Chocolate Espresso Checkerboard Cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 pound unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white granulated sugar
2 egg yolks
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips, melted
3 teaspoons instant espresso powder

Preparing the cookies:
In an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light. Add egg yolks. Mix until well blended. On low speed, add flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix just until blended. Divide dough into 2 pieces, one slightly bigger than the other. In the smaller piece, mix in melted chocolate and instant espresso until well blended.

Divide white dough into 5 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a cylinder about 2 inches long. Flatten top and sides to form a square-sided rope, about 1/2 inch thick.

Divide chocolate dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll and shape these pieces the same as the white dough.

Stack the dough rectangles onto a piece of partchment paper. Arrange them white, chocolate, white, next to each other. Place remaining rectangles on top of these, alternating colors and stacking 3 rectangles high. Moisten each piece with water to adhere. Wrap entire cub of dough in plasti wrap and refrigerate until firm, 2 to 3 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Remove dough from the refrigerator. Using a sharp straight knife, cut the dough into 1/4-inch thick slices. Place slices on a parchment lined cookie sheet, spacing each 2 inches apart.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until edges just begin to brown.

Remove cookie sheet from the oven. Using a metal spatula, remove cookies from the cookie sheet and place them on a wire cooling rack. Cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container.

Makes 24 cookies