Checkered Flag Cookies Food

CHECKERED FLAG COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine 1/2 cup butter and chocolate chips. Cover and microwave on high for 1-2 minutes or until melted; stir until smooth. Add the contents of one cookie mix package, 1 egg and 2 tablespoons flour; stir until combined. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until dough is firm., Meanwhile, place the remaining butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover and heat on high for 1 minute or until melted. Stir in the remaining cookie mix, egg and flour. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until firm., Meanwhile, place the remaining butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover and heat on high for 1 minute or until melted. Stir in the remaining cookie mix, egg and flour. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until firm., On waxed paper, roll out the plain and chocolate dough into separate 9x5-in. rectangles. Cut each rectangle into nine 1-in. strips. Stack the strips in groups of three, alternating plain and chocolate strips, and forming six separate stacks. , Form two blocks by placing one plain-topped stack on each side of a chocolate-topped stack and one chocolate-topped stack on each side of a plain-topped stack; press together gently., Cut both stacks into 1/4-in. slices. Place 3 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Immediately insert a skewer into each cookie. Remove from pans to wire racks 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.

FLAG COOKIES

Steps:

• Cut a 3-by-5-inch template out of lightweight cardboard, or create a template by stacking several index cards together, then wrapping them in plastic wrap, leaving one side smooth; set aside. Line 2 baking sheets with Silpat baking mats or parchment paper, and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar for 1 minute. Add vanilla, flour, and salt, and mix until just combined, 1 to 2 minutes more.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick. Place the smooth side of the template onto the dough, and cut out a rectangle using a paring knife; repeat to make a total of 16 rectangles, re-rolling dough as needed.
• Transfer rectangles to prepared baking sheets using a wide spatula. Chill for at least 1 hour.
• Bake cookies until they are just beginning to color and are lightly firm to the touch, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove to cooling rack, and let cool completely.
• Divide the royal icing evenly among 4 bowls, and cover each tightly with plastic wrap. Set one bowl aside for outlining the cookies. Add red food coloring to one of the bowls, and mix thoroughly, adding more food coloring if necessary to obtain desired color. Add 2 or 3 teaspoons of water to icing so it is loose enough to flow easily off of a spatula when lifted and forms a ribbon that dissolves almost immediately. Replace plastic wrap, and cover tightly. Repeat this process with another bowl of icing using blue food coloring. To the third bowl of icing, add just the water, and mix thoroughly. Recover all bowls tightly with plastic wrap.
• Transfer the reserved outlining icing to a small pastry bag fitted with a No. 5 tip. Pipe an even line on the outside edges of the cookie. Divide the cookie in half with a horizontal line. To form the outline of the canton (the field of stars), pipe a vertical line 1/3 of the way from the left side of the cookie until it meets the first horizontal line. To form the stripes, pipe two evenly spaced horizontal lines above the original horizontal line and to the right of the canton. Pipe 3 more evenly spaced horizontal lines from left to right under the canton. Repeat this process on the remaining cookies. Reserve the icing in the pastry bag for the stars. Allow the icing to dry for at least 1 hour.
• Place the remaining 3 icings into separate squeeze bottles. Flood the field of stars with enough blue icing to fill the space evenly without overflowing. Use the tip of a small knife or a wooden skewer to push the icing completely into the corners. Using the same technique, flood every other stripe with the red icing. Allow the icing to dry for at least 2 hours. Flood the remaining stripes with the white icing.
• Change the tip of the pastry bag with the reserved white icing to a No. 16 tip. Pipe out as many stars onto the blue icing as will fit. Allow the icing to dry.

CHOCOLATE AND VANILLA CHECKERED FLAG CAKE

Steps:

• For the vanilla and chocolate cakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare four 9-inch cake pans with the nonstick cooking spray and dust with flour.
• In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the granulated sugar and butter and cream together until combined, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating to incorporate them. Add the baking powder, salt and 1 cup of the flour and continue to beat. Add the milk and remaining 2 cups flour, alternating back and forth. And the vanilla extract and beat for 1 more minute. Pour half of the batter into 2 of the prepared cake pans, reserving half to make into chocolate cake batter.
• To make the chocolate batter, add the cocoa and hot water to a small bowl and mix to make a paste. Combine the chocolate paste with the remaining cake batter and mix until evenly combined. Pour the chocolate cake batter into the remaining 2 cake pans.
• Place all 4 cake pans in the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of each comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool on a wire baking rack for 30 minutes.
• For the vanilla frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the confectioners' sugar and butter and mix on low speed for 1 minute until combined, then increase the speed to medium and beat until fluffy, another 3 minutes. Add the heavy cream and vanilla bean seeds and continue to beat for 1 more minute. Set aside.
• To assemble checkerboard cake: To each cake, using a 5.5-inch round cookie cutter, cut out 1 ring, place a 2.5-inch round cookie cutter on the inside of the 5.5-inch ring to cut out a 2nd round. Repeat with the other 3 cakes. (This will give you 2 rings and 1 round per cake)
• For the first layer: Place the largest yellow cake ring on your desired cake plate, place the second largest chocolate cake ring inside of the yellow cake ring, then place the smallest yellow cake round inside of the chocolate cake ring. Spread an even layer of vanilla frosting on top.
• For the second layer: Place the largest chocolate cake ring on top of the first frosted layer of cake, place the second largest yellow cake ring inside of the of the chocolate ring, then place the smallest chocolate round inside of the yellow cake ring. Spread an even layer of vanilla frosting on top.
• For the third and fourth layers, repeat the steps for the first 2 layers. Finish the top of the cake with an even layer of frosting, leaving the sides of the cake untouched.