“I slept badly that night, but this was getting to be so usual that it was an effort to try to decide if the nightmares I’d had were the kind I should pay attention to or not. I decided that they probably were, but I didn’t know what kind of attention to pay, so I wasn’t going to. I went in to work, turned my brain off, and started making cinnamon rolls, and garlic-rosemary buns for lunch. Then I made brown sugar brownies, Rocky Road Avalanche, Killer Zebras, and a lot of muffins, and then it was ten-thirty and I had the lunch shift free.”
― Sunshine
I’ll start by happily telling you that this is one of my favorite books. It sits on my library shelves, little reference flags poking out all over the top of the spine marking where I found an enticing food within the pages. It is one of the more unusual vampire stories I’ve ever read, and is a mouthwatering marvel when it comes to the descriptions of the baked goods that Rae dreams up in the coffeehouse where she works. More about that soon over on Patreon…
There isn’t a description of what these baked goods actually look like in the book, which can be daunting, because there’s not much to go on, but also liberating, because it’s all up to my imagination. In my research, I read that the author, Robin McKinley based these cookies on a kind of pinwheel cookie recipe, so I based my recipe loosely on that. I really wanted a flashy cookie with cool looking zebra stripes, and given the pinwheel connection, I figured the stripes would be in the dough, rather than drizzled over the top. Mind you, this is just my personal take on them, so by all means, shop around online to see what other bakers have dreamed up, too!
My first attempt at these cookies was less than successful- I had too many warring flavors going at once, and didn’t chill the dough enough, so when I tried to fold it into stripes, it sort of mushed into indistinct muddy brown.
The second test, though, after I made some tweaks, was WOAH. Those stripes! That Mexican hot chocolate flavor! The texture of the cookies is that of a crisp shortbread that starts to melt instantly. There’s a slow burn from the chipotle that warms and lingers on the tongue, which makes these a surprisingly perfect offering for the short cold days of winter. That touch of white chocolate on the bottom completes the flavor journey, smoothing out the bite of the spice so you keep coming back for more. These cookies didn’t last long at all in my house, and neither will the next batch, I’m sure!
Seriously, check out the book, and make up a batch of these amazing cookies, then come on back and tell me what you thought of both! ;)
Recipe for Killer Zebras
makes: about a dozen cookies – prep time: 10 minutes – chilling: at least 1.5 hours – baking: 12-15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 3/4 cups cake flour/all-purpose flour, divided
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. ground chipotle (maybe less? mine was old)
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- dash of vegetable oil
Oh how you delight me! I just reread Sunshine for the millionth time and desperately wanted a recipe for Killer Zebras. THANK YOU! Going to give them a try this weekend.
I have never read Sunshine, but I have read The Hero and the Crown and The Blue Sword many, many times since my niece introduced me to Robin McKinley. I’ve put Sunshine on hold at the library, and I’ve printed the recipe so I can make the cookies when the book is ready for me. Love your blog and your Game of Thrones cookbook! And I can’t wait to bake these cookies.