Frozen Mint Chocolate Checkerboard Recipes

CHECKERBOARD COOKIES

Steps:

• Make dough in a food processor: Combine the sugars, salt, and 1 1/2 cups (195 grams) of the flour in the work bowl. Add cold, diced butter and mix or pulse until it disappears, then keep running the machine until it just begins to clump. Add egg yolk (save the egg white for later) and vanilla and pulse until combined, then keep running the machine until one large or a few smaller smooth masses form. Make dough in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer: Combine butter, sugars, and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer and beat until creamy. If you began with cold butter in a stand mixer, this will take a couple minutes and require you to scrape down the bowl a few times. Once mixture is thoroughly combined, add egg yolk (save the egg white for later) and vanilla and beat until combined. Add 1 1/2 cups (195 grams) of the flour and beat until it disappears into a smooth dough. Both methods: Divide dough in half. [Each half will weigh 270 to 275 grams.] Leave one half in the mixing bowl or food processor. Add 1/4 cup (35 grams) remaining flour to it and pulse/mix until just combined. Scrape out the mixing bowl or food processor and scoop out this vanilla dough, setting it aside. Add the second half of the dough to the mixing bowl or food process and add the cocoa powder. Mix until evenly combined. This is now your chocolate dough. Heat oven: To 350°F (176°C) To checkerboard the doughs:Place each dough half between two pieces of parchment paper and roll each into (approximately) 4 to 5×10-inch (10 to 13×25-cm) rectangles that are 1/4-inch (6mm) thick. Slide both slabs of dough onto a cutting board or tray and freeze for 10 to 15 minutes, until firm like cold butter but not quite frozen solid.Remove the top piece of parchment from each slab (you can use these to line your baking sheet) and stack the chocolate and vanilla dough layers, pressing them gently together. Cut the slab in half the long way (i.e. forming two approximately 2×10-inch rectangles) and stack the halves, forming one long, striped slab. Press the layers gently, to adhere them, and return this to the freezer for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until it's very firm but not fully frozen.Remove this long slab from the freezer and, using your sharpest knife and steadiest hand, cut it the long way into eight 1/4-inch-wide slices. Arrange the first four into a checkerboarded log, flipping two of the slices over so the opposite flavor is on top. Repeat with second four into a second checkerboarded log. Wrap each in a piece of parchment paper and press it firmly into a long, squared-off log, adhering the layers. Return to the freezer for one last 10-minute stint, until solid to the touch. To finish cookies: Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, or discarded parchment from your cookie slabs. Beat reserved egg white until just loosened. Gather your sanding sugar(s). Unwrap first checkerboarded log. Brush log with a thin coat of egg white and roll or sprinkle in sanding sugar. [Normal people choose one color per log. I cut each log into quarters and did each quarter in a different color.] Slice sugar-coated log into 1/4-inch-thick cookies, and arrange on prepared baking sheet with 1-inch space between them (they expand slightly). Repeat with second log, creating more cookies. Bake cookies: For 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown underneath. Let cookies rest on tray for 5 minutes, so they firm up a little, before transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling and crisping up. Do ahead: Baked, cooled cookies keep for 3 weeks in a tin at room temperature. To spiral the doughs: Roll your chocolate and vanilla dough slabs each to 1/8-inch thick and stack them, patting them gently together. Chill in the freezer for just 5 to 10 minutes, until cold but not hard. Divide dough into two long, equal widths. With the vanilla dough underneath/forming the outer ring, roll each half of dough into a tight spiral. [I forgot and did the opposite, but always think it looks better with vanilla on the outside.] Wrap each spiral in parchment, pressing the dough into a firm log. Chill in freezer for 15 minutes, until solid but not frozen hard. Continue from "To finish cookies:" instructions above. To marble the doughs: Roll your chocolate and vanilla dough slabs each to 1/8-inch thick and stack them, patting them gently together. Cut into two stacked sections and squeeze each into a rough log, fold it over, and mash the log, kneading it once or twice. Press kneaded mounds together and form them back into a long log shape. Wrap tightly with parchment, pressing the dough into a firm log. Chill in freezer for 15 minutes, until solid but not frozen hard. Continue from "To finish cookies:" instructions above.

FROZEN MINT CHOCOLATE CHECKERBOARD

Steps:

• Make ice cream:
• Bring cream, milk, sugar, and salt to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Whisk eggs in a bowl until blended, then add hot cream mixture in a slow stream, whisking. Transfer custard back to saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until thick enough to coat back of spoon and registers 175 to 180°F on thermometer (do not let boil).
• Immediately pour through a fine-mesh sieve into cleaned bowl, then stir in liqueur. Cool custard to room temperature, stirring occasionally, then chill, its surface covered with a round of wax paper, until cold, about 3 hours.
• Make cake while custard chills:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line bottom of square baking pan with wax or parchment paper.
• Melt chocolate with water in a small heavy saucepan over very low heat, stirring, then cool to lukewarm.
• Beat yolks, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until thick and pale, about 5 minutes in a standing mixer or about 8 minutes with a handheld. Fold in melted chocolate.
• Beat egg whites with cleaned beaters until they hold soft peaks. Beat in remaining 1/3 cup sugar 1 tablespoon at a time and continue to beat until whites just hold stiff peaks, about 5 minutes. Fold one third of whites into chocolate mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly.
• Spread batter evenly in baking pan and bake in middle of oven until puffed and a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center comes out with crumbs adhering, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack, then cover top of cake with 2 layers of dampened paper towels and let stand 5 minutes. Remove towels and cool cake completely in pan (cake will deflate as it cools). Sift 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa over cake, then loosen edges with a sharp knife. Invert a wax-paper-lined baking sheet over cake and invert cake onto it, then gently peel off wax paper now on top.
• Freeze custard while cake cools:
• Freeze custard in ice cream maker. Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and freeze until firm but still spreadable, about 30 minutes.
• Assemble checkerboards:
• Oil milk carton, then line bottom and long sides with a sheet of plastic wrap, leaving at least a 2-inch overhang.
• Trim cake to form a 7 1/2- by 6 1/4-inch rectangle (reserve trimmings for another use), then cut rectangle lengthwise into 5 (7 1/2- by 1 1/4-inch) strips. Using thin metal spatula, arrange 2 strips on bottom of carton, flush against each long side. Fill space between strips with ice cream (preferably using a small offset metal spatula). Arrange 1 cake strip down center of carton (on top of ice cream) and fill spaces on both sides of cake with ice cream. Arrange remaining 2 cake strips against long sides of carton (on top of ice cream) and fill space between them with ice cream. (There will be some leftover ice cream.) If ice cream becomes too soft during assembly, freeze until just firm enough to work with, about 15 minutes. Cover top with plastic wrap overhang, then freeze until dessert is hardened, at least 8 hours.
• To serve, unwrap overhang and invert carton onto a chilled platter, using plastic wrap to help pull cake from carton. Trim sides evenly to neaten loaf if necessary (ice cream may ooze a bit on sides), then sift remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa over top. Cut into slices with a sharp knife.