Chocolate and Vanilla Checkerboard Cookies

Delicious and buttery these cookies offer the best of both worlds – chocolate and vanilla. This refrigerator cookie is sliced into rounds, showcasing the easy to make checkerboard effect. Serve them warm with a glass of milk for dipping.

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In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and continue beating until smooth. In the meantime, sift together 1 1/4 cups flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix into the butter mixture using a paddle attachment until just incorporated.

Divide the dough equally into two bowls. In one bowl add the cocoa powder and in the other the 1/4 cup of flour. Using a spatula, incorporate the dry ingredients into the batter. Place each batter onto a sheet of plastic wrap, forming a log shape. Wrap the dough in the plastic wrap and using your hands, pull apart from the outside to make the dough rounder in shape. Tuck in the ends and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until the butter has hardened.

Using a sharp knife, cut the dough in half. You can create the checkerboard effect in two ways. Turn over the dough so that the flat side is facing down. The easy way is to cut the dough once again in half (creating quarters). A little more work is to cut the half piece into thirds or into four pieces (depending on the width of your roll). Once you have cut the pieces, you will start to alternate the chocolate and the vanilla pieces to create the checkerboard effect.

Roll the checkerboard dough with plastic wrap once again. When you place the pieces one on top of the other, there will be gaps. Holding onto the wrapped dough with both hands, push together the pieces and roll the dough onto a flat surface to make it round once again. Wrap well and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, preheat your oven to 350°F. Unwrap the chilled dough and cut into 1/4” thick slices. Place the slices a couple of inches apart from one another and cook for 12 to 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before placing on a wire rack to fully cool.

Makes 24 cookies.