Neapolitan Layered Cookies (Print View)
Three-flavor layered cookies with chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry in every colorful bite.
# What You Need:
→ Dough
01 - 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
02 - 1½ cups granulated sugar
03 - 2 large eggs
04 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
05 - 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
06 - ½ teaspoon baking powder
07 - ½ teaspoon fine salt
→ Flavors and Coloring
08 - 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
09 - ½ teaspoon strawberry extract
10 - Pink or red gel food coloring, as needed
→ Optional Garnish
11 - 3.5 oz semisweet chocolate, melted, for drizzling
12 - Sprinkles or chopped nuts, for decoration
# How-To Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides for easy removal.
02 - In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together using an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
03 - Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract until fully combined.
04 - In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and fine salt until evenly distributed.
05 - Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, mixing on low speed until a soft, cohesive dough forms. Avoid overmixing.
06 - Divide the dough equally into three separate bowls. To the first bowl, add the cocoa powder and mix thoroughly for the chocolate layer. To the second bowl, add the strawberry extract and a few drops of pink or red gel food coloring, blending until evenly colored for the strawberry layer. Leave the third bowl plain for the vanilla layer.
07 - Press the chocolate dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan and smooth with an offset spatula. Carefully layer the vanilla dough over the chocolate, spreading evenly. Finish by layering the strawberry dough on top, smoothing the surface flat.
08 - Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until just set. Do not overbake—the layers should remain soft and slightly pale.
09 - Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Use the parchment overhang to lift the slab out, then cut into 36 bars or squares.
10 - Optionally, drizzle melted semisweet chocolate over the cut bars and decorate with sprinkles or chopped nuts. Allow the chocolate to set before serving.
# Expert Hints:
01 -
- Three distinct flavors in every single bite, which means nobody at the table has to pick a favorite.
- The layered look is absolutely stunning sliced, yet the whole thing bakes in one pan with zero fuss.
02 -
- Overbaking is the quickest way to ruin these bars because the strawberry layer dries out faster than you expect, so pull them from the oven the moment the center no longer jiggles.
- Weighing the three dough portions rather than eyeballing them ensures even layers that bake uniformly and look striking when sliced.
03 -
- Adding two tablespoons of finely ground almonds to the chocolate layer deepens the flavor and creates a barely detectable tenderness that makes people ask what your secret is.
- Gel food coloring is genuinely worth seeking out because liquid coloring can make the strawberry layer too wet and cause the bars to spread unevenly during baking.