cheesy potato casserole: Z is for Zebra Cookies!

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Before becoming a SAHM (Stay At Home Mom) I taught for 7 years (mostly 4^th, 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade). I really miss teaching kids and seeing them come alive when they learn new things, so when my brother and sister-in-law asked me to teach their 4-year-old how to read, I jumped at the opportunity!

We started by learning the alphabet; both the letter names and their sounds. Everyday we’d learn a new letter of the alphabet by first doing some workbook pages and then came the fun part, singing! I had 2 wonderful resources for this portion:

1- I used the YouTube videos below from www.havefunteaching.com. They’re great videos that are exciting and super fun to jam to (my niece and I jammed to each one J).

2- We sang a song the Kindergarten teachers at my last school had their students sing to get them to learn the letter sounds. It’s called “Who Let the Alphabet Out” to the tune of “Who Let the Dogs Out”:
“Who let the A out!?! /a/ /a/-/a/ /a/-/a/ “ “Who let the B out!?! /b/ /b/-/b/ /b/-/b/ “ … so on and so forth (you get the idea)

So, to celebrate the end of learning the alphabet & letter sounds we made zebra cookies! I thought this was the perfect activity to celebrate out accomplishment…and we totally sang “Who Let the Alphabet Out” while making the cookies! J

Sydney enjoying her Zebra Cookie

Sydney & Mia

Cook’s Note: I get a lot of questions from readers about what kitchen equipment and specific ingredients I use in recipes. I will try to list any specific ingredients & specific/super helpful kitchen equipment before each recipe. I hope this helps! J Here’s specific equipment and/or ingredients I used in this recipe:
Pastry Mat for patting the dough out to the instructed dimensions
Bench/Dough Scraper I like this one in particular because it’s sturdy & has a ruler on it, bonus!
Silpat Non-stick Baking Mat
Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract
Dutch-Process Cocoa Powder

Zebra Cookies
Ingredients:
For the Vanilla Dough:
2 3/4 C cake flour
1 C plus 2 T powdered sugar
1/4 t salt
1 C butter, at room temperature
1 t vanilla

For the Chocolate Dough:
2 1/4 C cake flour
1 C plus 2 T powdered sugar
1/2 C plus 1 T natural or Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/4 t salt
1 C butter, at room temperature
1 t vanilla

2 C (about 15 ounces)nonpareil sprinkles for decoration (optional)

Directions:
For the Vanilla Dough:
Combine flour, sugar and salt and mix on low speed until combined.
Add the butter and mix on low until the mixture appears to be lumpy.
Add the vanilla and mix on low until combined.
Transfer dough to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

For the Chocolate Dough:
Combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder and salt and mix on low speed until combined.
Add the butter and mix on low until the mixture appears to be lumpy.
Add the vanilla and mix on low until combined.
Transfer dough to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

To form into logs:
Divide the Vanilla Dough into thirds, with each piece weighing about 7 1/2 ounces. Divide the Chocolate Dough the same way. You will work with a third of each dough at a time.

On a piece of parchment paper or a pastry mat, flatten one piece of Vanilla Dough into a 7" x 5" rectangle. Repeat this with a piece of the Chocolate Dough. Place the chocolate rectangle on top of the vanilla rectangle, then cut the stack in half crosswise to create 2 pieces, each about 3 1/2" x 5". Place a chocolate rectangle on top of a vanilla to create 4 layers. You may need a bench/dough scraper to help with this. Press or roll the stack into a 9" x 4" rectangle. Cut the stack in half lengthwise to create two 9" x 2" pieces. Place one piece on top of the other to create a long narrow stack with 8 layers.

Carefully twist each end of the dough once or twice, gently working toward the center. Use your hands to twist the pattern and shape the swirled dough into a log about 8 1/2 ” x 2”. Set aside. Repeat this process with the remaining pieces of dough to form two more logs. Compress each log with your hands so it is compact, gently rolling back and forth until the log is round and uniformly shaped.

Place the sprinkles in a shallow pie dish and roll each log in the sprinkles to coat. If the dough is soft, set the coated logs on a baking sheet and refrigerate for about 1 hour or until firm enough to handle. Wrap each log in plastic wrap and return to the refrigerator for 2 hours to chill thoroughly.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Use a sharp knife to cut generous 1/4” slices and arrange 1/2" apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper or a Silpat.

Bake one sheet at a time just until they are no longer shiny on top and are lightly golden on the bottom, about 10 - 12 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack.

Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 10 days.

Makes about 12 dozen cookies

Source: Adapted from Pret a Gourmet