Rainbow Cookie Cupcake Bites Recipe

33

Ingredients

2 large eggs, separated and at room temperature
8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) granulated sugar, divided
4 ounces almond paste (I recommend the kind that comes in a can and prefer Love 'n Bake)
1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 drops green food coloring*
12 drops red food coloring*
5 ounces apricot preserve, heated, strained and cooled
4.5 ounces high-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I use Scharffen Berger 70% bittersweet chocolate)

Preparation

Step 1

Bake the mini cupcakes:
Line a standard 24-cup mini muffin tin with paper liners. If you have another tin, you can make the entire batch of about 33 cupcakes at once; otherwise, bake separately. (You can also grease the cups with baking spray and bake the cupcakes without liners but it is easier with it.)

Beat egg whites in mixer fitted with the whisk attachment at medium-high until they just hold stiff peaks. Slowing add 2 tablespoons of the sugar, whisking on high until slightly glossy and stiff. Transfer to another bowl (unless you have an extra mixer bowl).

Switching to a paddle attachment, beat the almond paste and remaining 6 tablespoons of sugar together for about 2 minutes until well blended. Add butter and beat until pale and fluffy, a
bout 2 minutes. Add yolks and almond extract, beating until combined. Gradually add flour and salt until just combined.

Fold half of the whites into the mixture to lighten, then gently fold in the remaining whites thoroughly.

Divide the batter as equally as possible into 3 bowls. Stir green food coloring into one and red into another, leaving the third plain so that you now have 3 different color batters to bake from.

Using a small ice cream scoop or two spoons, fill cupcake liners about 3/4 full. Bake for approximately 8-10 minutes but check early to avoid over-baking. They may look barely done but are when a tester comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from the tin right out of the oven and let cool on a wire rack.

Add apricot filling:
Place the strained and cooled apricot preserve into a piping bag fitted with a small tip or simply use a sandwich bag, snipping a very small opening at one corner.

With a small, sharp knife, cut into the cupcake about halfway between the center and edge of the cupcake at an angle and going down about halfway or so. Cut out a circle and you should end up with a cone shape top. Fill the hallow with preserve. Slice away the pointy end of the cut away cone top before fitting it back onto the cupcake. Repeat with all cupcakes.

Coat with chocolate:
Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set on top of a pan of simmering water (or carefully in the microwave, in short intervals and stirring often).

Using a demitasse spoon (or small teaspoon), quickly spoon some melted chocolate over each cupcake. Place cupcakes in the refrigerator until chocolate sets.

You can store the cupcakes in the fridge, in an airtight container, for several days. Bring them to room temperature before eating.