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Checkerboard Cookies
Source: The Joy Of Baking
1/3 cup (45 grams) hazelnuts, toasted
2 tablespoons (12 grams) unsweetened Dutch-processed Cocoa Powder
2 1/2 cups (350 grams) all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons orange zest (1 medium orange)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven.
Bake hazelnuts for 15 minutes or until skins start to blister. Remove from oven
and wrap in a clean towel so the nuts can 'steam' for 5 minutes. Rub the towel
briskly in a back and forth motion to remove the skins from the hazelnuts. Set
aside to cool. When cool, place the hazelnuts in a food processor along with the
cocoa powder and process until the hazelnuts are finely ground. Set aside.
In a small bowl whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside.
In bowl of electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy
(about 2 to 3 minutes). Add the egg, vanilla extract and orange zest and beat
until well blended. Add the flour mixture and beat just until incorporated.
Divide the dough in half and place one half of the dough back into the bowl of
electric mixer. Add the cocoa and hazelnut mixture to the dough and beat until
incorporated. Set aside.
Lay out two large sheets of parchment paper (about 10 x 12 inch) (25 x 30 cm)
and on one sheet of parchment roll out the white dough into a 6 1/2 inch by 10
1/2 inch (22.5 x 26.25 cm) rectangle, making sure both sides of the dough are
smooth. Wrap dough and place on a baking sheet in the freezer for about 15
minutes or until dough is firm.
Meanwhile, take the chocolate dough and remove 1/2 cup (used later for wrapping
the checkerboard log) and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside.
On the second sheet of parchment roll out the chocolate dough into a 6 1/2 inch
by 10 1/2 inch (22.5 x 26.25 cm) rectangle, making sure both sides of the dough
are smooth. Wrap dough and place on a baking sheet in the freezer for about 15
minutes or until dough is firm.
When both the white and chocolate doughs are firm, remove from freezer and lay
the white dough on a cutting board, removing the parchment paper. Lightly brush
the top of the dough with a little water or lightly beaten egg white (this helps
the layers to stick together). Remove the parchment paper from the chocolate
dough and place it evenly on top of the white dough. Trim the edges of the two
doughs so the rectangle now measures 6 inches by 10 inches (21.25 x 25 cm).
(Take the chocolate dough trimmings and add to the 1/2 cup of reserved chocolate
dough.) Lengthwise cut the rectangle into thirds (3 - 2 inch by 10 inch stripes)
(5 x 25 cm). Place one strip on a piece of plastic wrap. Brush the top of the
dough with water and place the second strip on top of the first (alternate
colors so you have white, black, white, black). Brush the top of the second
layer with water and stack the third layer. Press down lightly on the top of the
dough and then wrap and freeze for 15 minutes, or until firm.
When firm, remove from freezer and unwrap, placing the dough on a cutting board.
Using a sharp long knife, cut the layers lengthwise into 1/4 inch (.6 cm) wide
and 10 inch (25 cm) long strips. (You will end up with 8 strips). Stack the
layers, turning every other strip so top faces down and bottom faces up, to
produce the checkerboard effect. Rewrap stack and place in freezer again to firm
up.
Meanwhile, take the reserved chocolate trimmings and 1/2 cup of chocolate dough
and roll out on a piece of parchment paper into approximately 9 1/2 x 10 1/2
inch (24 x 26.25 cm) rectangle, making sure the dough is smooth. Cover and
refrigerate until slightly firm.
Remove stack of checkerboard dough from freezer and place in center of chocolate
dough. Wrap the chocolate dough around the checkerboard layers until you have a
smooth surface that encloses the checkerboard design. Wrap in plastic and freeze
until firm. Can freeze dough for up to 2 weeks.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove dough from freezer and place on
a cutting board. With a sharp knife cut the block of dough into 1/8 - 1/4 inch
(.5 cm) thick slices. Place on prepared baking sheet about 1 inch (2.54 cm)
apart. Bake for about 5-7 minutes or until cookies just start to brown around
the edges. Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool.
Baked cookies can be stored in an airtight container up to one week.
Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
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