These striking-looking, delicious, shortbread cookies are well worth the effort, both for their unique appearance and for their melt-in-your-mouth, not-too-sweet butteriness. Our family cookie collection of recipes, I think, would not be complete unless we included these among them. The cookies themselves are very easy to make, but they require a certain amount of patience and attention to detail to look the way they should.
Checkerboard Shortbread Cookies
(makes 4 to 5 dozen depending on how thick you slice the loaves)
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp. pure lemon extract
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 2-3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 3 Tbsp. Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 large egg
1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
2. Add vanilla extract, lemon extract, and salt.
3. With mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour, scraping down the sides of the bowl two or three times.
4. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface. It will be loose and crumbly. Knead the dough by pushing small amounts away from you with the heel of your hand for about two minutes. Divide the dough in half.
5. Sprinkle the cocoa powder over one of the halves. Knead until the cocoa has been fully incorporated.
6. Enclose each half in a piece of plastic wrap and let them rest at room temperature for about half an hour.
7. Unwrap and pat each half into a rough, thick, squarish shape on the plastic wrap. Cover each with a second piece of plastic wrap and roll each half, between the two sheets of plastic wrap, into a roughly seven-by-seven-inch square. You can press stray pieces into place and work the dough with your hands until the desired shape and size is achieved. When finished, both halves should be as close as you can get them to the same size and shape. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
8. Remove plastic wrap and using a long, sharp, thin knife and a ruler, slice each square into nine 3/4-inch-wide strips.
9. Whisk together the egg and 1 Tbsp. water.
10. Cover work surface with plastic wrap. Place three strips of dough on plastic, alternating white and chocolate strips.
11. 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.
12. Wrap assembled loaf in plastic and refrigerate.
13. Repeat the process for the second log, reversing the color pattern so that, if the first layer of the first loaf had a chocolate strip in the center, the second loaf should have a plain strip in the center of the first layer. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate second loaf. Refrigerate both for at least 30 minutes, or freeze for 15 minutes.
14. Heat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat mat or parchment paper.
14. Heat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat mat or parchment paper.
15. Slice each log into 3/8 to 1/4-inch thick slices with a thin, sharp knife. Transfer carefully to baking sheet.
16. Bake until done, about 10 minutes in a convection oven, or 12 in a conventional oven.
16. Bake until done, about 10 minutes in a convection oven, or 12 in a conventional oven.
17. Cookies should look crisp and have just the slightest hint of a brown tinge at the edges.
18. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for about two minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
These cookies freeze beautifully layered between sheets of waxed paper or parchment in an airtight container.
18. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for about two minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
These cookies freeze beautifully layered between sheets of waxed paper or parchment in an airtight container.
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