Zebra Cookies

Last weekend a dear cousin (more like a big sister) gave birth to her first baby. As this sweet little girl entered the world and officially made Amy a mother, I waxed nostalgic about my own childhood. I’ve shared recipes from the Alpha-Bakery Cookbook before, but there’s something about the next generation arriving that makes me want to pore over the memories of my own.

And so I made zebra cookies.

These whimsical treats live up to their name when cut out with a horse-shaped cookie cutter, but I don’t own one and probably won’t buy one. (I don’t really like horses… shhhhh!) So they’re rectangular zebras. As seen here.

The assembly process for these cookies isn’t too difficult, but I like to visualize things, so here you go:

1) Form each section of dough into a ball.

2) Roll each ball on a floured surface into a 9-inch by 9-inch square.

3) Cut each square into three strips and cut the strips in half so you end up with six rectangles.

4) Carefully stack each rectangle, alternating in color, until you have a tall brick. Press down firmly as you stack so all the layers adhere. Wrap and chill in the refrigerator.

5) Slice the brick into 18 slices, each one about 1/4 inch thick.

6) Cut each slice in half, transfer to a parchment-lined cookie sheet, and bake.

7) Enjoy!

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• 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup cocoa

Cream together butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in egg and vanilla until well combined. Stir in powdered sugar, flour, and salt just until dough comes together. Remove half of dough and set aside. Stir cocoa into the remaining half of dough until well combined.

Form each flavor of dough into a ball, and then roll each ball on a floured surface into a 9-inch by 9-inch square. Cut each square into three strips and cut the strips in half so you end up with six rectangles.

Carefully stack each rectangle, alternating in color, until you have a tall brick. Press down firmly as you stack so all the layers adhere. Wrap the block of dough with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375° F. Cut block of dough crosswise into eighteen slices, each one about 1/4 inch thick. Either cut out a zebra shape using a cookie cutter, or cut each slice in half and transfer to a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until edges just start to brown. Cool on rack.

Makes 36 cookies.

Source: The Alpha-Bakery Children’s Cookbook.