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Black and White Cookies | Life, Love and Sugar


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Black and White Cookies are a basic New York cookie that you want to attempt regardless of the place you might be on the earth. Mushy, cake-like vanilla cookies are topped with each chocolate and vanilla icing to make a splendidly elegant, totally scrumptious deal with!

A stack of black and white cookies. The top cookie is broken in half.

Why You’ll Love These Black and White Cookies

These deliciously cake-like black and white cookies are SO good! Once I say “cake-like” I imply it. The recipe is definitely primarily based on my vanilla cupcakes recipe and adjusted only a tad to make mild, tender, fluffy cookies. As if that weren’t engaging sufficient, as soon as they cool, the cookies are frosted with half white and half “black” (chocolate) icing. So elegant and the proper combo of chocolate and vanilla. Want extra explanation why you must do this basic New York-style cookie at present? Listed here are some issues that I completely love about it and that I believe you’ll too.

  • Someplace between a cake and a cookie. I like how fluffy, tender and cake-like these cookies are. However they’re additionally within the form of a giant cookie. I like that you just get the portability of a cookie with a texture and taste that’s just like cake.
  • Better of each worlds. Can’t resolve between chocolate or vanilla? You don’t must with these treats. They rejoice each basic flavors equally.
  • They’re big. These cookies are good and massive, making them an excellent satisfying deal with.
  • Simple to make. They could look intimidating, however they actually aren’t onerous. You’re mainly making cupcake batter, baking it into cookies and frosting them. You’ll be accomplished very quickly!

What Are Half Moon Cookies?

Black and white cookies are additionally known as half moon cookies. They’re a basic New York favourite. Cakey vanilla cookies are half coated in white icing and half in “black” (chocolate) icing. They’re so scrumptious and splendidly elegant.

Overhead image of half moon cookies on a marble surface.

Recipe Components

Right here’s what you’ll must make these elegant black and white cookies. For exact measurements, scroll to the recipe card beneath.

Ingredients for black and white cookies.

Cookies

  • All-purpose flour – You actually need to make sure to measure your flour precisely. In the event you over measure, you would find yourself with a dry cookie. I extremely suggest a meals scale, however you too can use the spoon and stage technique.
  • Baking powder – I like the feel and rise baking powder provides these cookies when in comparison with baking soda. It feels extra cake-like. Plus, it will provide you with with a lighter coloured cookie, which I like right here.
  • Salt – Don’t go away it out and don’t underestimate it. It brings out the flavour of all the things round it and retains your cookies from being bland.
  • Unsalted butter – The butter ought to be at room temperature in any other case it gained’t cream correctly with the sugar.
  • Sugar
  • Vanilla extract – This provides the cookies their taste, so vanilla extract is advisable.
  • Egg – Make sure to use massive eggs, not medium or further massive.
  • Buttermilk – The buttermilk helps make these cookies fluffy and tender. Use room-temperature buttermilk. Whether it is chilly, it gained’t combine as simply into the batter. I extremely suggest the buttermilk, however entire milk could be tremendous too.

Icing

  • Powdered sugar
  • Water – You may use heavy cream right here as an alternative however utilizing water means you gained’t have to fret about refrigerating the cookies.
  • Gentle corn syrup – You may go away the corn syrup out, nevertheless it provides the icing a pleasant shiny look.
  • Vanilla extract – For taste.
  • Dutch-process cocoa powder – When you may use pure unsweetened cocoa, Dutch-process cocoa provides the icing a darker shade that appears extra black than brown (applicable for black and white cookies).

Methods to Make Black and White Cookies

Prepared to begin baking? Right here’s a primary rundown of the way to make half moon cookies. Don’t overlook to scroll to the recipe card beneath for extra detailed directions.

  • Prep. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Mix the dry components. Whisk collectively the flour, baking powder, and salt.
  • Mix the moist components. Cream collectively the butter, sugar, and vanilla till mild in shade and fluffy. Then, combine within the egg.
  • Put all of it collectively. Combine half of the dry components into the batter adopted by the milk after which the remaining dry components.
  • Bake. Scoop 4 tablespoons of batter for every cookie onto the ready baking sheets and form the bottoms a bit. Bake for 13-Quarter-hour.
  • Cool. Enable the cookies to chill on the baking sheet for five minutes earlier than transferring to a wire wrack to chill fully.
  • Make the icing. Whisk collectively the powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons of water, corn syrup, and vanilla extract.
  • Make it chocolate. Switch about 6 tablespoons of the icing to a separate bowl and whisk the cocoa powder into the remainder of it together with one other tablespoon of water (or extra if wanted).
  • Frost. Unfold the vanilla icing onto one half of every cookie (on the flat aspect) and permit it to set for 20-Half-hour earlier than spreading the chocolate icing over the opposite half.
  • Set. Enable the icing to set for an hour or two.
Black and white cookies on a marble surface. One cookie is broken in half.

Suggestions for Success

Do your self a favor and have a fast learn via these easy suggestions and tips. They’ll assist take these black and white cookies from good to nice.

  • Room temperature components. You need to begin with room-temperature butter, eggs, and buttermilk. If the butter is just too chilly (or melted), it gained’t cream correctly with the sugar (see my subsequent level). If the eggs and/or buttermilk are too chilly, they gained’t incorporate easily and simply into the batter.
  • Don’t skimp on creaming time. When creaming collectively the butter and sugar, achieve this till the combination has considerably lightened in shade and change into fluffy in texture. This course of incorporates air into the batter which helps make the cookies mild and fluffy.
  • Measure flour accurately. Baking is a science and, as such, these cookies gained’t prove the way in which you need them in case you don’t measure your components correctly, particularly the flour. Use a meals scale or the spoon and stage technique.
  • Don’t over-mix. When combining the moist and dry components, watch out to not over-mix as this may trigger the glutens within the flour to overdevelop, ending you with robust, dense cookies.
  • Respiratory room. These cookies will unfold bit so go away about 2 inches of area between every.
  • Use a cookie scoop. Utilizing a cookie scoop will make it easier to obtain even-sized cookies and, thus, even baking time.
  • Frosting consistency. Add sufficient water to get the frosting skinny sufficient to unfold over the cookies however not so skinny that it runs. Strive testing it out on one cookie at a time and adjusting as wanted.
  • Cool. Anticipate the cookies to chill fully earlier than icing them. If the cookies are heat, the icing will slide proper off.
  • Frost the flat aspect. Don’t overlook that you just need to ice the flat aspect of the cookie. In the event you frost the spherical aspect, the icing may slide off.
  • Let it set. Give the white icing Half-hour or so to set earlier than including the chocolate icing. It will assist be certain that the colours don’t bleed collectively.
A stack of black and white cookies.

Incessantly Requested Questions

Can I make these upfront?

Sure, they maintain up effectively for 4-5 days. The icing insulates them a bit to assist them keep gentle.

How do I retailer these cookies?

As soon as the icing has set, you possibly can seal the cookies in an hermetic container and retailer them at room temperature for as much as 5 days. In the event you resolve to make use of heavy cream as an alternative of water within the icing, you have to to refrigerate the cookies for meals security causes. If you wish to freeze them, I like to recommend freezing them earlier than including the icing. The icing colours will bleed as they thaw. The un-iced cookies might be frozen for as much as 3 months.

Can I make these cookies smaller?

Whereas the big measurement is a part of this cookie’s iconic attraction, you may make them smaller. As an alternative of utilizing 4 tablespoons of batter per cookie, use 2 tablespoons and bake for September 11 minutes.

Extra Simple Cookie Recipes

Nonetheless trying to find your good cookie? These half moon cookies may simply be your reply however, if not, listed below are a couple of different superb recipes so that you can attempt.

Watch Methods to Make Black and White Cookies

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Black and white cookies on a marble surface. One cookie is broken in half.