Chocolate & Vanilla Striped Cookies

Helga Glaesel de BlandingDecember 21, 2011

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Ok, these cookies are a bit of a pain to make. But what the hell, it’s Christmas.

A positive point is that you can divide making these cookies into three steps. You can make the vanilla and chocolate doughs one day, freeze them and forget about ’em. Another day, assemble the stacks, and when baking time comes it’ll be a breeze. This is the only way I would ever consider making these cookies, otherwise it is just too time consuming.
Flavor-wise, they won’t disappoint you. The chocolate part is very chocolatey, and as far as presentation goes I think they look very elegant, so they are worth the effort if you are having friends over for a Holiday party.

Helga

Chocolate & Vanilla Striped Cookies

Yields about 48 cookies
Recipe from myrecipes.com

Vanilla Dough:
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
⅛ teaspoon salt
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg yolk
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons ice water

Chocolate Dough:
¾ cup all-purpose flour
⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg yolk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons ice water

Procedure:

To prepare the vanilla dough, combine flour and salt, stirring well with a whisk.
Place sugar, butter, and egg yolk in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Beat in the vanilla.
Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until combined. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons ice water over surface of dough; beat just until moist (dough will be slightly crumbly). Press dough into a 4-inch circle on plastic wrap; cover and chill 1 hour or until firm.
To prepare chocolate dough, combine flour, cocoa and salt, stirring well with a whisk.
Place sugar, butter, and egg yolk in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Beat the vanilla.
Gradually add cocoa mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until combined. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons ice water over surface of dough; beat just until moist. Press dough into a 4-inch circle on plastic wrap; cover and chill 1 hour or until firm.

Assembly:

Slightly overlap 2 sheets of plastic wrap on a slightly damp surface. Unwrap and place chilled vanilla dough on plastic wrap. Cover dough with 2 additional sheets of overlapping plastic wrap. Roll dough, still covered, into a 12 x 8-inch rectangle. Place dough in freezer 5 minutes or until plastic wrap can easily be removed. Remove top sheets of plastic wrap.
Slightly overlap 2 sheets of plastic wrap on a slightly damp surface. Unwrap and place chilled chocolate dough on plastic wrap. Cover dough with 2 additional sheets of overlapping plastic wrap. Roll dough, still covered, into a 12 x 8-inch rectangle. Place dough in freezer 5 minutes or until plastic wrap can easily be removed. Remove top sheets of plastic wrap.
Place vanilla dough on top of chocolate dough, plastic wrap side up. Remove plastic wrap from vanilla dough; turn dough over onto a lightly floured surface. Remove plastic wrap from chocolate dough. Cut dough stack in half crosswise to form 2 (8 x 6-inch) rectangles. Stack one rectangle on top of the other, alternating vanilla and chocolate doughs; wrap in plastic wrap. Freeze 10 minutes or until firm and plastic wrap can easily be removed.
Cut the dough crosswise into 6 (6 x 1⅓-inch) strips. Stack 2 strips on top of each other to form a stack, alternating vanilla and chocolate to form a striped pattern; wrap in plastic wrap, pressing gently. Repeat procedure with remaining 4 strips to form 2 stacks (there will be 3 stacks total). Chill 30 minutes or until very firm.

Bake:

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Working with 1 stack at a time, unwrap dough. Carefully slice each stack into 12 slices. Place dough slices 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for 12 minutes. Cool on pans 5 minutes. Remove cookies from pans; cool completely on wire rack.