Checkerboard biscuits

For 20 shortbreads biscuits, you will need:

1 250 g flour
2 125 g butter
3 125 g caster sugar
4 1 egg
5 15 g powdered cocoa
6 30 g ground almonds
Total weight: 595 grams

Change for:

Measures:

How long does it take?

Time required

Preparation	Resting	Cooking	Start to finish
1 hour 24 min.	2 hours 45 min.	15 min.	4 hours 24 min.

Keeping:

A few days in an airtight tin.

At what time?

When will I finish if I start the recipe at a certain time?
When should I start for the recipe to be ready at a certain time?

Work this out...

Step by step recipe

Stage 1 - 10 min.

Checkerboard biscuits : Photo of step #1

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 : Photo of step #2

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 : Photo of step #3

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 : Photo of step #4

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 : Photo of step #5

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 : Photo of step #6

Then cut the dough lengthways into long strips 1cm wide.

Do the same with the almond dough.

Stage 7 - 5 min.

Checkerboard biscuits : Photo of step #7

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 : Photo of step #8

Moisten the top of this layer with a brush dipped in water.

Stage 9 - 45 min.

Checkerboard biscuits : Photo of step #9

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 : Photo of step #10

After this time, remove the block of dough from the mould and cut into slices about 1cm thick.

Stage 11

Checkerboard biscuits : Photo of step #11

Place the slices on a baking sheet.

Stage 12 - 15 min.

Checkerboard biscuits : Photo of step #12

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.

Nutritional information

% are calculated relative to a Recommended Dietary Intake or RDI of 2000 k-calories or 8400 k-joules by day for a woman (change to a man).

How much will it cost?

For 20 shortbreads biscuits : 6.12 €
Per shortbread biscuits : 0.31 €

Note : These prices are only approximate

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	Flour: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Grapefruit moelleux, Oat financiers for Louise, Rum babas, Gingerbread, Chocolate madeleines, ... All
	Butter: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Pistachio cream, Cabbage julienne with ham, Bonnevaux apple tart, Genoese croque-monsieur, Oat financiers for Louise, ... All
	Caster sugar: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Blackcurrant, vanilla and lime verrine , Pets de nonne, Blackcurrant-almond muffins, Finger biscuits, Grandma Solange's biscuits, ... All
	Ground almonds: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Stuffed prunes, Almond mug cake for Mary, Sicilian Epiphany Pie, Crust for tea, Santiago Cake, ... All

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