They say you shouldn’t play with your food. It’s true that it can be impolite—if you start toying with your bagel at an interview over lunch, chances are you’re not getting that job. But every rule has an exception. These crisp cookies will truly have you winning the game of Life in more ways than one. Here’s what you’ll need for this recipe. Don’t worry – the measurements are listed in the recipe too, so you don’t have to worry about glancing up and down over and over.
10 tablespoons of salted butter
¾ teaspoons of vanilla extract
¼ cup of cocoa powder
½ cup of powdered/confectioner’s sugar
1 ½ cup of flour
Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees and lining a baking sheet with parchment paper. After setting the baking sheet aside, cream 10 tablespoons of salted butter and ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract in a stand mixer. Separate half of the mixture and set aside. In one half, add ¼ teaspoon of additional vanilla. In the remaining half, fully incorporate ¼ cup of cocoa powder, then set this aside as well. In each bowl, add ¼ cup of powdered sugar and mix until combined. Beat ¾ cup of flour into both bowls. If you cannot mold it with your hands, add 1 tablespoon of butter to both, repeating until the consistency is correct.
Make each dough into a lump, and wrap both with plastic wrap. Chill until slightly firm—check every 10 minutes. Once firm, shape both into long rectangular logs (the height should be about a quarter of its width), ensuring the two are of similar sizes. Chill for 30 minutes to an hour—it should be able to hold its shape. Unwrap both logs. If one is wider than the other, cut this excess part off. Cut both logs evenly, then turn sideways and cut again. You should now have 8 long sticks. Place a chocolate log, then a vanilla one. On top of this, place a vanilla one, then a chocolate one, in a checkerboard pattern. Repeat until you are out of dough. (This can be altered if you want more or less squares, just make sure the ratio is the same).
Wrap in plastic wrap, and gently shape it so the front looks like a square—you might want to chill it again. If you aren’t careful, the checkerboard pattern will be distorted (like mine)! Cut into cookies, about half an inch thick. Place them on the baking sheet, leaving room for them to spread out. Bake for 5 minutes before flipping the tray, then 5 more minutes or until the vanilla section is just golden brown. If they are not done, flip and continue baking, checking every minute or two. Let the cookies cool on a wire rack, and get to playing, or just skipping right to the best part—eating them!