CHECKERED PAST COOKIES

Standard

CHECKERED PAST COOKIES

1 ounce (square) bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. almond extract

2 C chopped nuts

Melt chocolate in double boiler over low heat and stir until smooth. Remove from heat.  Sift together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

 In large bowl, cream butter or margarine and sugar together, beat in eggs, then almond extract. Gradually add flour mixture and mix well.

Divide the dough in half and put one half into another bowl and blend the melted chocolate into it and the nuts. You now have half chocolate dough and half plain dough.

Divide each of these in half. You now have four pieces of dough, two chocolate and two plain. Roll like a dirty rotten snake in the grass and square off each into a log.

On a large sheet of foil place one chocolate log and one plain log next to each other, Brush each with water. Place remaining plain log on top of the chocolate side, and the remaining chocolate log on top of the plain side. Wrap the four logs firmly in the foil and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.

     (if you want something fancier, make more rolls and show us what you can do)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Remove dough from foil and cut into 1/4 inch slices. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 – 10 minutes or until lightly browned.