Checkerboard cookies are perfect for the holidays
Dessert is worth the extra effort for the holidays
If you expect guests over during the holidays, there’s a reasonably good chance they wouldn’t say no if you brought out a plate of homemade cookies. If you’d like a show-stopper of a cookie to serve to visitors, this recipe for Vanilla Chocolate Checkerboard Cookies should do the trick.
The concept is similar to pinwheel cookies, another holiday favourite and cookie exchange mainstay. Two doughs are made — one vanilla flavoured, the other chocolate flavoured — then combined when forming the cookies for a visual effect of contrasting colours. Instead of the circular pinwheel shape, the cookies have a tic-tac-toe pattern of alternating colours. This is done by first sheeting the dough, then cutting it into strips, and finally combining those strips into a long log of dough that the cookies are sliced from. This requires a good deal of precision, so make sure you have a ruler and a sharp chef’s knife handy.
To help you master the technique, we’ve put together a tutorial video on our YouTube channel at youtube.com/TheBlueFlameKitchen. Some things are easier to explain visually than with words, so we hope it helps.
1. Draw a 5x15 inch rectangle on each of two large pieces of parchment paper; set aside.
2. 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.
3. Using low speed, gradually beat flour into butter mixture just until dough comes together.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Remove both rectangles from refrigerator and unwrap. Trim about ¼ inch off edges of rectangles. Dough trimmings can be gathered together, shaped into a log and sliced for marble cookies.
7. 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 ½x7 ¼ inch.
8. 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.
9. Repeat procedure twice with alternating strips, forming a three layer checkerboard pattern. Do not brush tops of strips with egg whites on final layer.
10. Wrap log with plastic wrap and gently press down on all sides to seal any gaps between strips.
11. Prepare three more logs, reversing checkerboard pattern for two of them. Refrigerate wrapped logs for 1 hour.
12. Preheat oven to 325°F.
13. Remove logs from refrigerator and unwrap. Cut each log into ¼ inch thick slices.
14. Place slices 2 inches apart on parchment paper-lined cookie sheets.
15. Bake for 10 minutes or until cookies are firm.
16. Let cookies stand for 5 minutes on cookie sheets. Remove from cookie sheets and cool on racks.
17. Store in an airtight container in a cool dry place for up to 1 week. May be frozen. Makes about 9 dozen Nutritional analysis per cookie: 59 calories, 3.6 g fat, 0.7 g protein, 6.1 g carbohydrate, 0.2 g fibre, 26 mg sodium