Dye Free Rainbow Cookies

Rainbow cookies make the perfect gift or dessert on Christmas, but today I'm taking the idea of Pride Month a little too literally. Traditional versions contain multiple sticks of butter, high sugar jelly, and of course artificial food dyes, so I had my work cut out for me here. Rainbow cookies, healthy or not, are a multiple hour process, so be prepared to put in the work. They're absolutely worth the effort on occasion, and I love making these once a year or so. These cookies are free of added sugar and unhealthy fats, and of course contain no food dyes. Beets are used to naturally color the red layer, and sunflower seed butter is used for green. Both the 3 "cookie" layers as well as the jam are naturally sweetened with dates, and the top and bottom chocolate layers are made from monk fruit sweetened chocolate

Great

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Wash your beet with a brush, wrap in aluminum foil, and air fry at 400F for about 1 hour, until you can easily pierce it with a fork. Unwrap, and let cool for 10 minutes. Cut off the ends, but leave the skin on

Step 2

We're going to work in color order from lightest to darkest, meaning white, then green, and finally red. Not only does this avoid color contamination, but the beet needs time to roast, giving us time to work on yellow and green

Step 3

Preheat your oven to 350F, and line a 9" square baking pan with parchment paper

Step 4

White Layer: add all ingredients to a food processor, and blend until smooth. Pour the batter into the pan, and shake to make sure it's even. Bake at 350F for about 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to totally cool

Step 5

Green Layer: prepare the green layer batter as the yellow layer bakes, following the exact same process. Note that only the green layer contains baking soda; this is not a typo. The baking soda reacts with the sunflower seed butter, turning the layer green in the oven and more so the next day. Do not use baking soda in the red or white layers. Bake just like the yellow layer

Step 6

Red Layer: Finally, the beet should be done, and you can make the red layer. Follow the same process as the yellow and green layer. Let all 3 layers cool on a wire rack in the fridge until totally cooled

Step 7

Jam: Time to prepare the jam as the layers cool. Add raspberries and dates to a medium stainless steel pan over medium low heat, and roughly mash with a potato masher. Cover and cook with occasional stirring until soft and syrupy, about 10 minutes. Blend with an immersion blender to fully break up the dates. Stir in chia seeds and lemon juice. Refrigerate to cool

Step 8

Once everything has cooled, it's time to assemble. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper, and place the red layer on the pan. Spread half of your jam onto the red layer. Place the yellow on top, and spread on the other half of the jam. Finally, top with the green layer

Step 9

Place the cake back in your pan, cover with parchment paper, and place a heavy weight on top. Refrigerate overnight

Step 10

The next day, remove from the pan, and transfer to a wire rack with the red side up. Melt half your coconut oil in the microwave, and stir in half the cocoa powder and half the monk fruit until smooth. Evenly spread across the red layer. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to harden the chocolate. Flip over, and repeat with the other half of the chocolate on the green layer. Alternatively, you can use 1 cup (180 g) sugar free chocolate chips instead of homemade chocolate (1/2 cup, 90 g per layer)

Step 11

When the chocolate has cooled, transfer to a cutting board, and cut into 36 small square cookies, about 1" each

Step 12

I called for almond butter in the red and white layers, but any neutral natural nut butter will also work, like cashew butter or tahini. However, sunflower seed butter is required for the green layer, as the chlorophyll in the sunflower seeds will react with the baking soda, turning the layer green. This is why only the green layer contains baking soda. Don't worry if it's barely green now; it will turn more overnight

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