Description
Delight in these visually stunning Neapolitan Cookies, featuring three distinct doughs flavored with vanilla bean, rich cocoa, and tangy freeze-dried strawberry. Soft, buttery, and melt-in-your-mouth, these cookies bring the classic Neapolitan ice cream flavors into a charming baked treat perfect for any occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter softened
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature preferred
- 4 cups (450 g) cake flour
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Vanilla Dough
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
Chocolate Dough
- 3 Tablespoons (18 g) natural cocoa powder
Strawberry Dough
- ⅓ cup (15 g) freeze dried strawberry powder
Instructions
- Prepare Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer bowl, beat the softened unsalted butter and granulated sugar together using an electric mixer until the mixture becomes light, fluffy, and well combined.
- Add Eggs: Incorporate the eggs into the butter and sugar mixture, stirring until fully combined and smooth.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together cake flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to ensure even distribution.
- Combine Dry and Wet Ingredients: Gradually add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredient bowl in 3 to 4 parts, stirring continuously until fully incorporated into a cohesive dough.
- Divide Dough: Divide the cookie dough evenly into three separate bowls, approximately 360 grams per bowl, to prepare for flavoring each portion separately.
- Make Vanilla Dough: To one bowl, add the vanilla bean paste and 2 Tablespoons cornstarch, stirring thoroughly until fully combined.
- Make Chocolate Dough: Add the cocoa powder to the second bowl and stir until completely incorporated into the dough.
- Make Strawberry Dough: Stir the freeze-dried strawberry powder into the last bowl until evenly blended throughout the dough.
- Combine Doughs: Arrange the three doughs in a single bowl side by side like Neapolitan ice cream, with vanilla forming a rough rectangle in the center and chocolate and strawberry on each side, ensuring they touch and blend slightly where they meet. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 60 minutes.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheets: When the dough is nearly chilled, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Scoop Cookies: Using a 1.5 Tablespoon cookie scoop, take generous scoops that contain all three flavors from the combined dough and place on prepared baking sheets, spacing cookies at least 2 inches apart.
- Bake Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes or until the edges just begin to turn a very light golden brown.
- Cool and Serve: Remove cookies from the oven and allow them to cool completely on the baking sheets before enjoying.
Notes
- Use cake flour for the softest, melt-in-your-mouth cookies; substitute 3 ⅔ cups (450g) all-purpose flour if necessary.
- Freeze-dried strawberries can be made at home by processing freeze-dried berries in a food processor until fine powder is achieved.
- Cookie dough can be made up to 5 days ahead. Note that dough firms significantly after chilling and may need to warm to room temperature before scooping.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 70 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
