Chocolate Mint Checkerboards

For a Christmas cookie tray, you can divide the mint-flavored dough in half and color part of it green and the other part pink with the food coloring.

Makes: 48 cookiesHands-on: 30 minutesTotal: 8 hours 50 minutesDifficulty: Medium

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Makes: 48 cookies

Ingredients

  • ½ cup vegetable shortening
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1½ tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. baking powder
  • 3 Tbsp. whole milk
  • 1 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted
  • 3 drops green food coloring
  • ½ tsp. mint flavoring

Directions

  • Cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Sift dry ingredients together; blend alternately with milk in creamed mixture.
  • Separate dough in ½. Add chocolate to ½; mix thoroughly. Add green food color and mint flavor to other ½; mix thoroughly.
  • Roll chocolate dough into ropes about ½" in diameter. Repeat with mint dough. On a piece of wax paper, place 1 rope of chocolate next to 1 rope of mint. Top with 1 rope of mint next to 1 rope of chocolate, alternating dough to create a checkerboard. Press gently into a square shape; roll in wax paper. Chill overnight.
  • When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease 2 large baking sheets. Slice cookies thinly; arrange 2" apart on baking sheet.
  • Bake 8–10 minutes. Cool.