Secrets to Pinwheel and Checkerboard Cookies

It’s not only fun, but also truly efficient, to combine chocolate and vanilla doughs to form pinwheel or checkerboard-patterned cookies. It’s the best way to get the most bang for your cookie-baking buck, especially if you’re not in the mood for fussing about with shaped cutters or persnickety decorations.

Simply make one recipe Vanilla Icebox Cookie dough and one recipe Chocolate Icebox Cookie dough just through step 1 (don’t roll the dough into logs), then follow the instructions below to make each pattern.

Pinwheel Icebox Cookies

1. Roll out and stack the chocolate and vanilla doughs: Roll the vanilla and chocolate doughs each into a 12-inch square between 2 pieces of parchment paper. Remove the top sheet of parchment from both the vanilla and chocolate doughs and flip the chocolate dough so that it is on top of the vanilla dough. Gently roll over the top with a rolling pin to make the doughs adhere.

2. Roll up the dough into one big log: Trim the dough to a tidy 12-inch square with a knife. Roll the dough into a tight 12-inch-long log. If you have trouble rolling the log, lift up the parchment paper and use it for leverage.

3. Carefully slice the chilled log: Slice each log into ¼-inch-thick cookies and bake as directed following the Vanilla Icebox Cookies recipe. Makes 4 dozen large cookies.

Checkerboard Icebox Cookies

1. Make eight small square logs from each dough: Divide the vanilla and chocolate doughs each into 2 pieces. Roll each piece into a 6-inch log, then press each log into a 1½-inch-thick square shape. Quarter the squared-off logs lengthwise with a chef’s knife.

2. Assemble the logs into a checkerboard pattern: Layer 2 strips of vanilla and 2 strips of chocolate dough into a checkerboard pattern and squeeze together gently to adhere. Repeat with the remaining strips to make four 6-inch checkerboard logs. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.

3. Carefully slice the chilled log: Slice each log into ¼-inch-thick cookies and bake as directed following the Vanilla Icebox Cookies recipe. Makes 8 dozen cookies.