Chequerboard Biscuits

Chequerboard biscuits look quite fancy and might seem very difficult to make. However, thanks to the brilliant book Everyday Chocolate (unfortunately there is no author name given), I made them once and they’re easier to make than they look.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup / 170g butter, softened
• 6 tbsp icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 2 cups / 250 g plain flour
• 3 tbsp / 25 g plain chocolate
• A little beaten egg white

Instructions:

1. Beat the butter and icing sugar together in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla essence. Gradually beat in the flour to form a soft dough. Use your fingers to incorporate the last of the flour and bring the dough together.
2. Melt the chocolate (options 1 and 3 are best) Divide the dough in half and beat the melted chocolate into one half. Keeping each half of the dough separate, cover and chill for 30 minutes.
3. Roll out each piece of the dough to a rectangle measuring 7.5 x 20 cm and 3 cm thick. Brush one piece of the dough with egg white (you can use your finger) and place the other piece of dough on top. Cut the block of dough in half lengthways and turn over one half. Brush one side of the strip and join the pieces so it resembles a chequerboard. (You may not understand while reading, but you will when you do it.)
4. Cut the block into thin slices and place each slice flat on a lightly greased baking sheet (you can also use aluminium foil), allowing enough room for the biscuits to spread a little during cooking.
5. Bake in a preheated oven, 180 degrees Celsius/350 degrees Fahrenheit, for about 10 minutes. Cool the biscuits for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack (or any old plate, it doesn’t really matter) with a spatula to cool completely.

Makes about 18 biscuits