Colourful Ramadan cookies that last (and taste even better the next day)

These rainbow Ramadan cookies are the kind you make once and return to every year.

They’re deeply buttery, lightly crisp, and intentionally not overly sweet. The dough is simple, forgiving, and ideal for baking with children, especially the part where colour enters the picture.

The cookies hold their shape beautifully, keep well for one to two weeks, and can easily be made ahead and stored. They’re practical in the best way: one baking session, many calm evenings.

moon and star shaped Ramadan butter cookies served on a pink plate

The layered rainbow effect looks playful, but the flavour stays grounded and classic. This is still very much a proper butter cookie.

Why these cookies work so well for Ramadan

Ramadan baking often calls for things that don’t require last-minute effort. These cookies can be prepared days ahead of Ramadan, chilled, shaped, and baked without stress. They store well, travel well, and they don’t need glazing, filling, or decoration to feel special. The colour alone is enough.

Rainbow Ramadan butter cookies in mixed shapes and colours arranged on a lined baking tray before baking
Shaped rainbow butter cookies before baking — using cutters, stamps, and hand-shaped forms.

The orange zest adds a soft aromatic note without pushing the cookies into “dessert” territory. And the colour? Entirely optional, though it’s what makes these cookies especially joyful.

What you need for rainbow Ramadan butter cookies

Ingredients for rainbow Ramadan butter cookies including flour, sugar, butter, orange, egg, food colouring, and cookie cutters

Ingredients

  • 5 dl all-purpose flour
    (about 2⅛ cups)
  • 1 dl sugar
    (about ½ cup)
  • 150 g butter, at room temperature
    (about ⅔ cup / 5.3 oz)
  • 1 egg
  • Zest of 1 orange, finely grated
  • Food colouring
    (we used 4 colours, but anything from 1–4 works)

You’ll also need

  • Cling film (plastic wrap)
  • Plastic gloves
  • Rolling pin
  • Cookie cutters
    (Ramadan shapes if you have them, but any shapes work)
  • How to make rainbow Ramadan butter cookies

1. Make the dough base

In a bowl, beat the butter and sugar until creamy and pale. Add the egg and the orange zest, and mix until fully combined.

Fresh orange zest, egg, and butter mixture prepared for homemade Ramadan butter cookies

Add the flour gradually (we used a sift to do it but you don't need to really sift the flour). Start with a spoon, then switch to your hands once the dough thickens. The dough should be soft but not sticky.

Buttery cookie dough mixed in a metal bowl with flour and baking tools on a wooden table

Roll the dough into a thick sausage shape, then divide it into 4 equal pieces (or as many colours as you plan to use).

Child’s hands rolling butter cookie dough on a floured wooden table during Ramadan baking

2. Divide and colour

Divide the dough into as many portions as you like, each portion becomes one colour in the rainbow. We used four.

Cutting a rolled butter cookie dough sausage into portions on a floured wooden surface
Kids can easily cut the dough using a butter knife for safety.

Add a small amount of food colouring to each portion and knead until evenly coloured.

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Note: food colouring darkens slightly as it rests in the dough, but it lightens again during baking.
Red food colouring being added to butter cookie dough in a glass bowl
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You can leave one portion uncoloured, as the natural dough has a soft yellow tone of its own. We coloured all four portions, it was, unsurprisingly, the most enjoyable part for the children. Plastic gloves are helpful here.

If you’re baking with children, this is usually the moment they’ll want to colour everything.

Portions of butter cookie dough coloured green, red, blue, and purple ready for rolling

3. Chill the dough

Wrap each coloured dough portion tightly in cling film. Place all pieces in the fridge for about 1 hour. This makes the dough easier to roll and keeps the layers clean.

4. Layer the colours

Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F), using conventional top and bottom heat.

Lightly flour your work surface. Roll each dough portion into a flat sheet, roughly the same size.

Stack them in the order you like, gently pressing so they stick together — just enough, no force needed.

Stacked layers of coloured cookie dough pressed together on a floured wooden table

Slice the stacked dough lengthwise into long strips.
Turn each strip onto its side so the coloured layers face upward, then gently roll it with a rolling pin to flatten slightly and reveal the striped pattern.

Cut a long strip from the stacked dough, turn it on its side, then gently roll to flatten and reveal the layered rainbow effect.

5. Cut and bake

Cut the layered dough into shapes using cookie cutters, shape it by hand for simple forms like rainbows, or use a butter knife to cut letters.

Cutting layered rainbow cookie dough using a Ramadan-shaped cookie cutter on a floured surface

Place the cutout cookies on a lined baking tray and bake in the middle of the oven for about 15 minutes.

Rainbow-coloured Ramadan cookie shapes arranged on a baking tray before baking

Some of our cookie cutters came with built-in stamps, so we used those for texture and detail. If you’re using stamped cookie shapes or baking stamps, press a little more firmly than you think, the pattern softens slightly as the cookies bake.

6. Cool properly

Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let them cool completely. This helps them set and keeps the texture crisp rather than soft.

Flavour notes & variations

  • You can replace orange zest with lemon or leave it out entirely for a pure butter flavour.
  • These cookies are intentionally low in sweetness; if you prefer sweeter, increase the sugar slightly, but restraint suits them well.
  • One colour works just as beautifully as many, the recipe doesn’t depend on the rainbow effect.

This is a dough you can adjust without fear.

Rainbow Ramadan butter cookies arranged on a patterned tray with tea and a glass jar of cookies on a wooden table

Storage & keeping

  • Room temperature: keeps well for 1–2 weeks in an airtight tin
  • Freezer: dough or baked cookies freeze well for up to 2 months

They actually improve after a day, once the butter settles and the flavour deepens.

A simple, joyful bake for Ramadan

These rainbow Ramadan butter cookies sit comfortably between playfulness and tradition. They’re not showy, not trendy; just dependable, cheerful, and quietly good.

They work after iftar, alongside afternoon coffee, or packed into small tins for gifting. There’s something grounding about baking a recipe that doesn’t rush you, doesn’t demand perfection, and doesn’t disappear in a single evening.

Sometimes that’s exactly what Ramadan needs.

If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also like my chocolate kataifi salami with pistachios, a make-ahead dessert with less sugar and a calm, coffee-friendly finish.

Want more simple Ramadan ideas like this?

Browse all our Ramadan posts at Deenista, from DIY crafts and family activities to baking and quiet reflections.

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