Checkerboard Cookies Ii Food

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.

BLACK AND WHITE CHECKERBOARD COOKIES

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the baking powder, salt and 2 1⁄2 cups of the flour.
• Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, and beat to combine. With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated.
• Transfer half the dough (about 1 1⁄2 cups) to a bowl; set aside. Add the chocolate and remaining 1 1⁄2 Tbsp flour to remaining dough and mix to combine. Between 2 sheets of wax paper (you'll need 4 total), roll each portion of dough (chocolate and vanilla) into a 1⁄2-in.-thick, 11 x 4-in. rectangle. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Remove top sheets of wax paper from dough and brush top of vanilla rectangle with egg white. Place the chocolate rectangle on top; press gently to help it adhere. Cut 1⁄2-in.-thick strips of the dough. Working with 2 strips of dough at a time (a strip is comprised of the vanilla adhered to the chocolate, so you need 2 of those), brush the cut side of one with egg white and gently press it onto the other, alternating the vanilla and chocolate doughs to form a checkerboard-patterned log. Wrap in plastic wrap.
• Heat oven to 350°F. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut the logs into 1⁄8-in.-thick slices and transfer to the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 1 in. apart. Bake until just set and golden around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Immediately transfer cookies 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

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:

• 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:

• 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:

• 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:

• 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.

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

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:

• Place toasted hazelnuts in your food processor along with the cocoa powder and process until the hazelnuts are finely ground. Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
• In a small bowl whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside.
• With a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 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 your electric mixer.
• Divide the dough in half and place one half of the dough back into the bowl and 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) and on one sheet of parchment roll out the white dough into a 6 1/2 inch by 10 1/2 inch 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 and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside.
• On the second sheet of parchment roll out the remaining chocolate dough into a 6 1/2 inch by 10 1/2 inch 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 dough are firm, remove from freezer and lay the white dough on a cutting board, removing the parchment paper.
• Lightly brush the top of the white dough with a little water
• Remove the parchment paper from the chocolate dough and place it evenly on top of the white dough.
• Trim the edges of the two dough's so the rectangle now measures 6 inches by 10 inches.
• 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)
• 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 pattern). 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 1/2 inch wide and 10 inch long strips. (You will end up with 4 strips).
• Stack the layers, turning every other strip so top faces down and bottom faces up, to produce the checkerboard effect. Rewrap 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 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.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
• 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 1/4 inch thick slices.
• Place on prepared baking sheet spacing about 1 inch 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.

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.