Neapolitan cookies are soft butter cookies flavored with chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. They’re shaped in a loaf pan and made from just 1 cookie dough. So pretty!
We are almost finished the 6th annual Sallyโs Cookie Palooza! Today is day 9 of my annual Christmas cookie countdown. Let’s look back at all the recipes published so far this year:
- Peppermint Bark Cookies
- Spritz Cookies
- Christmas Cookies in a Jar (with free printable!)
- Santa’s Whiskers Cookies
- Iced Oatmeal Cookies
- Gingerbread House (December Baking Challenge)
- Lace Cookies
- Drop Style Christmas Sugar Cookies
Day 9 is one of my favoritesโNeapolitan Cookies with chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. These cookies are shaped in a loaf pan and made from just 1 cookie dough.
Neapolitan Cookies from 1 Base Cookie Dough
When I was writing Sally’s Cookie Addiction, my latest cookbook, I tested a basic vanilla butter cookie recipe. I turned this vanilla butter cookie recipe into my pinwheel cookies found on page 62. The base dough is very similar to my butter cookies, chocolate butter cookies, and spritz cookies. I LOVE this basic cookie dough and you can flavor it, shape it, and layer it in so many ways including my mint chocolate checkerboard cookies, pinwheel cookies, and todayโs neapolitan cookies. Here’s what I love about today’s recipe:
- EASY. Made from just 1 cookie dough.
- SIMPLE TO SHAPE. No ruler or rolling pin needed. Use a loaf pan. (For another easy cookie recipe that bakes up in a pan, try my shortbread wedges!)
- BUTTERY AND SWEET. I love their flavor.
- SOFT. Crunchy crumbly edges and thick, soft centers.
- FUN WITH FLAVORS. Spruce up the vanilla layer with crushed walnuts or a little coconut extract. Switch out raspberry jam/extract for the strawberry. Add a pinch of espresso powder to the chocolate dough for a mocha flavor. Yum! These flavorful little cookies are such a fun addition to any plate of Christmas cookies.
Prepare the base cookie dough, then divide it into 3 portions. One portion will be your vanilla dough, so set that aside. The other two portions will be your strawberry cookie dough and chocolate cookie dough.
Flavor the Cookie Doughs
To make each flavor, place the portion of dough back in the mixer along with the flavoring ingredients listed in the recipe below. We’re using melted chocolate and cocoa powder in the chocolate cookie dough and strawberry jam, almond extract, and a drop of red/pink food coloring to brighten up the pink color.
Optional but recommended: a little strawberry extract. Makes a BIG difference.
The strawberry cookie dough also needs extra flour to offset the wet strawberry jam.
The EASY Way to Shape Neapolitan Cookies
Put away your ruler and rolling pin because all you need are your hands and a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Line the loaf pan with parchment paper, then press/layer the cookie doughs in. Any order is fine, but I recommend the following:
- Strawberry cookie dough on the bottom
- Vanilla cookie dough in the center
- Chocolate cookie dough on top
There’s a little more strawberry cookie dough because we added extra flour, so it’s best that it’s the base of the neapolitan cookies. And I find the vanilla cookie dough stands out the most when it’s in the center. Just my opinion!
This cookie dough needs to chill.
Chill the cookie dough inside the loaf pan in the refrigerator or freezer. Once chilled, remove from the loaf pan using the parchment paper overhang on the sides. Slice the “loaf” in half lengthwise, then slice each into 1/2 inch thick cookies. Thicker cookies = softer cookies. ๐
This is optionalโtry brushing the shaped cookies with egg white + water and sprinkling with coarse sugar. Adds a lovely sparkle and crunch! See my recipe note belowโthe cookie dough uses 1 egg + 1 egg yolk, so this is the perfect place to use up that leftover egg white.
As these chocolate ginger cookies will tell youโฆ a chocolate dip is the best finishing touch. You need melted chocolate for the chocolate cookie dough layer, so save a little extra for dipping the baked cookies. See my recipe note for instructions.
Aren’t these 3 layered butter cookies gorgeous?! And couldn’t be easier to shape.
We absolutely loved these and I definitely recommend that strawberry extract for the strawberry dough. (You can find it in the spice aisle of most major grocery stores.) Let me know if you make these 1 dough neapolitan cookies!
What is Sally’s Cookie Palooza?
Sally’s Cookie Palooza is a tradition since 2013. Every December we countdown to Christmas with 10 new cookie recipes in a row. Over the next two weeks, I’m publishing 10 brand new cookie recipes as well as giveaways, the December Baking Challenge, Christmas cookie video tutorials, and so much more. This is the biggest, most delicious event of the year! Sign up for instant updates and you’ll receive a free email alert whenever I publish a new recipe. ๐
Click to see Sally’s Cookie Palooza over the years!
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1 Dough Neapolitan Cookies
- Prep Time: 3 hours, 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 45 minutes
- Yield: 32 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Neapolitan cookies are butter cookies with chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. These easy cookies are shaped in a loaf pan and made from 1 cookie dough. Read my recipe notes before beginning.
Ingredients
Base Cookie Dough
- 2 and 1/2 cups (313g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g)ย granulated sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature* (see note)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- optional: 1 Tablespoon water andย coarseย sugar for sprinkling on top*
For the Strawberry Dough
- 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons (12g)ย all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon (20g)ย strawberry jam
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract*
- pink or red food coloring*
- optional: 1/4 teaspoon strawberry extract for extra flavor*
For the Chocolate Dough
- 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons (8g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder (or dutch process)
- 1 ounce (28g)ย semi-sweet chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
Instructions
- Make the dough: Whiskย the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until creamed, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. Dough will be thick and sticky. Remove from the mixing bowl.ย No need to rinse out the mixing bowl.
- Divide the dough into 3:ย There’s about 30 ounces of dough (1 lb, 14 ounces). Divide into three equal portions, about 10 ounces each. One portion is your vanilla dough. Nothing will be added to it. Set vanilla dough aside. The other two portions will be your strawberry dough and chocolate dough.
- Make the strawberry dough: Place one portion of dough back into the mixing bowl. Add all of the strawberry dough ingredients. I recommend starting with 1 drop of red or pink food coloring. Beat on low speed until dough is combined. Add another drop or 2 of food coloring until you reach the pink color desired. For the pictured cookies, I only used 1 drop of dusty rose gel food coloring.ย Remove from the mixing bowl.ย No need to rinse out the mixing bowl.
- Make the chocolate dough: Place last portion of dough back into the mixing bowl. Add all of the chocolate dough ingredients. Beat on low speed until dough is combined.
- Shape and chill cookie dough:ย See step-by-step photos above showing this following step so you have a better understanding. Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to lift the chilled cookie dough out. I recommend layering the cookie dough into the pan in the following order: 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 prepared loaf pan.
- Cover loaf pan tightly and chill dough in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours (and up to 4 days) or 1 hour in the freezer. (See make ahead tip if you wish to freeze longer.)
- Preheat oven to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC).ย Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Slice: Lift dough out of the pan using the overhang of parchment paper on the sides. You’ll have a 9×5-inch block of dough. Slice in half lengthwise so you have two 2.5 x 9-inch rectangles. Use a sharp knife to trim off the ends so the rectangles are 8 inches long. Slice each into 16 cookies. Each cookie is 1/2 inch thick. Trim the cookie edges to make neat rectangles, if desired.*
- Bake: Arrange cookies 2-3 inches apart on the baking sheets. If desired, brush each lightly with egg wash (see recipe note) and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges.
- Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once cool, enjoy cookies or dip in melted chocolate. See recipe note.
- Cookies without chocolate coating will stay fresh covered at room temperature for 1 week. Cookies with chocolate coating will stay fresh covered at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions:ย Baked cookies, with or without chocolate coating, freeze well up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature, if desired, before serving. You can make/assemble the cookie dough in the loaf pan and chill in the refrigerator for up to 4 days (see step 8). If desired, you can freeze the cookie dough in the loaf pan for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then continue with step 9.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Dusty Rose Gel Food Coloring |ย 9×5-inch Loaf Pan | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Pastry Brush | Coarse Sugar | Cooling Rack
- Eggs: You need 1 egg plus an additional egg yolk for the cookie dough. Save the extra egg white and mix it with 1 Tablespoon of water to make a simple egg wash. Brush this over each cookie as directed in step 11, then sprinkle with coarse sugar before baking. This gives the cookies a little extra crunch and sparkle!
- Food Coloring: I recommend using gel food coloring in the strawberry dough instead of liquid food coloring. Liquid food coloring may alter the texture of the finished cookie. Start with 1 drop as directed in step 5, then add another drop or 2 if desired. For the pictured cookies, I only used 1 drop of dusty rose gel food coloring.
- Almond Extract: Almond extract adds a lovely flavor to the strawberry cookie dough. If desired, you can leave it out.
- Strawberry Extract: Strawberry extract is highly recommended for added strawberry flavor. You can find it in the spice aisle of most major grocery stores.
- Freeze-Dried Strawberries Instead?ย Many readers have asked about adding freeze-dried strawberry powder to the strawberry cookie dough. I don’t suggest this. When I tried it, the strawberry cookie dough spread all over while the other layers stayed put. The cookies were very lopsided. Itโs the texture of the ground freeze-dried strawberries. So, unfortunately, it doesnโt work as nicely as the jam/flour/strawberry extract.
- Neat Rectangles: In step 10, I recommend trimming the sliced cookie edges to make neat rectangles. This is completely optional. You’ll have some leftover cookie dough scraps. Discard or roll it out using a rolling pin and cut into shapes. Bake as directed in this recipe.
- Dipped Neapolitan Cookies:ย You need 1 ounce of semi-sweet chocolate for the chocolate cookie dough and most baking chocolate is sold in 4 ounce bars. I recommend Bakers or Ghirardelli brands, both sold in the baking aisle. Melt the remaining 3 ounces of chocolate from that bar, plus an extra 4 ounce bar for a total of 7 ounces of melted semi-sweet chocolate. Make sure you chop the bars before melting.ย Melt in a double boiler or in the microwave in 15-second increments, stopping and stirring after each until completely smooth. Dip the corner of each cooled cookie into melted chocolate.ย Allow chocolate to set completely in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Fun with Flavors:ย Spruce up the vanilla layer with 1/2 cup crushed walnuts or 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract. Switch out raspberry jam and extract for the strawberry. Add a pinch of espresso powder to the chocolate dough for a mocha flavor.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I wanted to make pinwheel cookies with a strawberry layer. Can I use this recipe but just follow your pinwheel recipe?
Definitely!
Is it necessary to freeze the cookie dough in the loaf pan? Or can I chill it until the dough holds shape, wrap tightly and freeze, then thaw it in the same pan when needed?
Hi Ives, that should work just fine.
I made these cookies and my husband said their his favorite cookies even beats his favorite oatmeal cookies. Iโm sending to my girlfriend in Chicago for her to enjoy with her husband. Make these great cookies and enjoy.
I’ve made these several times and they are a huge hit every time. So much so that I got a request for a friends event. Trick is they want it stamped. I’ve never done stamped cookies before. Would this work with a stamp?
Hi Sandra, we’re so glad these are a favorite! Since these cookies have such a butter-heavy base, we fear they won’t be the best for holding stamp patterns. If you’re interested, our sugar cookies do work well with stamps. Let us know if you give them a try!
Hi Sally, I love all your recipes and have always had a great result. These cookies tasted good, but I found the almond flavour dominated the entire cookie, even when taking a bite of all three flavours. This is most likely user error, but regardless I wondered if you had any tips for increasing the intensity of the chocolate and vanilla flavours? For vanilla I’d assume just adding a little more vanilla extract and then extra flour to even it out, but I’m not sure about the chocolate. If the recipe shouldn’t be edited, I will just try another of yours ๐
Hi Jordan! Instead of changing the other dough recipes, you could just skip the almond extract in the strawberry dough. Happy baking!
This is absolutely my favorite cookie,I make it every year and lots of them for Christmas gifts,as I believe edible and drinkable gifts are the best to give and receive!
Sally,I recently bought your book Sally’s Baking 101.
A wonderful cookbook, however I was disappointed that you didn’t add the Neopolitan cookie recipe to your book,I understand you have tons of recipes to choose from,but I really would have thought this particular recipe would have definitely been in this cookbook!
Just wanted to share my thoughts.
I still enjoy this cookbook,but I believe the Neopolitan would have been an excellent addition.
Have a wonderful day!
A little time consuming but a great result!
Is this cookie soft and chewy or more like shortbread?
Hi Martha, this is a buttery soft but not chewy cookie, similar to butter cookies. Think crisp crumbly edges and thick, soft centers.
Hello! I love your recipes and love Neapolitan themed things, so Iโm dying to try this out! However, do you have recommendations for natural alternatives to food dye? Thank you!
The pink food coloring is optional! You could also try some beet powder or freeze dried strawberries, but we haven’t tested these.
One of my favorite cookie recipes! Great flavor and very unique looking – everyone is amazed when they see them. I use a glass loaf pan to better judge the thickness of the layers, otherwise it is hard to judge. This is a keeper! Thanks Sally!
I just made these for a little 4th of July gathering. I made the red with raspberry extract and red gel coloring and instead of chocolate, I made blue dough with blueberry emulsion and a bit of blue gel coloring. Perfect little flag cookies! SO good and super easy! LOVE!
What is the recommendation for the baked cookie storage at room temperature or in the refrigerator versus the freezing instruction?
Hi Zoe, See the last step of the recipe: Cookies without chocolate coating will stay fresh covered at room temperature for 1 week. Cookies with chocolate coating will stay fresh covered at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for 1 week.
if doubling would it be 2 eggs 2egg yolks
Yes, that’s correct.
Mine spreaded really bad. But I did only make 14 cookies so we’re they too big? Does that cause them to be puddles and round? Instead of squares?
Hi Jade, it does sound like your cookies were much bigger (you should get about 32 from this recipe) which is likely part of the problem. Usually when cookies spread too much, starting with butter that was too warm is also to blame. Make sure to use proper room temperature butter. Hereโs more tips to prevent cookies from spreading!
These were really good. I had no spreading issues. I couldn’t find a natural strawberry flavoring. I ground-up dried organic strawberries for added flavor (1/8 cup). My chocolate dominated. It is a bit of an art to balance the three layers. I think I will toy with other flavor blends as well: cherry, pistachio, and chocolate next.
I want to make these, they look amazing. What do you think about adding chopped white chocolate to the vanilla layer?
Hi Jess! We haven’t tested it, but think keeping the dough smooth would be best for this type of cookie. But let us know if you try it!
Question Are the cookies supposed to be on the softer side? I am still learning! Always learning! Thanks so much! Marie
Hi Marie, yes! These cookies have crunchy crumbly edges and thick, soft centers. We hope you enjoyed them!
Easy to make!
These cookies are so pretty and delicious! I used raspberry jam and extract instead of strawberry. I cut the dough into 3 logs instead of 2 and just trimmed a little off the edges. I sliced them 1/4 inch thick. Turned out perfect! Thank you Sally.
These are a beautiful addition to Christmas cookies tray and ive made them before out of a Better Crocker cookbook from the late 1980’s. The recipes are similar but Sally’s boast a little more flavor. I found them needing a flavor boost on the vanilla and the chocolate components, they also spread a lot so it might be necessary to cut the loaf form in 3rds and not just in half. Less butter might also help? Either way, the recipe needs tweaking but I have not given up on it.
Hi Kari, glad you enjoyed these! Usually when cookies spread too much, starting with butter that was too warm is to blame. Make sure to use proper room temperature butter. Here’s more tips to prevent cookies from spreading!
Strawberry emulsion substitute: I usually follow a recipe the way it is written the first time I make it, but I decided to use strawberry emulsion instead, which shouldn’t be a problem as I have done it with other emulsions, 1:1 for extract. Where I made my error with this recipe is I swapped out the amount plus the amount used in the almond exract, which I left out because I don’t care for almond flavouring and I had read that another viewer did this with extract. Emulsion is more intense and doesn’t bake off like extract can and I know this, but that’s what I did and the strawberry was too much and left an aftertaste that I wasn’t happy with so the whole batch went into the bin. I am kicking myself because I could have assessed this recipe better if I hadn’t donee that. I also used Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder, which is dutched and I am wondering if I would have gotten more flavour if I had used natural instead. My chocolate was Cacao Barry 54.5% callets.
These were fun to make, delicious and beautiful. I am in full-on cookie swap mode and I am going to be very sad to give these away
Would it be possible to add red food colouring to the chocolate dough to make it red velvet?
Hi Beatrice, You could try to add red food coloring. We recommend GEL food coloring because you only need a very small amount. The color is much more concentrated than liquid.
Just a thought……..
Is it possible to bake the cookies in the pan to keep their shape and avoid spreading? Let cool and then trim?
Hi mh, the cookie will be a dense brick and not bake properly in the center. It’s best to slice and bake.
I was SO excited when I put these beautiful cookies in the oven- I love to try a new recipe every Christmas. My heart fell when I saw them spreading excessively, distorting their shape in the oven. I made sure to use a true room temp butter, and followed recipe exactly. It was a lovely dough to shape and work with but it baked as though the butter ratio was too high to allow the shape to bake stabilized. They were salvageable but not quite pretty enough to be placed in my gift cookie boxes. Disappointed as I was hoping they would be the star of the show! I will try this recipe again but adjust the butter to 25% less and see if the cookies can hold shape while baking.
Sorry to hear that these spread for you! Here’s our best tips for preventing cookies from spreading.
Love your recipes and tips. You are awesome! oh,BTW, my Grampas favorite christmas cookie. We added diced cherry, the candied kind to the. pink cookie dough. looking forward to checking out the strawberry extract in your version.