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These delicious, soft cookies combine three familiar flavors in one bake: vanilla, chocolate and strawberry, arranged side by side in a single cookie. Neapolitan cookies start with one soft dough that’s divided and flavored, which keeps prep straightforward and gives you that distinctive tricolor look. Each cookie bakes into a round with clearly defined sections rather than a blended swirl.These Italian inspired cookies are nostalgic and recognizable, as well as lots of fun to make.
Why You’ll Love It
Neapolitan cookies are soft tricolor cookies made from vanilla, chocolate and strawberry dough baked together, for a playful look and familiar flavors.
Three flavors together: Vanilla, chocolate and strawberry show up in every cookie.
Single base dough: One dough keeps mixing simple before dividing.
Soft baked texture: The centers stay tender with lightly set edges.
Standout appearance: The tricolor pattern looks striking on a plate.
You might also like lemon thumbprint cookies, Kool-Aid cookies, strawberry thumbprint cookies, turtle cookies and chocolate pudding cookies.
1-Dough Neapolitan Cookies Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Salted butter: Forms a rich base and supports a soft crumb.
Light brown sugar: Adds moisture and depth of sweetness.
Granulated sugar: Balances structure and sweetness.
Eggs: Bind the dough and help it bake evenly.
All-purpose flour: Creates structure for the cookies.
Baking powder: Gives slight lift during baking.
Baking soda: Helps with spread and browning.
Cocoa powder: Flavors one portion of dough with chocolate. I used natural unsweetened cocoa powder. Dutch processed cocoa powder works too and gives a richer chocolate flavor.
Vanilla extract: To flavor the vanilla dough. While some home cooks only flavor the chocolate and strawberry parts, I like to add vanilla extract for that distinctive vanilla flavor.
Strawberry gelatin powder: Adds strawberry flavor and pink color.
How to Make Neapolitan Cookies
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Cream butter and sugars: Beat in a medium bowl until smooth and fully blended.
Add eggs: Mix until the dough looks cohesive.
Incorporate dry ingredients: Stir in flour, baking powder and baking soda until combined.
Divide dough: Separate the flour mixture evenly into three bowls.
Flavor portions: Mix cocoa into one bowl, strawberry powder into another and extra flour plus vanilla into the third one.
Portion dough: Roll small pieces from each bowl into equal sized balls.
Assemble cookies: Press one ball of vanilla dough, one of chocolate dough and one of strawberry dough together into a single cookie.
Bake: Flatten cookie dough balls on prepared cookie sheets or silicone baking mats and bake in a preheated oven until just set.
Cool: Let the cookies cool briefly on the sheet pan before transferring to a rack to cool completely.
Substitutions and Variations
Strawberry powder substitute: Freeze-dried strawberry powder (finely ground powdered strawberries) can replace gelatin powder. Add strawberry extract too if you want a bolder flavor. Use red food coloring if you want a brighter red or pink dough.
Different flavors: Try freeze dried raspberries for a twist on the flavor or coconut extract or almond extract in the plain dough.
Dark cocoa swap: Use dark or Dutch cocoa powder for a deeper chocolate note.
Dairy-free adjustment: Use a plant based butter made for baking.
Gluten-free version: Use a cup-for-cup gluten-free flour blend designed for cookies.
Unsalted butter: You can use unsalted butter with a little pinch of salt if you have no salted butter.
Serving Suggestions
With a hot drink: Pair your cookies with a lavender matcha latte or pistachio latte, or even a medicine ball tea.
With a cold drink: Enjoy them with limonana (frozen mint lemonade) or a pineapple mango smoothie.
After a meal: These cookies are delicious after any kind of meal from a cozy cattle drive casserole to hearty pasta e patate.
How to Store
Store: Keep cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Freeze: Freeze baked cookies in a sealed container for up to 3 months.
Thaw: Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Top Tips
Soft dough reminder: The dough will feel loose before dividing and that’s expected.
Color definition: Press dough balls together gently to keep sections clear.
Uniform size: Each individual ball of cookie dough should be about 1 ½ teaspoons in size. I find it easiest to weigh each ball of cookie dough and then divide into 24.
Test bake: Bake one cookie first to check spread and timing.
Neapolitan Cookies FAQs
It’s supposed to. This helps the different flavored portions spread evenly during baking.
Yes, lightly twisting the dough together will create a pretty marbled effect.
They spread moderately but hold their round shape when spaced properly.
Neapolitan Cookie Recipe
Neapolitan Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 Cup salted butter
- ¾ Cup light brown sugar
- ¾ Cup white granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, large
- 2 ½ Cups all-purpose flour
- 2 Teaspoons baking powder
- 1 Teaspoon baking soda
- ⅓ Cup cocoa powder
- ¼ Cup strawberry jello, powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Make the Cookie Dough
- Combine the butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl. Use an electric hand mixer to cream the ingredients together on high speed until creamy.
- Add the eggs and beat again until the eggs are thoroughly incorporated with the creamed butter mixture.
- Reduce the speed of your hand mixer and gently whisk in the baking powder, baking soda, and 2 cups of flour.
- Separate your cookie dough into 3 mixing bowls. Add ¼ cup of flour to one, as well as the vanilla extract, ¼ cup of flour and the strawberry jello powder to another, and the cocoa powder to the last one.
- Whisk each bowl until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated.
Bake and Cool
- Divide each bowl of cookie dough into 24 small balls. Press 3 balls together, to make a single cookie with one of each color.
- Bake your cookies for 11 minutes.
- Let your cookies cool for a few minutes and then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
Color definition: Press dough balls together gently to keep sections clear.
Uniform size: Each individual ball of cookie dough should be about 1 ½ teaspoons in size. I find it easiest to weigh each ball of cookie dough and then divide into 24.
Test bake: Bake one cookie first to check spread and timing.
Nutrition
Neapolitan cookies are a simple bake with a fun payoff. One base dough gets split into three, so you get chocolate, strawberry and vanilla in every cookie without making three separate batches. They come out soft with lightly set edges, and the color blocks stay clear if you press the pieces together gently. These are the kind of cookies people spot right away on a plate, because the tricolor look is hard to miss. If you’re baking for a party tray or just want something different from the usual chocolate chip, these Neapolitan cookies are a solid choice.
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Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
