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Featuring a pair of heart-shaped funfetti sugar cookies with swirls of rainbow buttercream sandwiched in between, this rainbow cookie recipe makes a lovely dessert for Pride month.
Why Do I Love This Rainbow Cookie Recipe?
I’m a big fan of rainbow desserts (see also: this rainbow cookie box, featuring all of my favorite recipes!), and these heart-shaped treats are no exception. Made with a classic sugar cookie dough filled with rainbow sprinkles, and piped with vibrantly-colored buttercream frosting, this rainbow cookie recipe adds a splash of color to any celebration. Plus, the sweet vanilla bean buttercream and buttery sugar cookie base mean that these rainbow cookies aren’t just eye-catching, but they taste great, too.
This recipe does require a bit of a time commitment (about 2 1/2 hours from start to finish, although this includes an hour of chilling time, and you can multi-task by making the rainbow buttercream while the dough chills) but they’re not difficult to make. The result? A sweet and colorful treat, ideal for Pride parties, birthdays, or simply to brighten someone’s day,
Buttercream Rainbow Cookie Ingredients
This rainbow cookie recipe relies on kitchen staples, so it’s easy to bake up a batch using ingredients you already have on hand. To make these rainbow cookies, gather the following ingredients:
Flour – You’ll need 225 grams (1 3/4 cups) of all-purpose flour (plain flour) to make the cookie dough base.
Baking Powder – Acts as a leavening agent in the cookie dough.
Fine Sea Salt – 1/4 teaspoon is all you need. Kosher salt will also work!
Unsalted Butter – Both the cookie dough base and the buttercream (duh!) include unsalted butter. For best results, remove the butter from the fridge a few hours prior to baking, and allow it to soften at room temperature.
Granulated Sugar – 105 grams (1/2 cup) of granulated sugar adds just the right amount of sweetness to the cookie dough, along with a lightly golden brown color and a tiny bit of crunch.
Egg – You’ll need one large egg to make the sugar cookie dough.
Vanilla Bean Paste – While you can substitute extract if necessary, I recommend bringing out the “good stuff” for this recipe! Nielsen-Massey and Taylor & Colledge make my favorite vanilla bean pastes.
Rainbow Sprinkles – Rainbow sprinkles give these cookies their multicolored, ‘funfetti’ appearance. If possible, use American-made sprinkles for this recipe. I’ve tested this and other funfetti-themed recipes with UK-made rainbow sprinkles, and they never fail to turn whatever I’m making into a muddy brown mess.
In addition to the ingredients mentioned above, you’ll also need confectioner’s sugar, whole milk (or heavy cream, or plant-based milk), vanilla extract, and gel food coloring to make the rainbow buttercream frosting. I used Chefmaster’s Christmas Red, Sunset Orange, Lemon Yellow, Leaf Green, Sky Blue, and Violet for my buttercream.
Special Tools and Equipment for Making Heart Sandwich Cookies
The most important tools you’ll need are heart-shaped cookie cutters. You’ll need a larger cutter (approximately 2 1/2 inches in size) for the cookies, and a smaller one (about 1 inch, but you can go slightly bigger if desired) to create the heart cutout shape that allows the rainbow buttercream to peek through the top of the cookie.
If you don’t own a set of heart cutters, you can make this recipe using a round metal cutter set to make wreath-shaped cookies instead. Or, feel cut the dough into stars, flowers, or any other shape you’d like. (Definitely a good excuse to break out that set of mini cutters—or buy a set if you don’t own one already!)
In addition, you will need a rolling pin to roll the dough. I also like to use a silicone rolling mat for easy cleanup, but you can roll directly on the countertop, too. Just use plenty of flour.
To make the rainbow buttercream, make sure you have clingfilm/plastic wrap, disposable piping bags (one for each color of the rainbow, and another, larger one for piping), an open star (or other decorative) piping tip, and a good pair of kitchen shears on hand.
Rainbow Cookie Tips and Tricks
When rolling the cookie dough, do so on a generously floured countertop (I prefer to use my silicone rolling mat for easy cleanup) and with a floured rolling pin. This prevents the dough from sticking, especially as you’ll need to re-roll several times to use all of the scraps/cutout pieces left over after cutting the small heart shapes
Don’t skip the freezing step in this recipe! Freezing the cut cookies helps the hearts to retain their pretty shape as they bake. This is especially important for the smaller hearts—if the dough is too warm, you’ll end up with a circle or blob in the center, rather than a heart shape
Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions
You can prepare the cookie dough up to 24 hours in advance. Simply flatten into discs, wrap in clingfilm/plastic wrap, and store in the refrigerator overnight. Alternately, you can cut the rolled dough into heart shapes, stack the cookies between squares of parchment, and freeze the stacks until ready to bake.
Baked, un-filled cookies can also be frozen. To do so, layer the cookies between sheets of parchment and freeze in an airtight container for up to one month, then thaw at room temperature when ready to fill. I do not recommend freezing the buttercream-filled cookies.
Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. I suggest storing the cookies in a single layer to avoid damaging the buttercream piping.
Other rainbow cookie recipes you might enjoy:
Slice and Bake Rainbow Heart Cookies
Rainbow Checkerboard Cookies
Funfetti Slice and Bake Shortbread
Rainbow Whoopie Pies
And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
Buttercream Rainbow Cookies
- Total Time: 2 1/2 hours
- Yield: 12-14 sandwich cookies 1x
Description
Featuring a pair of heart-shaped funfetti sugar cookies with swirls of rainbow buttercream sandwiched in between, this rainbow cookie makes a lovely dessert for Pride month celebrations.
Ingredients
Cookies:
225 grams flour (1 3/4 cups)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
113 grams unsalted butter, softened (1/2 cup/1 stick)
105 grams granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
30 grams rainbow sprinkles (2 tablespoons)
Buttercream:
113 grams unsalted butter, softened (1/2 cup / 1 stick)
470 grams confectioner’s sugar (about 3 1/2 cups)
3 tablespoons whole milk, plus more to adjust consistency
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, or other flavoring of choice
Gel food coloring: Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple
Instructions
Cookies:
Line a half-sheet rimmed baking tray with parchment or a silicone mat. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and fine sea salt.
In a separate bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, add butter and granulated sugar and mix on high speed until light and fluffy.
Beat in the egg, followed by the vanilla bean paste.
Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
With a wooden spoon, fold in the rainbow sprinkles.
Flatten dough into two discs. Wrap in clingfilm/plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator to chill, at least one hour.
On a floured rolling mat, roll the chilled dough to 1/8 – 1/4-inch thickness.
Use a 2 1/2-inch heart-shaped cutter to cut the dough into hearts.
Use a 1-inch heart cutter to cut a smaller heart in the middle of half of the cookies.
Re-roll scraps and repeat with remaining dough.
Transfer to on prepared tray and freeze for 15 minutes. (Alternately, you can stack the cookies between squares of parchment and freeze the stacks, if your trays don’t fit in the freezer.)
While cookies freeze, preheat oven to 350° F / 176° C.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Allow cookies to cool on the tray for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Repeat with remaining cookies.
While cookies cool, prepare the buttercream. (If you want to work ahead, you can also make the buttercream while the cookie dough chills—it will be okay at room temperature for a few hours.)
Buttercream:
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whip butter until light and fluffy.
Add the sugar in small increments, alternating with the milk and mixing well after each addition.
Add the vanilla extract and mix until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. If necessary, add more confectioner’s sugar or milk to adjust the consistency. The buttercream should be thick and creamy, but soft enough to pipe.
Portion buttercream into six individual bowls.
Add 1-2 drops of gel food coloring to each bowl. Stir to create six differently-colored buttercreams. You should have red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.
Transfer each color to its own piping bag.
On a piece of clingfilm/plastic wrap, pipe a stripe of each color, mimicking the color pattern of the rainbow. Use all of the buttercream.
Gently roll the clingfilm around the buttercream, forming a tube.
Trim excess clingfilm from the ends of the tube, then cut it in half. Place half of the tube inside a larger piping bag fitted with a star piping tip. (You can use the entire tube at once, but I find it easier to handle when cut into two smaller pieces.)
Assembly:
Pair the cookies by size. Each pair should have one solid and one cutout heart.
Pipe a generous dollop of buttercream on the solid sides of the heart cookies.
Top with the cutout heart cookies to form a sandwich.
Enjoy immediately. Store leftovers at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Chilling Time: 1 1/2 hours
- Cook Time: 12-15 minutes
- Category: Biscuits and Cookies
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Desserts
