Chess Cookies
12 servings
100 minutes
Chess cookies are not just a sweet treat but a true culinary masterpiece inspired by the famous chessboard. They are made from delicate shortcrust pastry divided into light and dark parts that are skillfully intertwined to create an impressive pattern. Their flavor harmoniously combines the creamy softness of vanilla dough with rich chocolate notes of cocoa. These miniature chess pieces are perfect for a cozy tea party or as an original gift. The preparation requires patience and precision, but the result is worth it—each square is infused with the aroma of childhood and joy. Such cookies will adorn the festive table, and their elegant appearance will surely delight guests.
1
Chop the chilled butter into small pieces with a knife. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, and salt. Add the chopped butter in two batches, mixing well each time — it should form a uniform crumb. It's easier to use a mixer, as it's hard to achieve this by hand. Add the yolk of one egg and vanilla extract to the butter-flour crumb. Mix until a uniform dough forms — it should come together into a ball.
- Butter: 200 g
- Wheat flour: 260 g
- Sugar: 200 g
- Chicken egg: 2 pieces
- Vanilla extract: 0.5 teaspoon
2
Divide the dough into two parts. Add cocoa powder to one part and mix thoroughly until evenly colored. Dust the working surface and rolling pin with flour. Roll both parts separately into sheets of approximately the same size, no more than 1 cm thick. Trim the edges neatly. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Cocoa powder: 3 tablespoons
3
Crack the contents of one egg into a bowl and prepare a brush.
- Chicken egg: 2 pieces
4
Cut the chilled dough into strips 1 cm wide with a very sharp knife. Arrange them in a row, alternating two light and one dark, while brushing their sides with beaten egg. Brush the entire row with beaten egg. Place the second row of two dark and one light strip directly above the bottom strip, and finish with a third row, the same composition as the first — one dark strip and two light. Form shapes from the dough with round, square, or triangular sections, brushing the joints with egg mixture.
- Chicken egg: 2 pieces
5
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 30 minutes.
6
Cut the constructions into 1 cm thick slices and place the chess cookies on a baking sheet lined with greased parchment.
7
Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for about 15 minutes. The cookies should be golden.