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Black and White Striped Cookies

A stack of black and white striped cookies tied with a decorative red ribbon.

Chocolate striped cookies are easy to assemble and bake! The black and white contrast makes this a unique and fun shortbread cookie recipe.

I try to keep the complicated baking to a minimum around here. I am a big fan of simplicity – Bundt cakes, drop cookies, brownies. However, once in a while I’m overcome with the need to make something a little bit more involved than my usual escapades.

These black and white striped cookies are an excellent example. I was flipping through Cooking Light when I saw them. Something about to them called out to me and practically begged me to make them. So, I added them to my “to-do” stack but kept passing over them in favor of something simpler.

Black and White Striped Cookies | Bake or Break

Finally, I could take it no longer and made them. The dough itself was unremarkable in its preparation. Getting them to the finished stage is the kicker. While they are a bit time-consuming, striped cookies are surprisingly simple to assemble. of their time is spent in the refrigerator, so a lot of the time required isn’t hands-on. If you can manage to roll out dough, stack, and slice, then you possess all the skills required to make these unique cookies.

Black and White Striped Cookies | Bake or Break

Any chocolate and vanilla fan would certainly like these. And, of course, they would be quite impressive on a cookie tray or wrapped up as a gift.

Black and White Striped Cookies

Yield 36 cookies
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 42 minutes

Chocolate striped cookies are easy to assemble and bake! The black and white contrast makes this a unique and fun shortbread cookie recipe.

A stack of black and white striped cookies tied with a decorative red ribbon.

Ingredients

For the vanilla dough:

  • 1 & 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons ice water

For the chocolate dough:

  • 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup confectioners' sugar
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons ice water

Instructions

To make the vanilla dough:

  1. Combine flour and salt. In a separate bowl, beat sugar, butter, and egg yolk at medium speed until smooth. Add vanilla and mix well. Gradually add flour to butter mixture, and beat until combined.
  2. Sprinkle water over dough and beat until dough is moistened.
  3. Press dough into a 4-inch circle on plastic wrap. Cover and chill at least an hour.

To make the chocolate dough:

  1. Combine flour, cocoa, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat sugar, butter, and egg yolk at medium speed until smooth. Add vanilla and mix well. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, and beat until combined.
  2. Sprinkle water over dough and beat until dough is moistened.
  3. Press dough into a 4-inch circle on plastic wrap. Cover and chill at least an hour.

To assemble the cookies:

  1. After dough has chilled, place each on a separate piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap. Roll out each covered dough into a 12″x 8″ rectangle. Freeze dough for 5 minutes.
  2. Place doughs on top of each other, removing the wrapping entirely. Cut dough in half crosswise to form 8″x 6″ rectangles. Stack rectangles on top of each other, alternating vanilla and chocolate. Wrap in parchment paper or plastic wrap. Freeze about 10 minutes or until firm.
  3. Cut dough crosswise into 6 6″x 1&1/3″ strips. Stack 2 strips on top of each other to form a stack of alternating chocolate and vanilla layers. Wrap in paper or wrap. Repeat with remaining dough. Chill 30 minutes or until firm.
  4. Preheat oven to 375°. Working with one stack at a time, slice each stack into 12 slices. Place slices 2 inches apart on lined baking sheets. Bake for 12 minutes.
  5. Cool on pans for 5 minutes, then cool completely on wire racks.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light.

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    14 Comments on “Black and White Striped Cookies”

  1. these cookies are really pretty. It gives me the inspiration of how to use my remaining batch of vanilla and chocolate rolled out cookies. But the recipes are from Bon Appetite though.

  2. Pretty cookies! Much prettier than the average checkerboard cookie imo…

  3. They look fantastic, Jen – the red ribbon sets if off beautifully!

  4. Oh, I completely understand– most cookies have the tendency to be more about texture than flavor (so if you don’t like butter… you’re out of luck). You might like to sub in ground almonds or dip the backs in chocolate if you want some more oomph 🙂
    But these are very pretty, in any case! 🙂

  5. Thanks, Mandy. Perhaps both magazines have similar recipes, because this one is definitely from Cooking Light.

    I agree, Linda. A little different than the chekerboard. Easier, too.

    Thanks, Patricia!

    Manggy, those are some good suggestions. I would definitely augment if I make them again. Thanks!

  6. Oh my,
    These are so pretty!

  7. Pretty! These could be a lovely addition to my little christmas presents. Thank you!

  8. This look amazing. I made cookies similar to these once but they were red and green for the holidays. I had to use food coloring gel though to get a really rich color.

  9. Fantastic photo! These cookies would be too much of a challenge for me, tho’ 🙁

  10. Thanks, Cindy!

    Evelin, I think they would be great for gifts!

    Miya, I bet those looked great. Very festive.

    JEP, don’t sell yourself short. These really weren’t as hard as they look. Just a bit time-consuming.

  11. Those turned out lovely.

  12. They look wonderful. Maybe a kick of black pepper in the chocolate dough, vanilla bean in the vanilla one. Baking is often times not complicated but it does requires patience and attention, you are 100% right about that. Well done!

  13. Thanks, Peabody!

    Tartelette, thanks for the recommendations. I really wanted these to have a bit more flavor. I’ll keep your suggestions in mind. Thanks!

  14. Try the Pinwheel Cookies from Fine Cooking. They include instant espresso powder in the chocolate dough, which gives the flavor the umph it needs!

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