Chocolate Striped Shortbread Cookies
Looking for a cookie that will really impress? Everyone will love these Striped Chocolate Cookies made with a touch of peppermint, perfect for the holidays!
Servings: 72 cookies
Ingredients
Peppermint Dough:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
Chocolate Dough:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
For the peppermint dough:
- In a small bowl, combine 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon fine salt; set aside. Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the 1 cup unsalted butter until light and fluffy. Add the 1/2 cup granulated sugar and continue mixing for another couple of minutes. Stop mixing and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the 1 large egg and 1 teaspoon peppermint extract. Beat just until mixed.
- Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing slowly until blended.
- Place the dough between two pieces of lightly floured parchment or waxed paper. Roll into a 10" by 12" rectangle that's about 1/4" thick. Slide the covered sheets of dough onto a baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.
For the chocolate dough:
- In a small bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup cocoa powder, and 1/4 teaspoon fine salt; set aside. Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the 1 cup unsalted butter until light and fluffy. Add the 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar and continue mixing for another couple of minutes. Stop mixing and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the 1 large egg and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract. Beat just until mixed.
- Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing slowly until blended.
- Place the dough between two pieces of lightly floured parchment or waxed paper. Roll into a 10" by 12" rectangle that's about 1/4" thick. Slide the covered sheets of dough onto a baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.
To make the striped cookie:
- Roll each of the doughs to about 1/8-1/4 inch thick and do your best to make them the same size. Using a cup of water, wet your finger tips and barely moisten the top of one dough and the bottom of the other so that when you stack them, they stick together under gentle pressure. Using a straight edge (I used a long frosting spreader as a guide), use a pizza cutter to cut the stacked dough into 1 inch wide strips. Its important that these strips are straight and uniform length.
- Stack these bi-colored strips, moistening each layer so that they stick when stacked. Continue stacking until you have the desired height (I did a total of 8 layers). Use a sharp knife to cut 1/4 inch thick cookies. Trim any uneven edges with a sharp knife.
- Preheat oven to 325℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set the cookies at least 1/2 inch apart from one another and bake in preheated oven until the white dough is just beginning to brown, about 16 to 18 minutes. Allow to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.
- Keep remaining dough refrigerated until ready to cook to reduce spreading during baking.
- Store in airtight container in freezer for longer storage.
Notes
- Keep the dough cold: Chilling the dough between every step keeps the layers sharp and prevents spreading.
- Use light pressure: When stacking and cutting, don’t squish the dough or you’ll lose the definition between the stripes.
- Peppermint is optional: If you want an all-season cookie instead of a holiday one, simply use vanilla extract in both doughs.
Nutrition
Calories: 91kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 18mg | Potassium: 23mg | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 165IU | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.4mg
