These fancy-looking Checkerboard Cookies are so fun to make, and pretty easy too if you follow this simple slice-and-bake cookie recipe!
With two different flavored cookie doughs, one vanilla, and one chocolate, each square cookie has the perfect flavor balance and a soft, buttery texture that makes them irresistible.
Slice and Bake Cookies are their own fabulous cookie category! You can try Cinnamon Roll Cookies, or Halloween themed Pinwheel Cookies in this category too.
These are also sometimes called icebox cookies, since the dough spends a lot of time in the fridge before it’s ready to bake.
Checkerboard Cookies are a classic slice-and-bake cookie that looks so impressive on cookie platters! It may take a little bit of prep time to create the fun patterns, but I love that once you’ve formed the roll of cookie dough, all you need to do is slice it up and then pop it in the oven.
You can bake them all at once, or slice off pieces for a couple of days so that you can enjoy freshly baked cookies each time!
These checked cookies may look complicated, but I promise that you can make them! Just follow my easy steps, and get ready for everyone to oooh and ahhh about how talented you are.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- It’s made with one cookie dough, flavored two ways. Unlike my brookie cookies, which call for two totally different cookie doughs, this recipe uses just one vanilla dough, and half of it gets mixed with melted chocolate to make the chocolate dough!
- It’s so impressive looking, and much easier to make than it looks!
- Simple step by step instructions will show you exactly how to make, cut, and form the dough into this fun checkerboard pattern. Once you get this one down, you can try other shapes, patterns, and flavors!
Key Ingredients
Complete list of ingredients with quantities and instructions is located in the recipe card below
- Flour, Baking Powder, and Salt: These basics are the dry team in this cookie recipe. Be sure that your baking powder is fresh so that your cookies rise properly.
- Egg and Butter: Allow both of these ingredients to come to room temperature. Soft butter and eggs that are not too cold will allow you to make a smooth, well-mixed cookie dough.
- White and Brown Sugar: Using both gives these cookies the perfect texture. They’re soft, yet crisp around the edges.
- Vanilla Extract: Use a high-quality pure vanilla extract for the best results.
- Semisweet Chocolate: To turn half of the dough into chocolate dough, we will mix in melted, cooled semisweet chocolate. I prefer to use chocolate bars, and I melt them in the microwave.
How To Make Checkerboard Cookies
- Mix the Dry Ingredients: In a mixing bowl stir together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside
- Mix the Wet Ingredients: In a separate mixing bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and mix well.
- Combine: Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in 2-3 smaller additions, mixing well after each.
- Create the Chocolate Dough: Divide the dough in half into two equal portions. Add the melted chocolate to one of the portions, then mix well until the dough is a uniform light brown color.
- Shape and Chill: Shape each of the doughs into square logs that are about 2” by 2” by 10”. Make each log the same size. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least four hours, or overnight.
- Slice: Use a sharp knife to trim the logs so that they are as straight and even as possible. Reserve the trimmed dough for later. Slice each dough log into 3 even slices.
- Slice Again: Lay the slices down, and slice each of them again into three long strips. Now you should have 9 strips of vanilla dough and 9 strips of chocolate dough.
- Reassemble: Create two new dough logs that are arranged in a checkerboard pattern by alternating the strips of dough into a 3×3 grid.
- Add a Border, and Chill Again: Roll the reserved dough between two sheets of parchment paper until it will wrap around the cookies, then tightly wrap one checkerboard log with chocolate and the other with vanilla, using the parchment paper to help guide the rolled dough onto the logs. Wrap the dough logs again with plastic wrap and chill for another 30 minutes to an hour.
- Slice: When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice the cookie dough logs into ¼” slices, and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake: Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the cookies are slightly puffed and lightly golden .
Top Tips
- Plan ahead! The dough for these cookies needs to chill for at least four hours, and then again for another 30 minutes before baking. You may want to start this recipe the night before, or early in the day.
- To make the logs even use a kitchen scale to divide the dough in half before adding the chocolate.
- Make the initial logs of dough the same shape and size so that everything matches up.
- It’s important to slice the dough evenly, otherwise, the checkerboard pattern won’t line up properly. Use a long sharp knife, and a ruler if you need to.
- Don’t press too hard when combining the slices, or you’ll distort the pattern. Only press enough to get the dough to touch.
- This dough will get sticky if it is handled too much. Return it to the fridge for a bit if this happens.
- The border made with the excess dough is optional, but I love the way it looks! Plus you won’t waste anything doing it this way.
- These cookies are made with 9 strips of dough to make a 3 by 3 checked pattern, but if you’d like to make the process a bit more simple, try it with just 4 strips instead. I’ve seen these checked cookies made with even more pieces, so if you’re brave, try 4×4 squares or 5×5.
How to Store Cookies
Store these checkerboard pattern cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Other Fun Cookie Recipes To Try
Whether you’re baking cookies for Christmas, a bake sale, a birthday party, or just “because”, I know you’ll find the perfect cookie recipe here! Try some of these favorites:
- Double Chocolate Cookies
- Red White and Blue Pinwheels
- Classic Gingerbread Cookies
- Lofthouse Cookies
- Iced Oatmeal Cookies
- Red Velvet Cut-Out Cookies
Recipe FAQs
To make this dough easy to work with, you’ll want to be sure that you are chilling it for the amount of time called for in the recipe. If at any point the dough gets too sticky again, pop it back in the fridge for 30 minutes.
This recipe calls for unsalted butter. Most of my cookie recipes do, as I like to be able to control how much salt goes into each recipe. You’ll also find that unsalted butter is fresher than salted butter, and therefore more flavorful.
Use a very sharp knife to cut the slices and trim the logs so that they are perfectly squared. You can pull out a ruler or straight edge too if your goal is perfection!
Have so much fun making these vanilla and chocoalte checkerboard cookies! I know everyone will love them, so be sure to save the recipe so that you can make them over and over again.
Checkerboard Cookies
Equipment
- Sharp knife
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 oz. semisweet chocolate melted and cooled
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and mix well.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in 2-3 smaller additions, mixing well after each.
- Divide the dough in half into two equal portions. Add the cooled melted chocolate to one of the portions, then mix well until the dough is a uniform light brown color.
- Shape each of the doughs into square logs, about 2” by 2” by 10”. Wrap each tightly in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Once the dough is chilled, use a sharp knife to trim the logs to be as straight and even as possible. Reserve the trimmed dough.
- Slice each of the dough logs into 3 even slices. Lay the slices cut side down and slice each into 3 additional slices. You should have 9 strips of chocolate and 9 strips of vanilla.
- Create a checkerboard pattern by alternating the strips of chocolate and vanilla dough and stacking to create a 3×3 checkerboard pattern.
- Roll the reserved dough between two sheets of parchment paper until it will wrap around the cookies, then tightly wrap one checkerboard log with chocolate and the other with vanilla, using the parchment paper to help guide the rolled dough onto the logs
- Tightly wrap each checkerboard dough log with plastic wrap, then return to the fridge to chill up for an additional 30 minutes-1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside.
- Slice the cookies into ¼” slices, and place cut side down on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until slightly puffed and lightly golden.
Notes
- To make the logs even, use a kitchen scale to divide the dough in half before adding the chocolate.
- When making the logs of dough, try to make each of them the same size and shape.
- It’s important to slice the dough evenly, otherwise, the checkerboard pattern won’t line up properly. Use a long sharp knife, and a ruler if you need to.
- Don’t press too hard when combining the slices, or you’ll distort the pattern. Only press enough to get the dough to touch.
- This dough will get sticky if it is handled too much. Return it to the fridge for a bit if this happens.
- The border made with the excess dough is optional, but I love the way it looks! Plus you won’t waste anything doing it this way.
- Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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