New York chefs are finding all kinds of new things to do with the rainbow cookie. In a recent Eater New York story, the classic Italian American dessert is turning up as layer cake, baked Alaska, croissants, sundaes, and oversized bars across the city.
But before you reinvent a classic, it helps to know where to find a great one.
Eater included William Greenberg Desserts among New York’s excellent destinations for classic rainbow cookies, alongside some of the city’s longstanding Italian bakeries.
A New York Classic in Three Layers
Rainbow cookies, also known as tricolor or Italian layer cookies, have long been part of the New York bakery case. The traditional version combines colorful almond cake layers with fruit jam and chocolate, creating a dessert that falls somewhere between cookie, cake, and confection.
At William Greenberg, ours are made with green, white, and pink almond-paste sponge, layered with raspberry jam and finished in rich dark or white chocolate. They are baked in small batches using premium almond paste and the traditional Italian American technique that has made rainbow cookies a New York favorite for generations.
Sometimes the Classic Is the Point
We love seeing what New York pastry chefs are doing with the rainbow cookie. Eater’s roundup includes everything from a rainbow cookie sundae to a stuffed almond croissant, proving just how much inspiration can come from a dessert people already know by heart.
But there is also something to be said for the original: almond, raspberry, chocolate, and those unmistakable colorful layers.
We’re delighted that Eater included William Greenberg Desserts among the places in New York keeping that classic tradition going.
Shop our Rainbow Cookie Tin or stop by our Upper East Side and Upper West Side bakeries to pick up a New York classic.