BM# 100: Week 4, Day 2
Theme : Pick an alphabet

I make cakes regularly. Cookies – not so much, but I used to make it often earlier. The main reason was that my recipe sources were my cookbooks. I had excellent baking books and it was my habit to go through those regularly. I would try out the recipes and my first baking book – The Essential Baking, got me hooked to cookies. I never knew it was so easy to make cookies.

I have made checkerboard cookies also many times, but I haven’t had great success with the shape ever. I prefer making spiral cookies using the same recipe. The simple reason that it’s easier to make the spiral cookies. The shape doesn’t require you to bring out measuring tools.

Now a days, the recipe source for me has shifted from books to the Internet. So sometime back when I came across this recipe online for checkerboard cookies, I decided to give it a try. These were made as a gift and were well received.

Read on for the recipe.

Recipe source: Taste of Home

Makes about 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 sticks ( ~140 gms) butter, softened
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tbsp chocolate chips, melted and cooled or 1 tbsp cocoa powder

Method:

1. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, cream the butter, sugar, baking powder and salt until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla. Beat everything until its combined well. Slowly add in the flour in batches beating at a low speed until everything is well mixed.
2. Divide the dough into two batches. Add the melted chocolate or cocoa powder to one part and mix it in.
3. Follow this video for instructions on how to shape the cookies. Pictures or videos explain the process a lot better than words.
4. Clingwrap and Refrigerate the dough until the time of baking.
5. Pre heat oven to 350F/180C. Slice the cookie log into 1/4″ thick cookies. Spread them evenly on a baking pan, leaving some space between the cookies. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the cookies are set and edges start browning a bit. Take off the oven and let them rest in the pan for 5-10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. The cookie hardens as it cools.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#100