Checkerboard Cookies

Checkerboard Cookies look hard to make but are so easy! This simple vanilla and chocolate shortbread is supremely buttery and soft, yet perfectly crumbly. The Checkerboard design is always impressive and everyone will wonder how you made them!

I know it's still October, but I'm already thinking about holiday cookies.

I have a strict list of holiday cookie recipes that I make and it's been the same list for many years with the rare exception of a few newcomers. Every couple of years I might add a new cookie, but I try to keep the list very exclusive. After all, I can only make SO many cookies during the holidays. 😛

But, this cookie...this cookie made the list for 2019 and all the holiday years to come. Welcome to the list, Checkerboard cookies.

Just look at this beauty. I am literally obsessed.

When I made these cookies, I got a ridiculous amount of compliments. Everyone LOVED them!! It's amazing how simple yet extraordinary these are.

What is a checkerboard cookie

A Checkerboard Cookie is made from a basic shortbread dough. Butter, powdered sugar, flour, vanilla extract and cocoa powder (for half). That's it!

The ingredient list is very small, and whenever you have a small ingredient list you want to make sure that you have the best ingredients.

High quality butter, vanilla extract and cocoa will take this recipe totally above and beyond your average shortbread. There is nowhere for these flavors to hide, so you want them to be as pure as possible.

If you can only splurge on one thing, make sure it's the butter. I suggest picking up either Kerrygold or European style butter. Out of everything, the butter shines through the most so these varieties will give your shortbread the most unbelievable flavor.

Feel free to use either salted or unsalted butter. While I pretty much use salted butter in all my recipes, for this one I like the purity of unsalted butter.

If all you have is regular, day-to-day ingredients, don't let me steer you away! I've made this recipe with all my normal pantry essentials and they are still insanely delicious!!

If you CAN plan ahead, I definitely recommend the fancy stuff. It just makes these cookies even extra special.

| Looking for another impressive holiday cookie? Try my Homemade Oreos or Italian Tri Colors! |

How to make checkerboard cookies

Alright, like I said, I promise you're going to find making these is really easy!! I thought that step by step photos would help explain this the best.

In a nutshell, you're going to roll out the dough and layer the vanilla and chocolate together. You're going to make some cuts, and do some more layering until you achieve the checkerboard part. All of the layers will require a brushing of egg white wash to ensure a good stick. Otherwise, they will fall apart. Then, you slice and bake.

First step, is to mix up the dough. Cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Using a hand mixer, mix on low speed until the dough becomes more moist and holds together in large crumbles. It might take a few minutes for this to happen.

Split the dough into two bowls. Dust the cocoa powder on top of one half.

Using the hand mixer again, incorporate the cocoa until it's marbled through. When it looks like this, switch over to mixing by hand until the cocoa is fully incorporated.

1. Roll each of the doughs out to ¼" thick. Try to get both layers to roll out to the same shape as you'll be stacking them on top of each other.
2. Brush egg white on top of the vanilla dough and stack on the chocolate dough. Press gently. Trim off the edges to make a tidy rectangle.
3. Cut the rectangle of dough in half, brush one top with egg and stack the half on top of the other. The dough colors should be alternating. At this point, you'll have 4 layers of dough stacked.
4. Freeze the dough for 10 minutes.
5. Slice the dough into at least 8 long strips.
6. Lay one strip down so it's flat and brush with the egg white.
7. Stack another strip on top, making sure that the colors are alternating.
   
8. Brush with egg white again. Stack with another layer, alternating colors.
9. One more time, brush with egg white and stack with the 4th and final layer, alternating colors. Press the log together on all sides to ensure a tight fit.
10. Repeat with the remaining strips.
11. Freeze for at least 15 minutes, ideally 30 minutes.
12. When you're ready to bake, slice the cookies into about ⅜" pieces.

These cookies do not really spread, so you can space them about 1" from each other on the baking tray. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the edges turn SO slightly golden brown.

I chilled the dough in the freezer before slicing to ensure that the dough didn't squish down and ruin the pretty checkerboard pattern. Once you get to this step, you can actually roll up your dough in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for a month for QUICK and EASY slice and bake checkerboard cookies!

Talk about a fancy way to way to impress any unannounced guests that come over!

Take a log out, slice, bake, voila.

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