Icebox Cookies

Our third cookie for our Eat the Dough project was icebox cookies.  The kids chose to do the classic checkerboard design, which I think is the easiest so it turned out great.  Also, they made tiny chess pieces with the scraps and had to play a game before sampling. Winner got to eat the board!

The recipe was adapted from Anna Olson's Checkerboard Icebox Cookies from the Food Network. Visit this recipe link if you want to actually bake the cookies.

Icebox Cookie Edible Dough:

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ tsp salt

2 tsp cocoa powder

1. Beat the butter, powdered sugar and granulated sugar well, using electric beaters or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until smooth and fluffy.  Add the milk and vanilla and beat in well. 

2. Heat flour in microwave uncovered on high for 3 minutes. Combine the flour and salt together and then mix into butter/sugar mixture until the dough comes together (it will be soft.) 

3. Divide dough into two parts of equal weight. Return one part to the mixing bowl and beat with cocoa powder until evenly mixed.

4. Shape the dough into 2 discs, wrap in plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 2 hours.

5. On a lightly floured surface, knead vanilla dough lightly to soften and roll out to a rectangle that is about 8-x-5-inches and 1/4-inch  thick. Set aside and do the same with the chocolate dough.

6. Brush the surface of  the chocolate dough with a little water and place the vanilla piece on top. Cut the stacked dough in half lengthwise and stack the cut pieces on top of each other. Trim away the edges of all 4 sides. 

7. Cut strips lengthwise that are 1/4-inch thick. Lay them flat and stack them as you cut, flipping around every other strip to alternate colors (See diagram). If the dough starts to get soft as you work with it, pop it in the fridge to chill 10-15 minutes.

8.  Wrap and chill the dough to set it, about an hour. Any excess dough can be rolled, measured and shaped again, or simply roughly stacked for a marble effect when sliced.

9. Slice cookies about 1/4-inch thick from the log of dough.