Ma Chérie: Checkerboard Cookies

It is midnight again and here I am still up and eating a banana as I type this. Yes, a banana. Some people eat chocolate cake when they can't sleep, or curry or leftovers (ahemNigellaahem - but she looks so good doing it) but I eat bananas. Don't judge.

I've been a little knackered due to the baking of cookies these days so I took a nice long nap in the afternoon today.. And now I'm wide awake. Damn. I'm not one for power naps too, where you just sleep for ten minutes and wake up bright and chipper. I nap for ten minutes and I wake up looking and sounding like the Grinch. Not a pretty sight.

And then tomorrow - wait, it's techically today since it's Wednesday already - we'll be heading back to my gramma's house, also known as my parents' childhood home 500 kilometers away from here. It's a minimum of four hours in the car if the traffic is smooth, eight if it's horrible. Trust me, eight hours in the car isn't fun. Even after two, my legs are twitching and my bum hurts.

But I want to go back. I haven't been back in a year. It's very quiet there, being a sort of countryside and all. There aren't many cars on the road, the air is clean and fresh smelling and then occasionally the random chicken wanders into the house. While I couldn't live there, it's a nice getaway. Plus, my cousin is getting married ! It's two wonderful things in one - a family reunion and a wedding. Eeep I'm so excited now...

Anyway, these checkerboard cookies came about when I was flicking through some cookbooks the other day and decided that I was tired of making macarons and butter cookies and for some reason, it seemed like a brilliant idea to be making and cutting and stacking layers of dough. So I made the cookies once, for my aunt, then had to make them another time for my gramma. I love these cookies (who wouldn't ? They look so pretty and smell so good when they're nice and warm) but I'm all checkered out. So I strongly advise you to make them once and make lots. Double the batch if you want to. Just make loads and eke them out. You won't regret it.

Note: the ends of the log come out kind of nubbly and wonky looking. But they get prettier when you get to the centre. No big deal, just dispose of the ugly ends - I don't think you need me to tell you how :)

Checkerboard Cookies

For the vanilla dough:

120g all purpose flour

20g almond flour/meal

60g icing sugar

1/4 tsp salt

20g egg (beat in a bowl then measure out the amount needed)

70g unsalted butter, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

For the chocolate dough:

105g all purpose flour

15g cocoa powder

20g almond flour/meal

60g icing sugar

1/4 tsp salt

20g egg

70g unsalted butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg white, beaten until foamy

1. Make the vanilla dough: beat the butter and icing sugar until fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, beat until combined. Sift in the flour, almond meal and salt, beat until the mixture forms a soft dough. Don't overbeat.

2. Gather the dough into a ball and press into a flat disc. Wrap with clingfilm and chill for half an hour.

3. Make the chocolate dough: beat the butter and icing sugar until fluffy, then add the egg and vanilla and beat until well combined. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, almond meal and salt and beat until the mixture forms a soft dough. Don't overbeat.

4. Gather the dough into a ball and press into a flat disc. Wrap with clingfilm and chill for half an hour.

To assemble: Take out both the chocolate and vanilla dough. Roll them separately into squares about half an inch thick.

Using a pastry brush, brush a little beaten egg white on the chocolate dough.

Stack the vanilla dough on top of the chocolate dough, making sure the edges are aligned for a prettier finish.

Cut the stacked dough in half lengthways.

And brush some beaten egg white over one of the halves.

Stack the unbrushed half over the brushed half so you get four layers of dough, like this.

Trim the raggedy edges with a sharp knife. Cut the dough lengthways into four equally wide strips. Use a ruler if you want.

Now take one of the strips and brush the cut side with egg white. Take another strip and turn in upside down, then stick it to the first strip so the vanilla dough is aligned with the chocolate dough. Brush the cute side with more egg white, then stick on a third piece of dough so the colors are alternating. Brush again with more white and stick on the last piece of dough. You should have a block of dough with strips of vanilla, chocolate, vanilla, and chocolate. Something like this.

Whatever trimmings you have, you can smooth into a log to make marble cookies later.

Wrap the checkered log and the marbled log tightly with cling film. Press the checkered one into a square. Chill both the logs in the freezer until solid.

All you have to do next is preheat the oven to 170C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Then take out the checkered log and slice into 1/3 inch thick slices. Place on the baking sheet 1/2 an inch apart, and bake for 12-15 minutes until the edges are a light golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the rest of the log and the marbled log as well.