This Easy Checkerboard Holiday Cookies Recipe (Christmas) intertwines matcha and strawberry with vanilla in these not-too-sweet checkerboard pattern sugar cookies. These festive cookies boast a red and green checkerboard effect. They're the perfect herbal and fruity holiday cookie.
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The base dough recipe is adapted from Takes Two Eggs. I added in strawberry to incorporate red in some of the dough for a holiday look. If you want a chocolate dough, see my checkerboard halloween cookies that use cocoa powder in the dough.
These were inspired by my love for an impressive-looking cookie that is actually simple to make, like my lemon blueberry cookies or jam sandwich cookies. The holiday season is the perfect time to dabble in recipes like this, because they make such great inexpensive gifts.
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Why you'll love this recipes
- This recipe makes quite a bit, so you’ll have plenty to share.
- The design is simple to make but visually impressive.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour is the base of the cookie dough and provides a tender crumb.
- Baking powder gives a bit of rise to the cookies.
- Unsalted butter provides richness and flavor to the cookies.
- Powdered sugar and granulated sugar sweeten the dough.
- Eggs bind the dough and the reserved egg whites act as a glue when building the pattern. Extra egg yolk adds richness.
- Kosher salt and vanilla extract balance the overall flavor profile.
- Matcha powder provides flavor and a green color.
- Freeze-dried strawberries provides flavor and pinkish red color.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions and variations
Here’s how to customize this easy checkerboard holiday cookies recipe to your liking:
- No matcha — feel free to skip the matcha completely and just use green food coloring instead.
- Different pattern — instead of leaving some dough without color, you could color the vanilla portions (half of the dough) and make the checkerboard pattern with red and green touching.
- No strawberries — feel free to skip the freeze-dried strawberries and use strawberry essence or omit the strawberry altogether and just have matcha checkerboard cookies.
- Sandwich cookies — fill with buttercream and sandwich two cookies together to make sandwich cookies.
- Larger cookies — instead of making two logs out of each color pairing for a total of four, make just two large logs by making 4×4 (16 squares) logs.
- Chocolate strips — make a chocolate variation by adding 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder to a ¼ of the dough.
- Extracts — You can sub vanilla extract for almond extract or add both. Orange extract or orange zest would also be great in these.
This recipe has not been tested with any substitutions or variations. If you try any, please let me know how it turned out by commenting below!
How to make these cookies
Step 1: Whisk together the flour, baking powder and kosher salt in a large bowl. Beat the room temperature butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment for 3 minutes or in a mixing bowl with electric mixer hand beaters for 4 minutes on medium speed. Add the granulated sugar and sift in the powdered sugar. Beat for 2 minutes to cream together. Add the whole eggs and egg yolks and vanilla, beating to combine. Add the flour mixture and beat just until incorporated. Divide the dough into four equal portions (should weigh about 386g each). Form two of the portions into a rectangle and cover in plastic wrap. Take the other two portions and place them in separate bowls. Sift matcha powder onto one of the portions. Mix in the matcha with a rubber spatula. Sift freeze-dried strawberry powder into the other portion. Mix it in with a rubber spatula. Add in red food coloring, if desired. I mixed in the food coloring with my hands (with gloves on) to make it easier. Form the matcha and strawberry doughs into separate rectangles and wrap in plastic. Place all wrapped dough into the refrigerator to chill for at least one hour or overnight. Flour a clean work surface or use two sheets of parchment paper to roll out the dough with the following instructions: using two ½-inch tall levelers, roll out each dough with a rolling pin into 5x8 rectangles that are ½-inch thick. Slice into ½-inch strips. Brush away excess flour with a pastry brush, if you used flour to roll out.
Step 2: Using the reserved egg whites, use another pastry brush to swipe a bit of the egg white on the sides of a strawberry dough strip. Sandwich this strip in between two vanilla dough strips. Brush the top of this trio with more egg white “glue”.
Step 3: Sandwich a vanilla strip in between two strawberry strips with the egg wash glue. Place this trio on top of the first one. Brush the top of the trio with the egg wash glue.
Step 4: Repeat the initial trio steps and place this trio on top. Repeat with the rest of the doughs to prepare a matcha and vanilla checkerboard log and a strawberry vanilla checkerboard log. Wrap each log tightly in plastic, gently pressing the strips together to minimize any air pockets, without ruining the shape. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or freeze for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350F. Cut each log into ½-inch thick slices using a sharp knife. Place cookies 2-inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake cookies for 13-14 minutes or until the edges are just lightly golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Hot tips
- I used two pieces of scrap wood as levelers for rolling out the dough, but you can use fondant levelers instead. Also be sure that you are rolling out on a completely flat surface, so you don't have bumps in your dough.
- Do not skip chilling the dough. It will be easier to work with when cold and it is important for the dough’s hydration.
- Use a kitchen scale to measure out ingredients for the most accuracy.
Recipe FAQs
Store unbaked dough (logs or disks), wrapped tightly in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 3-4 months. I also recommend placing the wrapped dough in an airtight container or freezer zip top bag.
Yes, you can absolutely use food coloring if you do not have the powders I used.
Technically, no, but I highly recommend it. The egg becomes cooked when the cookies baked so you don't have to worry about raw egg.
Lastly, if you make this Easy Checkerboard Holiday Cookies Recipe (Christmas) be sure to leave a comment or give this recipe a rating. I love to see when people make my recipes, so please tag me @youthsweets on Instagram if you post!
📖 Recipe
Easy Checkerboard Holiday Cookies Recipe (Christmas)
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 5 cups all-purpose flour (630g)
- 3 teaspoon baking powder (16g)
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups unsalted butter room temperature (452g)
- 2 cups powdered sugar sifted (238g)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (110g)
- 2 large egg + 2 large egg yolk save the whites for later
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract (10g)
- 6 teaspoon matcha powder (12g)
- 1 oz freeze dried strawberries ground to a powder and sifted
Instructions
Do ahead
- The dough can be made the day before. Keep it in the refrigerator until needed.
Make the dough
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
- Beat the butter using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or with hand beaters for 3 minutes. Add the granulated sugar and sift in the powdered sugar. Beat for 2 minutes to cream together.
- Add eggs, egg yolks and vanilla, beating to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients and beat just until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Do not overmix.
Divide the dough
- Divide the dough into four equal portions. I used a kitchen scale to measure the full amount of dough and divided it by four, but you do not have to be this exact.
- Form two of the portions into a rectangle and wrap (separately) in plastic. Take the other two portions and place them in separate bowls.
Flavor the dough
- Sift matcha powder onto one of the portions. Mix in the matcha with a rubber spatula or your hands.
- Sift freeze-dried strawberry powder into the other portion. Mix it in with a rubber spatula. Add in red food coloring, if desired. I mixed in the food coloring with my hands (with gloves on) to make it easier.
- Form the matcha and strawberry doughs into separate rectangles and wrap in plastic. Place all wrapped dough into the refrigerator to chill for at least one hour or overnight.
Roll out the dough
- Flour a clean work surface or use two sheets of parchment paper to roll out the dough with the following instructions: using two ½-inch tall levelers, roll out each dough with a rolling pin into 5x8 rectangles that are ½-inch thick.
- Slice into ½-inch strips. Brush away excess flour with a pastry brush, if you used flour to roll out.
Assemble the checkerboard pattern
- Using the reserved egg whites, use a pastry brush to swipe a bit of the egg white on the sides of a vanilla dough strip. Sandwich this vanilla strip in between two matcha strips.
- Brush the top of this trio with more egg white “glue”.
- Sandwich a matcha strip in between two vanilla strips. Place this trio on top of the first one. Brush the top of the trio with the glue.
- Repeat the first trio and place it on top of the second one.
- Repeat with the rest of the doughs to prepare a matcha and vanilla checkerboard log and a strawberry vanilla checkerboard log.
- Wrap each log tightly in plastic, gently pressing the strips together to minimize any air pockets, without ruining the shape.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or freeze for 30 minutes.
Prepare to bake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Cut each log into ½-inch thick slices with a sharp knife. Place cookies 2-inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets.
- Bake for 13-14 minutes or until the edges are just lightly golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Notes
Nutrition
Published 12/15/2022. Updated 01/09/2024.
