Neapolitan cookies are soft butter cookies flavored with chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. They’re shaped in a loaf pan and made from just 1 cookie dough. So pretty!
Day 9 is one of my favorites—Neapolitan Cookies with chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. These cookies are shaped in a loaf pan and made from just 1 cookie dough.
Neapolitan Cookies from 1 Base Cookie Dough
- EASY. Made from just 1 cookie dough.
- SIMPLE TO SHAPE. No ruler or rolling pin needed. Use a loaf pan. (For another easy cookie recipe that bakes up in a pan, try my shortbread wedges!)
- BUTTERY AND SWEET. I love their flavor.
- SOFT. Crunchy crumbly edges and thick, soft centers.
- FUN WITH FLAVORS. Spruce up the vanilla layer with crushed walnuts or a little coconut extract. Switch out raspberry jam/extract for the strawberry. Add a pinch of espresso powder to the chocolate dough for a mocha flavor. Yum! These flavorful little cookies are such a fun addition to any plate of Christmas cookies.
Prepare the base cookie dough, then divide it into 3 portions. One portion will be your vanilla dough, so set that aside. The other two portions will be your strawberry cookie dough and chocolate cookie dough.
Flavor the Cookie Doughs
To make each flavor, place the portion of dough back in the mixer along with the flavoring ingredients listed in the recipe below. We’re using melted chocolate and cocoa powder in the chocolate cookie dough and strawberry jam, almond extract, and a drop of red/pink food coloring to brighten up the pink color.
Optional but recommended: a little strawberry extract. Makes a BIG difference.
The strawberry cookie dough also needs extra flour to offset the wet strawberry jam.
The EASY Way to Shape Neapolitan Cookies
Put away your ruler and rolling pin because all you need are your hands and a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Line the loaf pan with parchment paper, then press/layer the cookie doughs in. Any order is fine, but I recommend the following:
- Strawberry cookie dough on the bottom
- Vanilla cookie dough in the center
- Chocolate cookie dough on top
There’s a little more strawberry cookie dough because we added extra flour, so it’s best that it’s the base of the neapolitan cookies. And I find the vanilla cookie dough stands out the most when it’s in the center. Just my opinion!
This cookie dough needs to chill.
Chill the cookie dough inside the loaf pan in the refrigerator or freezer. Once chilled, remove from the loaf pan using the parchment paper overhang on the sides. Slice the “loaf” in half lengthwise, then slice each into 1/2 inch thick cookies. Thicker cookies = softer cookies. 🙂
This is optional—try brushing the shaped cookies with egg white + water and sprinkling with coarse sugar..
As these chocolate ginger cookies will tell you… a chocolate dip is the best finishing touch. You need melted chocolate for the chocolate cookie dough layer, so save a little extra for dipping the baked cookies..
Aren’t these 3 layered butter cookies gorgeous?! And couldn’t be easier to shape.
We absolutely loved these and I definitely recommend that strawberry extract for the strawberry dough. (You can find it in the spice aisle of most major grocery stores.) Let me know if you make these 1 dough neapolitan cookies!
1 Dough Neapolitan Cookies Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until creamed, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. Dough will be thick and sticky. Remove from the mixing bowl. No need to rinse out the mixing bowl.
- There’s about 30 ounces of dough (1 lb, 14 ounces). Divide into three equal portions, about 10 ounces each. One portion is your vanilla dough. Nothing will be added to it. Set vanilla dough aside. The other two portions will be your strawberry dough and chocolate dough.
- Place one portion of dough back into the mixing bowl. Add all of the strawberry dough ingredients. I recommend starting with 1 drop of red or pink food coloring. Beat on low speed until dough is combined. Add another drop or 2 of food coloring until you reach the pink color desired.. Remove from the mixing bowl. No need to rinse out the mixing bowl.
- Place last portion of dough back into the mixing bowl. Add all of the chocolate dough ingredients. Beat on low speed until dough is combined.
- . Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to lift the chilled cookie dough out. I recommend layering the cookie dough into the pan in the following order: strawberry dough on the bottom, vanilla dough in the middle, chocolate dough on top. Using your hands, press each dough layer firmly and evenly into prepared loaf pan.
- Cover loaf pan tightly and chill dough in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours (and up to 4 days) or 1 hour in the freezer. (See make ahead tip if you wish to freeze longer.)
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Lift dough out of the pan using the overhang of parchment paper on the sides. You’ll have a 9×5-inch block of dough. Slice in half lengthwise so you have two 2.5 x 9-inch rectangles. Use a sharp knife to trim off the ends so the rectangles are 8 inches long. Slice each into 16 cookies. Each cookie is 1/2 inch thick. Trim the cookie edges to make neat rectangles, if desired.*
- Arrange cookies 2-3 inches apart on the baking sheets. If desired, brush each lightly with egg wash (see recipe note) and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges.
- Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once cool, enjoy cookies or dip in melted chocolate. See recipe note.
- Cookies without chocolate coating will stay fresh covered at room temperature for 1 week. Cookies with chocolate coating will stay fresh covered at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for 1 week.
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