German Pinwheel and Checkerboard Cookies

Method17 steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Knead together 300 g dough flour, 100 g powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 pinch sea salt, 1 large whole egg and 125 g room-temperature butter until combined. If using salted butter, omit the added pinch salt. Keep cocoa, milk and separate assembly egg white out of this dough stage.

   Uses 300 grams all-purpose flour (I use all-purpose flour for most of my baking, so I buy in bulk.) · 100 grams powdered sugar · 1 teaspoon vanilla extract · 1 pinch sea salt · 1 egg (large) · 125 grams butter (Room temperature. I use grass-fed butter. If using salted butter, leave out the added salt in this recipe. )

2. 2

   Step 2: Divide the dough into two equal portions. Leave one vanilla-coloured; knead the 1 tbsp cocoa powder and 1 tbsp milk into the other to make the chocolate dough.

   Uses plain vanilla cookie dough · 1 Tablespoon cocoa powder (use the good stuff!) · 1 Tablespoon milk (can use dairy free milk or even water instead)

3. 3

   Step 3: Wrap the vanilla and chocolate doughs separately and refrigerate for 30 minutes. To make both patterns from this one batch, then divide each colour in half: reserve one half of each for pinwheels and the other half of each for checkerboards.

   Chill both cookie dough colours · 30 minUses vanilla dough portion · chocolate dough portion

4. 4

   Step 4: For the pinwheel half-batch, roll its vanilla and chocolate portions on a lightly floured surface into equal-sized rectangles about 6 mm /¼ inch thick. Keep the reserved checkerboard half-portions separate.

   Uses chilled half-portions of each colour for pinwheels · Extra flour as needed for lightly dusting rolling surface

5. 5

   Step 5: Set aside the one assembly egg white as a divided brushing supply for both patterns. Brush the pinwheel sheets with a little of it, stack them and trim straight edges. Reserve the remaining white for checkerboards. Roll the small pinwheel trimmings into extra cookies and chill them along with the log.

   Uses rolled pinwheel vanilla and chocolate sheets · 1 egg white for brushing both pattern batches

6. 6

   Step 6: Roll the layered sheets tightly into a pinwheel log, wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Keep its extra trimmed cookies chilled too while working on the other pattern.

   Chill shaped pinwheel log · 30 minUses layered pinwheel dough sheets · reserved pinwheel trimmings

7. 7

   Step 7: Use the remaining reserved half of each colour for checkerboards. These are already part of the same measured batch; do not make another full batch or reuse the pinwheel dough.

   Uses reserved chilled checkerboard half-portions of each colour

8. 8

   Step 8: Roll each checkerboard colour into a rectangle about 1.25 cm /½ inch thick. Trim straight edges and reserve all trimmings for thin outer wrappers. Cut each colour into 9 equal long strips, making 18 strips total: 9 vanilla and 9 chocolate.

   Uses checkerboard vanilla and chocolate dough portions · Extra flour as needed for lightly dusting rolling surface

9. 9

   Step 9: Roll the reserved trimmings into thin wrapper sheets large enough to surround two stacks of 9 strips each. Keep the 18 long strips separate for the checkerboard centres.

   Uses reserved checkerboard dough trimmings · Extra flour as needed for lightly dusting rolling surface

10. 10

    Step 10: Brush one wrapper sheet lightly with some of the remaining assembly egg white. Lay the first row of 3 strips on it, vanilla–chocolate–vanilla. Reserve the other strips and wrapper for the remaining rows and second stack.

    Uses thin checkerboard wrapper sheets · nine vanilla and nine chocolate strips · remaining divided assembly egg white

11. 11

    Step 11: Brush lightly with the same reserved egg white between rows. Add a second row chocolate–vanilla–chocolate and a third row vanilla–chocolate–vanilla. This first 3-by 3 stack uses 5 vanilla and 4 chocolate strips, leaving 4 vanilla and 5 chocolate strips for the second stack.

    Uses first checkerboard stack and reserved strips · remaining divided assembly egg white

12. 12

    Step 12: On the second thin wrapper, build the complementary stack from the remaining strips: chocolate–vanilla–chocolate, then vanilla–chocolate–vanilla, then chocolate–vanilla–chocolate. Brush a little of the same remaining egg white between layers. All 9 strips of each colour are now used.

    Uses first stack and remaining four vanilla/five chocolate strips · remaining thin wrapper sheet · remaining divided assembly egg white

13. 13

    Step 13: Wrap each checkerboard stack in its thin dough wrapper and pinch the seams closed. Use any remaining small trimmings to fill gaps.

    Uses two checkerboard stacks and thin wrapper sheets

14. 14

    Step 14: Wrap the checkerboard logs and refrigerate for 30 minutes until firm enough to slice. The pinwheel log and its extra cookies stay chilled until slicing and baking.

    Chill shaped checkerboard logs · 30 minUses two wrapped checkerboard logs

15. 15

    Step 15: While the logs chill, preheat a convection oven to 150°C /310°F and prepare baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats.

16. 16

    Step 16: Unwrap all the chilled logs. Trim uneven ends; retain those edible trimmings as extra cookies to bake with the rest rather than discarding the dough.

    Uses firm chilled checkerboard logs · firm chilled pinwheel log and extra trimmed cookies

17. 17

    Step 17: Slice the logs about 6 mm /¼ inch thick. Place cut-side up on the lined sheets with room between them and add the extra trimmed cookies. Bake each sheet for about 10–12 minutes, until just starting to turn golden. Cool on a rack. The source yield is about 36 cookies for the entire batch; size and retained trimmings vary.

    Bake shaped cookies until lightly golden · 12 minUses trimmed chilled pinwheel/checkerboard logs and extra cookies