Checkerboard Cookies I Recipes

CHECKERBOARD COOKIES

Steps:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until well blended, 1 to 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract, lemon extract, and salt. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, scraping down sides of bowl.
• Turn dough out onto a clean work surface; it will be loose and crumbly. Knead dough by pushing small amounts away from you with the heel of your hand for 1 to 2 minutes. Divide dough in half. Sprinkle cocoa powder over one of the halves. Knead until cocoa has been fully incorporated.
• Place each half of the kneaded dough between 2 sheets of plastic. Using a rolling pin, shape dough into two 7-inch squares, about 3/8 inch thick. Using a sharp knife and a ruler, slice each square into nine 3/4-inch-wide strips.
• Whisk together the egg and 1 tablespoon water. Cover work surface with plastic wrap. Place 3 strips of dough on plastic, alternating white and chocolate strips. Brush tops and in between the strips with egg wash. Gently press strips together. Repeat, forming second and third layers, alternating colors to create a checkerboard effect. Wrap assembled log in plastic. Repeat process for second log, reversing color pattern. Refrigerate 30 minutes, or freeze 15 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper. Slice each log into 1/4-inch-thick slices; place on baking sheet. Bake until done, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven, and let cookies cool 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

CHECKERBOARD COOKIES

Steps:

• Combine the dough: In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until well blended, 1 to 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract, lemon extract, and salt. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, scraping down the sides of bowl.
• Knead the dough: Turn dough out onto a clean work surface; it will be loose and crumbly. Knead dough by pushing small amounts away from you with the heel of your hand for 1 to 2 minutes. Divide the dough in half. Put the other half back in the mixer and add the cocoa powder; mix until fully incorporated.
• Shape the dough: Place each half of the kneaded dough between two sheets of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, shape dough into two 7-inch squares, about 3/8 inch thick. Using a sharp knife and a ruler, slice each square into nine 3/4-inch-wide strips.
• Assemble the cookies: Whisk together the egg and 1 tablespoon water. Cover work surface with plastic wrap. Place three strips of dough on plastic, alternating white and chocolate strips. Brush tops and in between the strips with egg wash. Gently press strips together. Repeat, forming second and third layers, alternating colors to create a checkerboard effect. Wrap assembled log in plastic. Repeat process for second log, reversing color pattern. Refrigerate 30 minutes, or freeze 15 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Bake: Line two baking sheets with a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper. Slice each log into 1/4-inch-thick slices; place cookies on baking sheets. Bake until done, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove baking sheets from oven, and let cookies cool 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

PINWHEELS AND CHECKERBOARDS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda; gradually beat into creamed mixture., Divide dough into four portions. Tint one portion red and one portion green. Stir chocolate into another portion. Wrap chocolate and plain portions in plastic; refrigerate 1 hour or until easy to handle., For pinwheel cookies, divide red and green portions in half. Roll out each portion between waxed paper into a 9x6-in. rectangle. Refrigerate 30 minutes. , Remove waxed paper. Place one green rectangle over a red rectangle. Roll up tightly jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; wrap in plastic. Repeat. Refrigerate 2 hours or until firm., For checkerboard cookies, divide plain and chocolate portions in half. Roll out each portion between waxed paper into a 6 4-in. rectangle. Cut each rectangle lengthwise into eight 1/2-in. strips. , Stack the strips in groups of four, alternating plain and chocolate strips and forming eight separate stacks. Form a four-stack block by alternating chocolate-topped and plain-topped stacks. Repeat. Press together gently. Wrap in plastic. Refrigerate at least 2 hours., Preheat oven to 375°. Unwrap and cut pinwheel and checkerboard dough into 1/4-in. slices. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 9-11 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks to cool.

CHECKERBOARD COOKIES

Steps:

• In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment mix together the butter and sugar for 2 minutes.
• Add in the egg, the yolk, vanilla, baking powder, and salt and mix for 1 minute until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
• Turn the mixer to low and add in the flour, mixing until just combined.
• Divide the dough in half, removing half from the mixing bowl.
• Add in the cocoa powder to the remaining dough in the mixing bowl and mix until incorporated.
• Form each dough into a squared off log, 2- inches tall and 6- inches long. Make sure both are the same size.
• Place dough on a baking sheet and cover with cling wrap. Place dough into the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour.
• Using a sharp knife slice the dough into thirds, longwise. Then turn the dough one turn and cut into thirds again. You will have 9 strips. Repeat the process with the other dough. You will have 18 strips total.
• Lay 1 piece of vanilla dough, one piece of chocolate, and another piece of vanilla on a flat surface next to each other. Top the 3 strips with alternating colors. Repeat this once more, so you have a square log. Press the dough strips together tightly, keeping the square shape. Repeat this with the remaining dough.
• Refrigerate again for at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with Reynolds Kitchens® Parchment Paper.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and slice into 1/4- inch pieces.
• Place the pieces on the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake for 9-10 minutes, or until set. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

CHECKERBOARD COOKIES II

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, confectioners' sugar and baking powder. Cut in the butter until the mixture has a mealy texture. Stir in the egg yolks and vanilla until dough forms. Divide dough into halves. Knead the cocoa into one half.
• Roll out each half of the dough into a rectangle, 8x10 inches. Slice each rectangle lengthwise into 8-1x10 inch strips. Place two strips of opposing colors next to each other. Place two more on top of those, placing opposing colors on top of each other. Repeat until the checkerboard is four strips high. Repeat with remaining strips. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
• Unwrap dough and slice into 1/4 inch slices. Place slices 1 inch apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until firm. Remove from baking sheets to cool on wire racks.

CHECKERBOARD COOKIES I

Steps:

• Melt chocolate in double boiler over low heat and stir until smooth. Remove from heat.
• Mix together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. In large bowl, cream butter or margarine and sugar together, beat in eggs, then vanilla extract. Gradually add dry ingredients and mix well.
• Put one half of prepared dough into another bowl and blend the melted chocolate into it. You now have one half chocolate dough and one half plain dough
• Divide each of these in half. You now have four pieces of dough, two chocolate and two vanilla. Form each of these into a squared off log 6 to 8 inches long.
• On a large sheet of foil place one chocolate log and one plain log next to each other. Brush each with water. Place remaining plain log on top of the chocolate side. Place the remaining chocolate log on top of the plain side. Wrap the four logs firmly in the foil and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).
• Remove dough from foil and cut into 1/4 inch slices. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or lightly browned. Cool on wire racks.

CHECKERBOARD COOKIES

Steps:

• For vanilla dough, cream butter and sugar together in a large bowl until well blended, about 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla extract.
• Gradually mix in flour on low speed.
• Knead dough to bring it together. Turn dough onto a clean working surface. Shape into a rectangle. Wrap with plastic and chill for about 30 minutes.
• For chocolate dough, cream butter and sugar together in a large bowl until well blended, about 2 minutes.
• Beat in cocoa powder. Gradually mix in flour on low speed.
• Knead dough to bring it together. Turn dough onto a clean working surface. Shape into a rectangle. Wrap with plastic and chill for about 30 minutes.
• Prepare 4 sheets of parchment or wax paper. Draw a 7-inch x 7-inch square in the middle of 2 of the 4 sheets of parchment or wax paper.
• When both types of dough are chilled, remove from refrigerator.
• Place a sheet of the parchment paper with the drawn side of the 7-in x 7-in square facing down on your work surface. Unwrap dough and place in the middle of the 7-in x 7-inch square. Then place another sheet of parchment paper (not drawn) on the top of dough. Roll out dough to the outline of the 7-in x 7-in square. Use a knife or spatula to push dough into the square so as to minimize wastage. Trim dough if necessary.
• Remove the top parchment paper and cut dough into three slabs of equal width.
• Do the same for the other flavor of dough.
• Place three slabs of dough, alternating vanilla and chocolate dough one on top of the other. Gently press the slabs together.
• Cut each slab lengthwise into 3 strips of equal width.
• Rearrange the strips of dough to create 2 slabs forming 9 small rectangles cross-wise.
• Wrap each slab with plastic and refrigerate for another 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
• Remove dough from refrigerator. Unwrap the dough and slice each log into ¼ inch thick slices cross-wise.
• Place onto non-stick baking sheet and bake for about 12 minutes per batch.
• Remove and let cookies cool for 5 minutes before transferring onto a wire rack to cool completely.

CHECKERBOARD COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350° F (177° C) and place rack in center of oven.
• Bake hazelnuts for 15 minutes or until skins start to blister. Remove from oven and wrap in a clean towel so the nuts can steam for 5 minutes. Rub the towel briskly in a back and forth motion to remove the skins from the hazelnuts. Set aside to cool.
• When cool, place the hazelnuts in a food processor along with the cocoa powder and process until the hazelnuts are finely ground. Set aside.
• In a small bowl whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside.
• In bowl of electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2 to 3 minutes). Add the egg, vanilla extract and orange zest and beat until well blended. Add the flour mixture and beat just until incorporated.
• Divide the dough in half and place one half of the dough back into the bowl of electric mixer. Add the cocoa and hazelnut mixture to the dough and beat until incorporated. Set aside.
• Lay out two large sheets of parchment paper (about 10 x 12 inch) (25 x 30 cm) and on one sheet of parchment roll out the white dough into a 6 1/2 inch by 10 1/2 inch (22.5 x 26.25 cm) rectangle, making sure both sides of the dough are smooth.
• Wrap dough and place on a baking sheet in the freezer for about 15 minutes or until dough is firm.
• Meanwhile, take the chocolate dough and remove 1/2 cup (used later for wrapping the checkerboard log) and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside.
• On the second sheet of parchment roll out the chocolate dough into a 6 1/2 inch by 10 1/2 inch (22.5 x 26.25 cm) rectangle, making sure both sides of the dough are smooth.
• Wrap dough and place on a baking sheet in the freezer for about 15 minutes or until dough is firm.
• When both the white and chocolate doughs are firm, remove from freezer and lay the white dough on a cutting board, removing the parchment paper.
• Lightly brush the top of the dough with a little water or lightly beaten egg white (this helps the layers to stick together).
• Remove the parchment paper from the chocolate dough and place it evenly on top of the white dough.
• Trim the edges of the two doughs so the rectangle now measures 6 inches by 10 inches (21.25 x 25 cm).
• (Take the chocolate dough trimmings and add to the 1/2 cup of reserved chocolate dough.) Lengthwise cut the rectangle into thirds (3- 2 inch by 10 inch stripes) (5 x 25 cm).
• Place one strip on a piece of plastic wrap.
• Brush the top of the dough with water and place the second strip on top of the first (alternate colors so you have white, black, white, black).
• Brush the top of the second layer with water and stack the third layer.
• Press down lightly on the top of the dough and then wrap and freeze for 15 minutes, or until firm.
• When firm, remove from freezer and unwrap, placing the dough on a cutting board.
• Using a sharp long knife, cut the layers lengthwise into 1/4 inch (0.6 cm) wide and 10 inch (25 cm) long strips (You will end up with 8 strips).
• Stack the layers, turning every other strip so top faces down and bottom faces up, to produce the checkerboard effect.
• Re-wrap stack and place in freezer again to firm up.
• Meanwhile, take the reserved chocolate trimmings and 1/2 cup of chocolate dough and roll out on a piece of parchment paper into approximately 9 1/2 x 10 1/2 inch (24 x 26.25 cm) rectangle, making sure the dough is smooth - Cover and refrigerate until slightly firm.
• Remove stack of checkerboard dough from freezer and place in center of chocolate dough.
• Wrap the chocolate dough around the checkerboard layers until you have a smooth surface that encloses the checkerboard design. Wrap in plastic and freeze until firm.
• Can freeze dough for up to 2 weeks.
• Preheat oven to 350° F (177° C) and place rack in center of oven.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Remove dough from freezer and place on a cutting board.
• With a sharp knife cut the block of dough into 1/8 to 1/4 inch (0.5 cm) thick slices.
• Place on prepared baking sheet about 1 inch (2.54 cm) apart.
• Bake for about 5-7 minutes or until cookies just start to brown around the edges.
• Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool.
• Baked cookies can be stored in an airtight container up to one week.

CHECKERBOARD COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla. Add flour and salt and blend well. Divide dough in half. Add cocoa to 1/2 of dough. Let rest. Roll 1/4 inch cylinders of chocolate and plain vanilla dough about 12 inches long. Arrange in checkerboard by alternating 6 cylinders of chocolate and vanilla dough, contrasting each time to six layers total. Press tightly. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 1/2 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With a sharp knife, slice the dough into rounds about 1/3-inch thick. Place 1 inch apart on a parchment covered baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes or until lightly golden.

CHECKERBOARD COOKIES.

Steps:

• Cream the buttery spread and the sugar. Add the applesauce and vanilla and continue to mix.
• Add the gluten free flour blend and salt and mix until combined. If the dough seems too wet, add a bit more gluten free flour. (I find that with gf flour blends, some of them soak up the wet ingredients more than others. If your dough seems too wet for sugar cookies, add some more flour. The dough should be pretty stiff).
• Place the dough on plastic wrap and shape into a log, about two inches square. Wrap and put in the refrigerator for at least two hours.
• Cream the buttery spread and the sugars. Add the applesauce and continue to mix.
• Add the gluten free flour blend, cocoa, and salt and mix until combined. Same as above, if the dough seems too wet, add a bit more gluten free flour.
• Place the dough on plastic wrap and shape into a log, about two inches square. Wrap and put in the refrigerator for at least two hours.
• Once the dough is thoroughly chilled, remove the dough logs from the refrigerator. While they are still wrapped, press them down on a hard surface on each side so that you get the edges nice and square.
• Unwrap and with a very sharp knife, cut each log into three even slices. Then cut each slice into three pieces. Try to get the pieces pretty even, so that you can have a nice neat checkerboard. I was not as careful as I should have been, so my checkerboard was not perfect.
• Take the dough pieces and arrange them into the checkerboard pattern. Your cookie will be three rows tall and three rows across. So bottom row, choc/van/choc, middle row, van/choc/van, top row, choc/van/choc. You will be making two logs, so the other log will have the opposite pattern.
• Use your hands to kind of press the log, making sure the pieces stay together, then wrap each log in wax paper and twist the ends closed. You want to make sure the log is square, so press each side against the table to make a nice sharp edge.
• Refrigerate for at least two hours, or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• Remove dough from refrigerator, and unwrap. With a very sharp knife, slice the cookies, about 1/4 inch thick. In between each slice, wipe off the knife, and turn the dough over, so a different side is against the cutting board for each slice. This will keep the log nice and square.
• Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack. (Keep the remainder of the dough refrigerated in between batches. Keeping the dough very cold makes it easier to slice and keeps it from spreading).

CHECKERBOARD COOKIES

Steps:

• Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment or a hand mixer, beat sugar and butter for 2 to 3 minutes until light and creamy.
• Then add in the flour and mix until it's all mixed in together and the flour mix resemble crumbs.
• Then add 1 tablespoon milk and mix until it all comes together as a dough. If using a hand mixer, you might need to use your hands to bring it all together as a dough.
• Once your dough is ready, divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Total weight of the dough here was 750 grams so I divided into 2 parts of 350 grams each.
• Take one part of the dough and put it into the mixer again, add 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
• Now take the vanilla dough out, wipe the mixer with a paper towel and put the chocolate dough into the mixer. Add the cocoa powder and 1 to 2 teaspoons of milk (as needed if the dough feels dry) and mix until it all mixes together.
• Now shape both the dough in a square shape, wrap with a cling sheet and chill in the refrigerator for around 20 minutes.
• Draw squares of 7 to 8 inch on two sheets of parchment paper. Roll the chilled dough into square shapes (try to fit in with in the square that you have drawn), trim the edges to make it clean.
• Now cut the rolled vanilla and chocolate dough into 3 equal parts each.
• Then take one dough part from each rolled dough and transfer it to the other one and stack them together on top of one another. So now you will have 2 stacks with alternating layers of vanilla>chocolate>vanilla and another stack with chocolate>vanilla>chocolate.
• Now cut each stacked log into 3 parts again (length wise).
• Now take the middle strip from each log and exchange again and press lightly.
• Now take one dough log and place it on top of the other, lengthwise. Lightly press the dough together, trim uneven ends and wrap the dough log. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• Cut the chilled cookie log into 1/4 inch thick slices. You will get around 30 to 35 cookies.
• Arrange cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Leave little space between each cookie.
• Bake at 350 F degrees for 15 to 20 mins (15 mins for softer cookies and 20 for crunchy cookie)!Enjoy checkerboard cookies with a glass of milk!

SLICE AND BAKE CHRISTMAS CHECKERBOARD COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium high speed for 30 seconds. Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and baking powder; beat until combined. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour with a wooden spoon. Divide the dough in half.
• Color half the dough red and the other half green. Shape red and green halves of dough into 8-inch logs. Wrap each in waxed paper or plastic wrap. Chill for 2 hours, or until firm. Cut each chilled log lengthwise into quarters; reassemble logs, alternating red and green quarters. Wrap and refrigerate for 15-30 minutes, or until well chilled.
• Cut dough into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place 2 inches apart on parchment lined baking sheets. Flatten slightly with the palm of your hand. Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 8-10 minutes, or until edges are firm and bottoms are lightly browned. Remove cookies and cool on a rack.

VANILLA CHOCOLATE CHECKERBOARD COOKIES

Steps:

• Draw a 5x15 inch rectangle on each of two large pieces of parchment paper; set aside.
• To prepare vanilla dough, use vanilla dough ingredients. Using medium speed of an electric mixer, beat butter until creamy. Add icing sugar and beat until fluffy. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla until blended. Reserve and refrigerate egg white for assembling checkerboard logs.
• Using low speed, gradually beat flour into butter mixture just until dough comes together. Gather dough into a ball. Flip one piece of parchment paper over so the rectangle marking is facing down and place dough on parchment paper. Using rectangle marking as a template, shape dough into a 5x15 inch rectangle with a smooth top.
• Wrap rectangle with parchment paper and refrigerate for 2 hours. Meanwhile, to prepare chocolate dough, use chocolate dough ingredients and repeat vanilla dough procedure, omitting vanilla and adding cocoa with flour.
• Remove both rectangles from refrigerator and unwrap. Trim about 1/4 inch off edges of rectangles. Dough trimmings can be gathered together, shaped into a log and sliced for marble cookies.
• Cut trimmed rectangles in half crosswise. Cut each half lengthwise into 9 strips. There should be 18 vanilla strips and 18 chocolate strips, each measuring about 1/2x7 1/4 inch.
• To prepare one checkerboard log, lay 1 chocolate strip on centre of a large piece of plastic wrap. Brush some reserved egg whites on both sides of chocolate strip. Place 1 vanilla strip on each side. Brush tops of strips with some reserved egg whites. Repeat procedure twice with alternating strips, forming a three layer checkerboard pattern. Do not brush tops of strips with egg whites on final layer. Wrap log with plastic wrap and gently press down on all sides to seal any gaps between strips.
• Prepare three more logs, reversing checkerboard pattern for two of them. Refrigerate wrapped logs for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Remove logs from refrigerator and unwrap. Cut each log into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place slices 2 inches apart on parchment paper-lined cookie sheets.
• Bake for 10 minutes or until cookies are firm.
• Let cookies stand for 5 minutes on cookie sheets. Remove from cookie sheets and cool on racks. Store in an airtight container in a cool dry place for up to 1 week. May be frozen.

CHECKERBOARD COOKIES

Steps:

• First prepare the white dough by adding the soft butter to a mixing bowl together with the sugar and 1/2 amount of one scrambled egg and vanilla essence. Mix and whisk the content to a smooth pastry.
• Then sieve the flour into the pastry mixture so that it's easier to mix the whole content into a dough. Create a smooth looking dough. It will form itself into a lovely smooth dough at some point as you can see in the video. Make sure to not use your hands for that, use a cake spatula, because the body heat will just make it all too soft.
• Then form into a brick of about 2 inch thickness and wrap into a clean wrap. Place into the fridge for at least 30 minutes so that the dough gets hard again.
• Then you prepare the black dough the same way. Add the butter to the mixing bowl with the remaining egg and the sugar as mentioned in the ingredients list. Mix and whisk to a smooth paste
• Then sieve the flour and cocoa powder into the bowl with the pastry and repeat the process of creating a smooth dough with the baking spatula.
• Shape the dark dough into the same size as the white dough (that's important for later!) and wrap into clean wrap as well and place into the fridge for 30 minutes minimum as well.
• Take out the 2 bricks of dough from the fridge and unwrap one first and then the other one. Start with the white one, cut into half lengthwise, and then again the half pieces into half so that you have 4 regular sized pieces. Do the same with the black brick.
• Then take one white and one black into your hand and press them together. Do that once again with 2 other pieces and then place the two sets as shown in the video together but in a way so that you can see a chess motive emerge. You could continue adding rows that way for a bigger cookie in length if you like by cutting that brick into half.
• Make sure to press the whole stitched together block of white and black so that each surface is equal and smooth and so that the parts stick well together in the center. The aim is to have almost straight looking cookie walls. Then wrap the block of dough once again into clean wrap and keep in the fridge for another 30 minutes so that later you can cut it easily into equal sized slices. The dough gets soft in time with the warmth of the hands, that is absolutely normal.
• just before taking out the dough from the fridge, preheat the oven to 180 Celsius/356 Fahrenheit so that the oven gets hot enough.
• After the block has cooled again in the fridge and is hard enough, take it out of the clean wrap and cut into about 1 cm/0.4 inch thick slices so that you have a few cookies.
• Keep a baking tray ready with a baking paper and place the cookies 2 cm/0.8 inch apart from each other onto the baking paper. Bake at 180 Celsius/356 Fahrenheit for about 10-12 minutes. Keep an eye on your cookies in the oven and reduce or add 1-2 minutes depending if the cookies are over baking (turning yellow on the white cookie side) or are under baked. The cookies should be baked but should not change color.
• Once bake let cool and directly store afterwards. For a dry climate use a cookie tin box with baking paper and some apple skin to lock the moisture into the cookies. For a humid climate, keep the cookies in an airtight container.

CHECKERBOARD COOKIES

Steps:

• Whisk to combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In a stand mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter to spread around the bowl. With the mixer running, stream in the sugar. Review my creaming article if you have forgotten how to do this properly. Add the egg and vanilla, and mix until combined.
• Slowly add the flour mixture to the stand mixer bowl until combined.
• Remove half of the dough, wrap in plastic and put into the fridge.
• Add the espresso powder, chocolate, and cocoa powder to the remaining dough, and mix to combine.
• Remove the coffee dough from the mixer and shape into a squared off block, about 2 inches tall and wide, and 6 inches long. Do the same with the vanilla dough.
• Refrigerate both doughs on a sheet pan for 1 hour.
• Cut each block into desired size for checkering. I cut the block into thirds, then into thirds again (see blog photos).
• Start alternating the pieces with chocolate and vanilla, then square it off and press together. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the dough into 1/4 inch thick slices and place on a parchment paper lined sheet pan.
• Bake for 10 minutes, then cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!

CHECKERBOARD COOKIES

Steps:

• Combine ¾ cup butter, egg yolks and vanilla extract in large bowl. Beat at low speed with electric mixer until blended. Set aside cocoa packet from Mix. Gradually add cake mix. Blend well. Divide dough in half. Add cocoa packet and remaining 1 tablespoon butter to half the dough. Knead until well blended and chocolate colored. Roll out yellow dough between two pieces of waxed paper into a 6 inch square. Repeat with chocolate dough. Remove top pieces of waxed paper from yellow and chocolate doughs. Cut each square into twelve ½ inch wide strips. To assemble, place one strip chocolate dough on plastic wrap. Brush edge with beaten egg. Place one strip yellow dough next to chocolate dough. Brush edge with egg. Repeat with a second chocolate strip, egg and a second yellow strip to make first row. Brush top of row with egg. Prepare second row by stacking strips on first row, alternating yellow over chocolate strips. Brush edge and top of each strip with egg. Repeat for third row to complete one checkerboard bar. Repeat with remaining strips to make second bar. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm enough to slice. Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃). Grease baking sheets. Cut checkerboard bars into slices. Place 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350℉ (180℃). for 7 to 9 minutes or until edges are light golden brown.

CHECKERBOARD ICEBOX COOKIES

Steps:

• For the vanilla dough, beat the butter, icing sugar and granulated sugar well, using electric beaters or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until smooth and fluffy. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla and beat in well. Add the flour and salt and mix until the dough comes together (it will be soft.) Shape the dough into 2 discs, wrap in plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 2 hours. Alternatively the dough can be made ahead and frozen, then thawed in the fridge before baking.
• For the chocolate dough, beat the butter, icing sugar and granulated sugar well, using electric beaters or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until smooth and fluffy. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla and beat in well. Add the flour, cocoa powder and salt and mix until the dough comes together (it will be soft.) Shape the dough into 2 discs, wrap in plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 2 hours. Alternatively the dough can be made ahead and frozen, then thawed in the fridge before baking.
• On a lightly floured surface, divide the first disc of vanilla dough in half, knead each piece lightly to soften and roll out each to a rectangle that is about 8-x-5-inches (20-x-12-cm) and ½-inch (12 mm) thick. Set aside and do the same with the chocolate dough.
• Brush the surface of one of the chocolate dough pieces with a little water and place a vanilla piece on top. Brush this with water and top with a chocolate piece, brush again and finish with the vanilla dough. Trim away the edges of all 4 sides. Cut strips lengthwise that are ½-inch (12 mm) thick. If the dough starts to get soft as you work with it, pop it in the fridge to chill 10-15 minutes.
• Take the second disc of chilled chocolate dough, divide it in half and roll out into a rectangle that is ¼-inch (6 mm) thick but the width of the checkerboard piece and at least 8-inches (20 cm) long. Brush the checkerboard lightly with water and place it close to one short end of the dough. Roll up the checkerboard in the chocolate dough, brushing each side with water as you go. Trim the dough so the seam is not visible (it works best to make the seam on a flat side, not a corner of the dough) and trim the ends. Now your checkerboard is framed with chocolate cookie dough. Wrap and chill the dough to set it, about an hour. You can repeat this process with vanilla dough for the other checkerboard log. Any excess dough can be rolled, measured and shaped again, or simply roughly stacked for a marble effect when sliced.
• Preheat the oven to 350 ­­°F (180 ­­°C) and line 2 baking trays with parchment paper. Slice the checkerboard dough into cookies that are ¼-inch (6 mm) thick and lay them out on the baking trays, leaving an inch (25 mm) in between them. Bake the cookies for about 12 minutes, until the cookies lift easily from the tray and are lightly golden on the bottom. Cool the cookies on the baking tray before removing.The cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

CHECKERBOARD COOKIES

Steps:

• With the paddle of an electric mixer (or regular beaters), cream the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy but not melted. Add the salt and confectioners' sugar; mix on medium-low speed until thoroughly combined, about 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Reduce the speed to low and add the ground almonds, egg yolk, and vanilla extract; mix until blended. Add the flour; as soon as the dough comes together, stop the mixer. Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment or waxed paper into an 8-1/2×11-inch rectangle that's 1/3 inch thick; try to get the thickness very even. Transfer the dough to a baking sheet; refrigerate for several hours until hardened.
• Follow the instructions for the vanilla dough, adding the cocoa along with the ground almonds. Roll and chill as for the vanilla.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator, peel off the paper from both sides and set the dough onto a fresh sheet of parchment. Using a sharp, thin knife, slice both doughs lengthwise into square strips about 1/3 inch thick. If the dough starts to soften, freeze it briefly to firm it up.
• Set up your workspace so that you have a baking sheet to work on in front of you, both doughs to one side, and the egg wash with a pastry brush to the other side. Lay a strip of vanilla dough lengthwise on the baking sheet; then lay a strip of chocolate dough next to the vanilla; finally lay another strip of vanilla next to the chocolate. Press the three strips gently together so that they stick to one another. Brush the tops with the egg wash. Sandwich one strip of chocolate dough between two vanilla strips.
• Lay a strip of chocolate directly on top of the first strip of vanilla, lay a strip of vanilla next to that, and a strip of chocolate next to that. Again, gently but firmly press together and down to ensure that all the strips are stuck to one another. Brush this layer with more egg wash. Finish with another layer of vanilla-chocolate-vanilla. Gently press the log together on all sides. Make more logs with the remaining strips. Chill the logs for at least an hour.
• Heat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment. When the logs are hard enough to slice, remove them from refrigerator. Slice into cookies about 1/4 inch thick. Set the squares 1/2 inch apart on the baking sheet and bake until the vanilla parts are lightly browned, about 8 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through. Cool on the baking sheet until cool enough to handle (about 10 minutes) and then transfer the cookies to a rack. With a sharp knife, cut the log into 1/4-in. thick slices and space them 1/2 inch apart on the parchment-lined sheet.

CHECKERBOARD & SWIRL SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, or bowl from a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter with sugar until light and fluffy. (about one minute)
• Add vanilla and beat just until combined.
• Gradually add flour, about 1/2 cup at a time, mixing just until combined.
• Divide the dough in half and place one-half of the dough in a small mixing bowl and add in the cocoa powder. You can use the mixer, or mix with clean hands or a wooden spoon until well-combined.
• Place the dough between two pieces of waxed paper or plastic wrap and roll out into a 7x7-inch square. Start with the vanilla dough, then do the same with the chocolate dough.
• Trim the dough to exactly 7x7-inches and set aside the remaining dough to make smaller checkerboard cookies or swirl cookies.
• Cut each square into 3/4 inch wide strips as detailed in steps 8 to 10.
• Use a ruler to score the dough with a sharp knife to mark the 3/4" for each cut line.
• I used a ruler and pizza cutter to cut the strips. Cut the vanilla strips and set aside.
• Cut the chocolate strips and set aside.
• Next, lay a piece of plastic wrap on the work surface. Carefully, lift three strips, one at a time, and lay them beside each other, alternating the vanilla and chocolate.
• Press the three pieces together lightly.
• On top of that row, continue with a second, third and fourth layer using the opposite colours from one row to the next as follows:
• Row one: Chocolate, Vanilla, Chocolate Row two: Vanilla, Chocolate, Vanilla Row three: Chocolate, Vanilla, Chocolate Row four: Vanilla, Chocolate, Vanilla.
• Wrap the brick in plastic wrap and press the sides and top together gently.
• Refrigerate for one hour.
• Trim both ends of the dough with a sharp knife.
• Slice cookies 1/4-inch thick and place on prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in 350°F oven, one sheet at a time for 8 to 10 minutes. The edges will be lightly browned and the top still a bit soft.
• Cool on wire racks.

CHECKERBOARD COOKIES

Steps:

• Make dough in a food processor: Combine the sugars, salt, and 1 1/2 cups (195 grams) of the flour in the work bowl. Add cold, diced butter and mix or pulse until it disappears, then keep running the machine until it just begins to clump. Add egg yolk (save the egg white for later) and vanilla and pulse until combined, then keep running the machine until one large or a few smaller smooth masses form. Make dough in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer: Combine butter, sugars, and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer and beat until creamy. If you began with cold butter in a stand mixer, this will take a couple minutes and require you to scrape down the bowl a few times. Once mixture is thoroughly combined, add egg yolk (save the egg white for later) and vanilla and beat until combined. Add 1 1/2 cups (195 grams) of the flour and beat until it disappears into a smooth dough. Both methods: Divide dough in half. [Each half will weigh 270 to 275 grams.] Leave one half in the mixing bowl or food processor. Add 1/4 cup (35 grams) remaining flour to it and pulse/mix until just combined. Scrape out the mixing bowl or food processor and scoop out this vanilla dough, setting it aside. Add the second half of the dough to the mixing bowl or food process and add the cocoa powder. Mix until evenly combined. This is now your chocolate dough. Heat oven: To 350°F (176°C) To checkerboard the doughs:Place each dough half between two pieces of parchment paper and roll each into (approximately) 4 to 5×10-inch (10 to 13×25-cm) rectangles that are 1/4-inch (6mm) thick. Slide both slabs of dough onto a cutting board or tray and freeze for 10 to 15 minutes, until firm like cold butter but not quite frozen solid.Remove the top piece of parchment from each slab (you can use these to line your baking sheet) and stack the chocolate and vanilla dough layers, pressing them gently together. Cut the slab in half the long way (i.e. forming two approximately 2×10-inch rectangles) and stack the halves, forming one long, striped slab. Press the layers gently, to adhere them, and return this to the freezer for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until it's very firm but not fully frozen.Remove this long slab from the freezer and, using your sharpest knife and steadiest hand, cut it the long way into eight 1/4-inch-wide slices. Arrange the first four into a checkerboarded log, flipping two of the slices over so the opposite flavor is on top. Repeat with second four into a second checkerboarded log. Wrap each in a piece of parchment paper and press it firmly into a long, squared-off log, adhering the layers. Return to the freezer for one last 10-minute stint, until solid to the touch. To finish cookies: Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, or discarded parchment from your cookie slabs. Beat reserved egg white until just loosened. Gather your sanding sugar(s). Unwrap first checkerboarded log. Brush log with a thin coat of egg white and roll or sprinkle in sanding sugar. [Normal people choose one color per log. I cut each log into quarters and did each quarter in a different color.] Slice sugar-coated log into 1/4-inch-thick cookies, and arrange on prepared baking sheet with 1-inch space between them (they expand slightly). Repeat with second log, creating more cookies. Bake cookies: For 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown underneath. Let cookies rest on tray for 5 minutes, so they firm up a little, before transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling and crisping up. Do ahead: Baked, cooled cookies keep for 3 weeks in a tin at room temperature. To spiral the doughs: Roll your chocolate and vanilla dough slabs each to 1/8-inch thick and stack them, patting them gently together. Chill in the freezer for just 5 to 10 minutes, until cold but not hard. Divide dough into two long, equal widths. With the vanilla dough underneath/forming the outer ring, roll each half of dough into a tight spiral. [I forgot and did the opposite, but always think it looks better with vanilla on the outside.] Wrap each spiral in parchment, pressing the dough into a firm log. Chill in freezer for 15 minutes, until solid but not frozen hard. Continue from "To finish cookies:" instructions above. To marble the doughs: Roll your chocolate and vanilla dough slabs each to 1/8-inch thick and stack them, patting them gently together. Cut into two stacked sections and squeeze each into a rough log, fold it over, and mash the log, kneading it once or twice. Press kneaded mounds together and form them back into a long log shape. Wrap tightly with parchment, pressing the dough into a firm log. Chill in freezer for 15 minutes, until solid but not frozen hard. Continue from "To finish cookies:" instructions above.