoons of flour and mix to combine. It should resemble the consistency of play-doh; it should not be sticky. If need be, add more flour. Repeat process with remaining dough piece and flour for all colors of the rainbow.

Roll the violet portion of dough under your palms evenly. It should be pipe-shaped, about 10-inches long.

Roll the blue portion into a 10-inch long piece and roll flat. This piece should be about 1/4-inch in thickness. Wrap over the violet portion by placing violet portion inside and rolling up like a jelly roll. Trim off any excess dough.

Repeat this process using the remaining dough. You’ll want to start from the center in the following color orders: violet, blue, green, yellow, orange, red. Note: Tears in the dough may occur during this process. You can repair them as needed by pinching the dough back together but it doesn’t have to be perfect.

Wrap the finished dough roll in parchment paper and chill in the freezer for 15 minutes or until slightly firm.
Tip: The cookies slice more cleanly when slightly frozen.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a knife, slice the dough into 1/4-inch thick cookies. Then, cut the circles in half for a fun rainbow shape.

Bake cookies on parchment lined baking sheets for 12-15 minutes.
Adorable Rainbow Cookie Recipe Printable

Adorable Rainbow Cookie Recipe
Adorable Rainbow Cookie Recipe to make for St. Patrick's Day, birthday parties or just for a happy day!
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup confectioners sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup butter, 3 sticks, cut into pieces and kept very cold
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon gel food coloring, each for red, orange, yellow, green, violet
- Edible gold sprinkles, for decoration
Instructions
- Combine 2 cups of the flour with the baking powder, salt, and sugars in a food processor; pulse to mix. Add the cold butter in pieces; process in short bursts until the mixture has a crumbly consistency. Add vanilla extract and process several times in 5-second pulses until dough ball forms.
- Divide the dough into 6 equal portions. Add one portion of dough to the bowl of a stand mixer (with paddle attachment) and tint with the red food color. Add 2 tablespoons of flour and mix to combine. It should resemble the consistency of play-doh; it should not be sticky. If need be, add more flour. Repeat process with remaining dough piece and flour for all colors of the rainbow.
- Roll the violet portion of dough under your palms evenly. It should be pipe-shaped, about 10-inches long.
- Roll the blue portion into a 10-inch long piece and roll flat. This piece should be about 1/4-inch in thickness. Wrap over the violet portion by placing violet portion inside and rolling up like a jelly roll. Trim off any excess dough.
- Repeat this process using the remaining dough. You'll want to start from the center in the following color orders: violet, blue, green, yellow, orange, red. Note: Tears in the dough may occur during this process. You can repair them as needed by pinching the dough back together but it doesn't have to be perfect.
- Wrap the finished dough roll in parchment paper and chill in the freezer for 15 minutes or until slightly firm.
- Tip: The cookies slice more cleanly when slightly frozen.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a knife, slice the dough into 1/4-inch thick cookies. Then, cut the circles in half for a fun rainbow shape.
- Bake cookies on parchment lined baking sheets for 12-15 minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
72Amount Per Serving: Calories: 41Saturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 25mgCarbohydrates: 5gSugar: 1g

More St. Patrick’s Day Recipes from RecipeLion.com
Find even tastier makes for March over on RecipeLion. Some of our favorites are listed below:
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Judy
Friday 7th of June 2019
The red crumbled when I made this. I don’t know why. But one thing I’d definitely recommend is you have 1 larger ball. The red has to make it over the whole thing. Overall I’m not sure I’d bother with this again.