Checkerboard Cookies – Week 3 Avant Garde Cookies

Hey everyone!!! Its Christmas eve in three days. Have you all finished baking your treats and done packing your gifts?? Hung the mistletoe?? Well, i dint hang any mistletoe but i m done packing my gifts and baking all my goodies. I dint make much and i stuck to easy peasy stuff this year. I made the ceremonial fruit cake. I soaked my fruits and baked my cake but accidentally deleted my pictures. So i wont be able to share my fruit cake recipe this year. However, i did bake a whole bag of cookies. My house smells like a spice shop now, so my students tell me. They had the good fortune to nibble on some of those cookies that i made and then i sent out some to my friends and neighbours. But i m still not looking at an empty cookie tin with stray crumbs here and there. But then there s another clique to whom i must send the cookies to. So, yeah the prospects of looking at an empty cookie tin is very bright. What else can make a baker happy than an empty cookie jar?

     
Anyway, we at the Avant Garde Cookies decided to go festive and feisty for the third week. We decided to don the mitts and bake till our ovens groaned. I m setting off a whole lot of baking in motion with these checker board cookies. Now, believe me, if you havent baked your Christmas goodies, these cookies are a fabulous idea. They are quick and yummy. But the brownie point is that they look super cute. Kids go gaga after you place these in front of them. You can experiment with flavors and colors here but considering that i was making them for the first time, i stuck to the traditional chocolate and vanilla.

Recipe For Checkerboard Cookies
( Cookies in a checkerboard pattern with vanilla and chocolate)

Prep Time: Under 15 mins
Bake Time: 10 mins
Source: Slightly adapted from Martha Stewart s Recipe
Yields 12 to 16 cookies

What You Need?

All Purpose Flour 1.25 cups
Butter softened and at room temperature1/2 cup
Sugar 6 tbsp powdered
Vanilla Extract 1 tsp
Cocoa powder 3 tbsp
Salt a pinch

How To Make It?

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar using a whisk or an electric whisk until light and fluffy.
Add vanilla and mix again.
Now, add the flour in batches and mix into the butter sugar mixture until  you get a crumbly mixture.
Once you reach the crumbly stage, knead the dough until it all comes together into a big lump.
In case you find the dough too sticky, sprinkle a lil flour and knead.
Once done kneading, divide the dough into half.
In one portion of the dough, sprinkle the cocoa powder and gently incorporate the cocoa into the dough thoroughly.

Now, place the white dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper or butter paper and gently roll out into a 5″ square making sure the dough is evenly rolled out.
Repeat the same process with the chocolate dough too.
Now, line a tray or a plate with parchment paper.
Cut the rolled out dough into 4 strips each 3/4″ wide.
In the lined tray, assemble the strips in an alternate fashion to get the checkerboard pattern.
Once you assemble the strips, refrigerate the dough for 2 to 3 hours. I refrigerated the dough for 1 day out of sheer lack of time to bake them but needless to say, i had super crunchy cookies so no regrets there.
After 3 hours, preheat the oven to 180 C.
Cut the log of dough into 1/4″ thick slices and assemble on a parchment paper lined baking tray leaving an inch gap between each cookie.
Bake for 8 to 10 mins or until the cookies turn a light brown.
Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

My Notes:

1. I attempted these cookies for the first time and hence i couldnt take much pictures. And my finish is not awesome. But with practice, i m sure you all will have beautiful cookies.
2. The butter has to be absolutely in room temperature.
3. My cookies got done in 9 mins exact. So keep an eye after the 8th minute.
4. The cookie dough can be made in advance and refrigerated for 2 days or even frozen for weeks.
5. I think these cookies are fun to make when there s more dough to work with. So feel free and double the recipe.
6. In case you find the strips breaking due to their length, make them into 2 blocks and work further in assembling.
7. Watch this video for an idea on how to assemble the strips.
8. There s no need to bring the dough to room temperature before baking.

Want to know what s baking with the other cookies? Then pay a visit to Jayanti, Radhika, Priya Sreeram, Priya Mahadevan, Kavi,Veena and Roshni.