This cookie is partially inspired my nostalgia for playdough, and partially by my extreme jubilation about the fact that Drag Race (both UK & US editions) has just started again (the cookies represent the Drag Race flags that Ru Paul holds, obviously). If you like either of those things, especially playdough, are feeling crafty, and/or are seeking some fun on day 323 of lockdown, then these cookies are for you.

They look sophisticated and elegant, which probably means you’ve assumed they are time consuming and difficult to make. Wrong. They are suspiciously easy and satisfying– especially when you slice the log of dough to reveal the checkerboard interior.  Of course, they do require a degree of patience and precision but don’t be intimidated. They’re also the perfect amount of sweetness – not overly saccharine, and with a delicate buttery crumb.

They’re also rather hypnotisingly beautiful – I cruelly banned everyone in my household from eating the first batch I made just so that I had longer to admire them.

NB, you can freeze the log of dough (pre-sliced) in an airtight container for up to 3 months if you’d like. This way you can whip it out, slice and bake the cookies when you fancy.

Checkerboard Cookies - Recipe (makes 20)

Ingredients

Cookie dough base

100g unsalted butter, at room temperature

76g icing sugar, sieved

26g whisked egg (so that yolk & white are mixed together)

¼ tsp salt

For the plain cookie dough

½ (about 100g) of cookie dough base

82g plain flour (I use white spelt)

18g ground almonds

For the chocolate cookie dough

½ (about 100g) of cookie dough base

72g plain flour (I use white spelt)

14g ground almonds

14g cocoa powder

1 ruler

1 large baking sheet, lined with baking parchment

Method

1)    Make the cookie dough baseby hand or in an electric mixer fitted with the paddle. Beat together the butter, and the icing sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and salt, and continue to beat until smooth and fully combined. Divide into two.

2)    To make the plain cookie dough,take one half of the cookie dough base and beat in the flour and ground almonds until fully combined into a smooth dough.

3)    To make the chocolate cookie dough, take the other half of the cookie dough base and beat in flour, ground almonds and cocoa until fully combined into a smooth dough.

Assembly 

1)    Take the plain cookie dough and press it into a rough cube shape. Then roll out to a rectangle that is 1cm thick, 4cm wide and roughly 16cm long (the length may vary slightly but the thickness and width need to be precise). I use the ruler/edge of a long knife to help nudge the sides of the rectangle so that they’re straight. Repeat with the chocolate cookie dough. (see image below of STEP 1) 

2)    Stack the chocolate dough rectangle neatly on top of the plain rectangle (see image below of STEP 2). Then with the knife perpendicular to the long edge, slice it down the middle so that it is now two double tier 4cm x 8cm rectangles.  Stack one on top of the other so that you have 4 tiers of alternating plain and chocolate cookie dough.

3)    Then, with the knife parallel with the long edge, slice the dough into 4 strips, 1cm in width each (see image below of STEP 3). Each one is now a layer. Stack them on top and next to each other so that the colours are alternating in a checkerboard pattern. Wrap carefully and tightly in cling film and place in freezer for 30 minutes to an hour.

4)    Preheat oven to 180C. Remove the cookie dough from the freezer, and with a clean and sharp, straight edged knife cut it into 0.5cm slices. Place on the baking sheet and bake for 6-8 minutes until slightly golden but still soft to the touch. They will harden and continue to cook as they cool on the sheet. Serve when cool (they can last for up to 4 days when stored in an airtight container).

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