Eggless Checker Board Cookies

I was planning to do checker board cookies for a long time. When I saw the cookies at Baking Obsession, I couldn't take my eyes away. I bookmarked it immediately and tried it out today. The preparation of the dough took me two days in advance. So I started preparing the dough day before yesterday and ended up with baking the cookies today. Though the result didn't even come near the original cookies, I was satisfied with the result. I think practice make it perfect. My daughter loved those with chocolate border because it has the maximum amount of chocolate dough in it. Perfect for chocolate lovers. These cookies are crisp on the edges but chewy in the middle and were perfect with coffee. I have also tried it as an eggless version. Today is the fifth day of Blogging Marathon and I am linking this to Kid's Delight- Eggless and Vegan Bakes guest hosted by Priya and started by Srivalli. I halved the original recipe and got 2 1/2dozen cookies. You can prepare a large batch and freeze the dough block and bake the required amount of cookies when needed.

Ingredients:

For The Chocolate Dough:

Flour-1 1/4cup

Unsweetened Cocoa Powder-1/4cup

Baking Powder-1/4tsp

Salt-a pinch

Butter-1/2cup

Granulated Sugar-1/2cup (grind it to fine powder)

Vanilla-1tsp

Curd-1/4cup

Baking soda-a pinch

For The Vanilla Dough:

Flour-1 1/2cup

Baking Powder-1/4tsp

Salt-a pinch

Butter-1/2cup

Granulated Sugar-1/2cup (grind it to fine powder)

Vanilla-1tsp

Curd-1/4cup

Baking soda-a pinch

Procedure:

Vanilla Dough:

1. In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt.

2. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

3. Add curd and baking soda and add it to the butter mixture.

4. Add the flour mixture and mix with a spoon until incorporated.

5. Place it in a wrap, shape it into a square and cover.

6. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

Chocolate Dough:

1. Sift together flour, cocoa powder. Mix baking powder and salt.

2. Beat butter and sugar until fluffy.

3. Mix curd and baking powder, add it to butter and beat well.

4. Mix the flour into the butter mixture with a spoon.

5. Place dough in wrap, shape into a rectangle, cover and refrigerate.

Assembling the checker board pattern:

1. Remove both the dough from fridge, divide each dough into two.

2. Place one portion of each dough in wrap and refrigerate.

3. Roll out the other portion into a rectangle of 6"*4.5" with a thickness of 1/2".

4. Place the rectangle in a butter paper, fold it tight and refrigerate for 2 hours.

5. Repeat for the other flavour.

6. After 2 hours, remove vanilla rectangle from fridge and cut it into 9 equal strips, with each strip measuring 1/2"*6".

7. Refrigerate again. The strips must be firm when forming the pattern.

8. Repeat with the chocolate rectangle.

9. On a butter paper form the checker board pattern as shown in the pictures.

10. You get two blocks of dough, each measuring, 1 1/2"*1 1/2"*6".

11. One block will use 4 vanilla and 5 chocolate strips and the other block uses 5 vanilla and 4 chocolate strips.

12. Roll in the butter paper tightly and refrigerate until firm.

13. There are two more portions of dough in the refrigerator. Now remove those portions and roll them into individual squares measuring 6"*6".

14. Place the block with 5 chocolate strips in the middle of vanilla square and place the other block in the middle of chocolate square.

15. With the help of butter paper bring the sides together so that the sides meet at the upper centre of the block.

16. Press the seam so that it becomes smooth and seam less.

17. Cover with butter paper and refrigerate overnight.

18. Now you have two blocks, one covered with chocolate dough and the other covered with vanilla dough.

19. Next day, slice the block into 1/2" thick cookies with a sharp knife.

20. Preheat oven to 175C.

21. Arrange the cookies on a lined tray 1 inch apart. Bake for 7-9minutes.

22. Take care that the vanilla dough retains its colour.

23. Cool on wire rack and store in an airtight jar.

24. Serve and enjoy.

Vanilla dough.

Shape and wrap the dough in a plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Divide dough into two, refrigerate one portion.

Roll out the other portion into a rectangle and refrigerate.

Cut into 9 equal stripes and refrigerate.

Separate the strips.

Arrange a vanilla strip in between two chocolate strips. This is the base layer.

Place two vanilla stripes and a chocolate stripe in between on the base layer.

Repeat another base layer on top. Cover and refrigerate. Prepare another block with two vanilla stripe and one chocolate stripe in the centre as the base layer (just the opposite of the first block)