Checkerboard and Pinwheel Cookies

Photography by Dan Engongora

Two Tone Cookies

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 oz unsweetened chocolate finely chopped

Directions:

For Mixing Dough:

1) In a large bowl sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.

2) Beat butter until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes more. Add eggs one at a time. Beating after each addition, then beat in vanilla. Add flour and beat on low until combined.

3) Divide dough in half. Return other half to mixer. Melt chocolate in double boiler or microwave. Add melted chocolate to dough in mixer and beat just until combined.

Spiral cookies

1) Divide vanilla dough into three pieces. Place each piece on a large piece of saran wrap. Pat it into a ½” thick square and then wrap it in the plastic. Repeat the process for the chocolate dough. Refrigerate all 6 pieces until firm (about 1 hour)

2) Unwrap 1 piece of the vanilla dough, leaving it on the plastic. Cover it with a 2^nd piece of plastic wrap, then roll it into a rectangle measuring about 9”X9-1/2”. If the dough gets too soft or difficult to roll, slide it onto a baking sheet and refrigerate it until it’s firm again (5-10 minutes). Unwrap a piece of the chocolate dough, cover it with another piece of plastic and roll it into a 9”X9” square.

3) Remove the top piece of plastic wrap from both rolled dough’s and invert the chocolate dough on top of the vanilla dough, lining up 3 sides and leaving about ½” of vanilla dough exposed on one side. Starting at the opposite side lift the vanilla dough by the plastic wrap underneath it and snugly roll up both layers into a log, peeling away the plastic wrap as you go. Wrap the log in the plastic and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours. Repeat the process with the  other pieces of dough.4) Heat the oven to 350. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap 1 of the logs and slice it into ¼”-thick rounds. Arrange the slices on the parchment about 1- 1/2” apart and bake them for 11-12 minutes. When done they’ll be a little soft to the touch-the cookies will have a better texture if you don’t let their edges brown.5) Leave the cookies on the sheet for 1 minute, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool. Slice and bake the other logs as the first Yields 3 dozen cookies

Checkerboard/Striped Cookies: (Checkerboard cookies are in essence the striped cookies with two additional steps).

1) Divide vanilla dough into ½”. Place each piece on a large piece of saran wrap- pat into ½” thick square and then wrap it in the plastic wrap. Repeat the process for the chocolate dough. Refrigerate all four pieces until firm (about 1 hour).

2) Unwrap 1 piece of the chilled dough, leaving it on the plastic. Cover it with a 2^nd piece of plastic wrap, then roll it into a rectangle measuring about 7” wide X 8” long. If the dough is too soft and difficult to roll, slide it onto a baking sheet and refrigerate it until it is firm again (5-10 minutes). Unwrap a piece of the chocolate dough, cover it with another piece of plastic, and roll it into a 7” wide X 8” rectangle. Remove the top piece of plastic wrap from both rolled dough and invert the chocolate on top of the vanilla dough.

For Stripe Design:

Proceed with steps a, b, and c  (omitting steps d and e).

For Checkerboard

A) Begin with steps a-e, omitting step c a)  Cut in half lengthwise into two strips. Brush one strip with the egg white and put the other on top.

B) Continue cutting and stacking the strips until there are eight layers of chocolate and vanilla dough.

C) Trim the end, wrap the log in plastic and neaten its shape with the flat of your hand. Chill for about two hours. Slice into squares ¼” thick and bake as in spiral cookie directions (steps 4 & 5).

D) Using a small sharp knife, slice the layered dough lengthwise into four to five strips. If the dough becomes warm, chill for 10 minutes before continuing.

E) Brush one strip with egg white. Place the next strip on top, so a vanilla strip appears on top of a chocolate one, giving a checkerboard effect. Repeat until all the strips are used. Trim the ends, wrap the log in plastic, and neaten its shape with the flat of your hand. Chill for about 1 hour. Slice into squares ¼” thick and bake as in spiral cookie directions (steps 4 and 5).

Marble cookies: Use all scraps of dough and roll into logs. Refrigerate for two hours. Unwrap log and cut into a ¼” rounds and bake as in spiral cookie directions (steps 4 & 5).

This Article by EstherO. originally appeared in Mishpacha Magazine.