Black and White Cookies

This is another family favourite Christmas Cookie from Dr. Oetker German Home Baking Oetker products can be purchased at major groceries and German delicatessens. Preparation time does not include refrigeration time.

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Yields: 30-40 cookies

Ingredients

• Light Pastry

• 9  ounces flour
• 1  teaspoon baking powder
• 5 1⁄2 ounces sugar
• 1⁄3 ounce  vanillin sugar (1 packet Oetker vanillin sugar)
• 1⁄8 ounce  rum flavoring (1 bottle of Oetker rum flavour)
• 1  egg
• 4 1⁄2 ounces butter or 4 1⁄2 ounces margarine

• Dark Pastry

• 2  tablespoons  cocoa
• 1  tablespoon sugar
• 1  tablespoon milk

• For Brushing

•  egg whites or  water

Directions

1. Pastry:
2. Mix the flour and baking powder and sieve onto a pastry board.
3. Make a well in the centre and pour in the sugar, vanillin sugar, flavourings and egg.
4. Draw in some flour from the sides of the well and mix together to form a thickish paste.
5. Cut the cold butter or margarine into small pieces and add it to the mixture in the centre.
6. Cover this mixture with more flour.
7. Starting from the middle work all the ingredients quickly with your hands into a firm, smooth paste.
8. If the mixture is sticky, refrigerate until firm.
9. Cut the pastry into two halves.
10. Combine the cocoa, sugar and milk.
11. Add to one of the pastry halves and knead until blended.
12. Pinwheel Pattern:
13. Roll out 2 same-sized rectangulars, one light pastry and 1 dark pastry.
14. Brush 1 layer with egg white.
15. Place 2nd layer on top.
16. Brush this layer with egg white.
17. Roll up like a swiss roll.
18. Chequered Pattern:
19. Roll out light pastry into a rectangle (3/8 inch or 1 cm thick).
20. Cut into 5 strips of 3/8 inch or 1 cm thickness.
21. Roll our the dark pastry to the same size and thickness and cut into 4- 3/8 inch or 1 cm wide strips and the same length as the light pastry.
22. Brush them with egg white and arrange the strips of pastry in 3 layers of 3 strips each layer with the colours alternating.
23. Wrap the whole in a thin layer of pastry.
24. Easy Pattern:
25. Using half of pastry, form a roll about 1 1/4 inch or 3 cm in diameter.
26. Brush with egg white.
27. Roll our the other half into an oblong and wrap around the roll.
28. Refrigerate the rolls until the are stiff.
29. Cut into same sized slices of about 1/4 inch thickness.
30. Preheat oven to 350°F.
31. Bake on a greased cookie sheet for 10 to 15 minutes.