Go Back

Vegan Neapolitan Cookies

Add something a little different to your cookie box this year with these shortbread vegan Neapolitan cookies. Three decadent layers of chocolate, strawberry and vanilla--they make the perfect holiday treat!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time11 minutes
chill time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 26 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: neapolitan
Servings: 30 cookies
Author: Ciarra Siller

Equipment

  • stand alone mixer
  • loaf pan
  • baking sheet

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp ground flax meal
  • 3 tbsp water
  • ½ cup vegan butter room temperature
  • 1 cup organic powdered sugar sifted
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cup all purpose flour or gluten free flour measure for measure (1:1)
  • cup almond flour
  • tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tbsp crushed freeze dried strawberries

Instructions

  • Start by placing the ground flax meal and water into a dish and stir. Let it sit for at least 5 minutes.
  • Add the butter and powdered sugar to a bowl of a stand alone mixer. Beat using a paddle attachment. Mix in the vanilla and then the flax mixture and beat until well blended. You may need to stop and scape the sides from time to time.
  • Add the flours and salt to the mixture and mix on low speed until the dough comes together. Divide the dough into three equal portions.
  • Place one of the dough portions into the mixer and add strawberry powdered. Mix until incorporated. If you want a brighter colored pink, add 1-2 drops of red food coloring. For the chocolate dough, add the cocoa powder and mix until incorporated. Leave the third dough ball as is.
  • Line a small loaf pan (I used a 6×3″ pan) with wax paper or parchment paper and leave an overhang so you can easily lift the dough out of the loaf pan.
  • Press the 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 the pan. Cover the pan with plastic and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 F° and line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Lift dough out of the pan and you will lave a block of dough. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough length wise so you will have two long rectangles. From there, slice each rectangle into ½ inch cookies. You should have 30 cookies.
  • Place the cookies onto the cookie sheet and bake them 9-11 minutes and lightly golden brown on the bottom. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool completely before serving.

Notes

For a brighter strawberry layer, add 1-2 drops red food dye.