Checkerboards

Checkerboard cookies look like they came from a professional bakery, but the technique is more patient than difficult. You make one butter cookie dough, split it in half, blend melted chocolate into one portion, then stack and slice the two doughs into a grid pattern.

The key to clean checkerboard lines is keeping both doughs the same thickness when you roll them out. Roll each into identical rectangles, stack them, cut into strips, then rearrange the strips so the colors alternate. Brushing milk between each layer acts as glue and keeps the whole thing from falling apart when you slice.

An overnight chill is essential. The dough needs to firm up completely so you can cut paper-thin slices with a sharp knife without the pattern smearing or squishing. Rush this step and your checkerboard turns into a muddy swirl.

Bake just until the vanilla portions barely start to brown. Overbaking loses the contrast between the two colors, which is the whole point.

Pro Tips

• Use a very sharp, thin-bladed knife for slicing. A dull blade drags the dough and distorts the pattern.
• Cut slices ⅛ inch thick. Thicker slices bake unevenly and lose the crisp, snappy texture these cookies should have.
• If the dough softens and gets hard to handle while assembling, pop it back in the fridge for 15 minutes and try again.
• Cool completely on wire racks. These cookies crisp as they cool, so don’t judge the texture straight from the oven.

Variations

• Peppermint checkerboard: Add peppermint extract to the vanilla dough and tint it pink for a Christmas cookie tin showstopper.
• Espresso chocolate: Mix a teaspoon of instant espresso powder into the chocolate dough for a deeper, more complex flavor.