Steps for Grandma’s Homemade Two-Tone Cookies

• To make these lovely grandma’s two-tone cookies, you need to make the two doughs. Start with the simple vanilla one. In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, add the granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, salt, the two leavening agents, sunflower oil, grated lemon zest, and mix for a few minutes at medium speed. Add the milk, egg, and vanilla essence and mix again for a few minutes until you get a smooth and homogeneous dough. If needed, add more all-purpose flour if the dough is too soft. Compact the dough on a work surface, form a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and let it rest at room temperature while you prepare the cocoa dough. If you don’t have a stand mixer or a food processor, you can make the dough by hand in a bowl.

  

• In the bowl of the stand mixer using the paddle attachment, add the granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, salt, the two leavening agents, sunflower oil, and mix for a few minutes at medium speed. Add the milk, egg, and vanilla essence and mix again for a few minutes until you get a smooth and homogeneous dough. If needed, add more all-purpose flour if the dough is too soft. Compact the dough on a work surface, form a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and let it rest for 10 minutes at room temperature. If you don’t have a stand mixer or a food processor, you can make the dough by hand in a bowl.

  

• Take a portion of the white dough and form a log, slightly flatten it with your hands, and in the meantime take a portion of the cocoa dough and form a slightly thinner log compared to the white one. Place the cocoa dough on top of the white dough and as you will see in the photo, roll it with your hands to almost form a single dough. Pour some granulated sugar onto a tray and place the two-tone log on it, rolling it well in the sugar. Place the log on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and continue like this with the rest of the doughs. Personally, I made 4 logs. They shouldn’t be too long otherwise they won’t fit on the baking sheet. Slightly flatten them with your hands and bake in a preheated static oven at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until the surface is golden brown.

  

• When they are cooked and still warm, cut the logs on a cutting board using a smooth-bladed knife diagonally and arrange all the cookies on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Return the baking sheet to the oven to toast for just 3 minutes, still at 350°F. If you like, you can skip this step; they will be a bit softer but just as tasty.

  

• And here they are, grandma’s homemade two-tone cookies, ready to be arranged on a serving plate and served. I hope you like my latest recipe, until next time, friends.