Rosy Batik Cookies/玫瑰斑纹饼干[CNY Bakes 2011 - Part I]

First of all, this cookie is not something I planned to bake for coming Chinese New Year. I found this lovely cookie on current issue of Y3K (issue no. 59) and gave it a try with ingredients I had in the pantry. Well, it is a cut-cookie but with a little bit extra effort for the lovely stripy pattern.

The original recipe makes charcoal flavour batik cookies with bamboo charcoal powder (yes, you heard me right it is charcoal), I baked mine with rose essence and pink food colouring to add festive feel.

Ingredients (makes 65 pieces):
115 g Butter, room temperature
55 g Icing Sugar
20g Egg, beaten lightly
185 g Biscuit Flour (I used cake flour + corn flour)
10g Milk Powder
¼ tsp Double Acting Powder
1 tsp Rose Essence
Food Colouring

Methods:

1. Cream butter together with icing sugar until creamy, add in egg and continue to cream until fluffy.
2. Sift in flour together with double acting powder, mix gently with a spatula to form soft dough.
3. Divide dough into two equal portions, keep one portion in a plastic bag and flatten it (to make a rectangle shape) with palm before keeping in refrigerator.
4. Add rose essence and food colouring into another portion of dough, mix until well blended. Transfer into a plastic bag, flatten it and keep in the refrigerator.
5. When the dough is firm enough to handle, remove dough from plastic bag. Or, open up the plastic bag for rolling use.
6. Stack up two different colour dough, roll them out in between two sheets of plastic bag or wrap.
7. Cut and divide dough into halves, stack them up and roll out again. Repeat this step TWICE to make total 16 layers with alternating colours and about 1" in height.
8. Cut dough into halves, use a "V" shape object to make an impression on each halve, length wise. Then, reshape it into rectangle or cylinder shape and wrap with plastic wrap. Keep in the refrigerator till firm before slicing.
9. Slice and arrange cookies on baking tray lined with baking paper.
10. Bake in a preheated oven at 120°C for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool completely before storing them in a container.