Checkerboard biscuits


Checkerboard biscuits
These biscuits are half and half chocolate and almond in a checkerboard pattern, both in colour and flavour.
138 K 4.7/5 (23 reviews)
Grade this recipe:
Keywords:
Last modified on: March 8th 2012
For 20 shortbreads biscuits, you will need:

Times for this recipe
Preparation: 1 hour 25 min.
Resting: 2 hours 45 min.
Cooking: 15 min.
All in all: 4 hours 25 min.
When should you start or finish this recipe?
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time

Step by step recipe


Stage 1 - 10 min.
Checkerboard biscuits
Put 250 g flour, 125 g butter, 125 g caster sugar and 1 egg into a food-processor bowl. Knead until evenly mixed.

Stage 2 - 2 min.
Checkerboard biscuits
Take out half the dough and set aside. Add 30 g ground almonds to the remaining dough and knead for a further 1 or 2 minutes until evenly mixed.

Gather the almond dough into a flattened cake, wrap in stretch plastic film and refrigerate for 2 hours (or overnight).

Stage 3 - 2 min.
Checkerboard biscuits
Put the other half of the dough back in the bowl, add 15 g powdered cocoa and knead for a further 1 or 2 minutes until evenly mixed.

Stage 4 - 2 hours
Checkerboard biscuits
Gather the chocolate dough into a flattened cake, wrap in stretch plastic film and refrigerate for 2 hours (or overnight).

Stage 5 - 5 min.
Checkerboard biscuits
After this time, roll out the chocolate dough into a long rectangle about 1 cm (0.4 inch) thick.

It is best to use guide rules to help you do this (I'm using 2 iron bars here).

Stage 6 - 25 min.
Checkerboard biscuits
Then cut the dough lengthways into long strips 1cm wide.

Do the same with the almond dough.

Stage 7 - 5 min.
Checkerboard biscuits
Use a deep cake tin or mould and lay a first layer in the bottom, alternating stripes of chocolate and almond.

Stage 8 - 30 min.
Checkerboard biscuits
Moisten the top of this layer with a brush dipped in water.

Stage 9 - 45 min.
Checkerboard biscuits
Arrange a second layer of alternate stripes, but the other way round. So, if the first layer began with a chocolate stripe, the second layer should begin with an almond one.

Continue alternating the strips in layers like this until you have used them all, moistening between the layers.

Put in the freezer for 45 minutes to firm up the dough a little and make it easier to cut.

Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F).

Stage 10 - 5 min.
Checkerboard biscuits
After this time, remove the block of dough from the mould and cut into slices about 1cm thick.

Stage 11
Checkerboard biscuits
Place the slices on a baking sheet.

Stage 12 - 15 min.
Checkerboard biscuits
Bake for around 15 minutes 200°C (390°F), but do not let the almond part brown.
Remarks
As always with shortbread-style biscuits, it is important not to overcook them. They should still be slightly yielding and not completely hard and dry.

You can vary this recipe however you wish, using flavours other than chocolate and almonds, so use your imagination.
Keeping: A few days in an airtight tin.
Source: Home made.
Nutritional information
Proteins (gr)Carbohydrates (gr)Fats (gr)Energy value (in k-calories)Energy value (in k-joules)
Whole recipe40 RDI=20 %320 RDI=30 %130 RDI=20 %2,630 RDI=130 %11,020 RDI: 130 %
Per 100 g6 RDI=2 %50 RDI=5 %20 RDI=3 %440 RDI=20 %1,850 RDI: 20 %
Per shortbread biscuits1 RDI=1 %20 RDI=2 %6 RDI=1 %130 RDI=7 %550 RDI: 7 %
The % figures are calculated in relation to the Recommended Dietary Intake , or RDI of 2,000 k-calories (or 8,400 k-joules) per day for a woman Change to a man
Possible allergens in this recipe: Gluten, Milk, egg, Nuts
How much will it cost?
  • For 20 shortbreads biscuits : 2.15 €
  • Per shortbread biscuits : 0.15 €

Change currency:

Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Other recipes you may also like
Pear and lime meringue pie
Pear and lime meringue pie
A layer of light lime cream and caramelized pears in a crisp pastry case, topped with Italian meringue, which is browned under the grill or with a flame.
February 21th 2011250 K 23.8 2 hours 40 min.
Vanilla ice cream
Vanilla ice cream
Rediscover the full flavour of a real vanilla ice cream with this classical recipe.
November 6th 2017435 K3.8 1 hour 7 min.
Chocolate muffins
Chocolate muffins
Variation on muffins recipe. In this version each one is filled with a dark chocolate ganache.
February 21th 2011311 K4.3 1 hour 15 min.
Apple and pear tart
Apple and pear tart
Apples and pears are combined in this sophisticated autumn tart. The pears are laid decoratively on top of stewed apple.
October 27th 201494 K 24.9 60 min.
Gâteau Basque
Gâteau Basque
This traditional Basque dessert is similar to a gâteau breton (brittany butter cake), but very moist as it is filled with a rum-flavoured confectioner's custard (crème pâtissière, or french pastry cream). This is a fairly simple recipe, though as the dough is fragile and difficult to handle, I...
September 11th 201867 K4.7 2 hours 55 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com

Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-01-05)

*Your e-mail Your first name or nickname
I am not a leaving thing
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Posted by:
I am not a leaving thing
Follow this recipe
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
I am not a leaving thing
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.

Back to top of page