Black & White Cookies

Black & white cookies are jumbo cake-like cookies with thick chocolate icing on one side and thick vanilla icing on the other. You may be familiar with them, especially if you frequent shops and bakeries in New York City.

Not only are these cookies delectably soft, but you don't have to choose a favorite flavor between chocolate and vanilla. Black & white cookies are the best of both worlds.

🍪 Black & White Cookies Are Also Known As

You can call them black-and-white cookies, but they have a few other names that vary by location. In the Midwest, they refer to these cookies as 'harlequins'. New York and New England call these cookies 'half moons'. And in Germany, these cookies are called Amerikaner.

🥘 Ingredients

Cookies

• Butter - Let your butter come up to room temperature so that it is soft enough to easily combine with the other ingredients.
• Sugar - White granulated sugar is all you need to add sweetness.
• Eggs- Eggs should also be at room temperature.
• Vanilla Extract - For the best flavor, use pure vanilla.
• All-Purpose Flour - Always measure your flour by either using the spoon and level method or weighing it with a kitchen scale.
• Sour Cream - Full-fat sour cream will give the best results, but you could try low-fat or even a sour cream substitute.
• Baking Powder & Baking Soda - Some baking powder and baking soda to help the cookies rise.
• Salt - A little bit of salt will help to cut the sweetness.

Icing

• Confectioner's Sugar - Powdered sugar makes up the base of any icing recipe.
• Milk - A little bit of milk is used to thin the icing to the correct consistency.
• Light Corn Syrup - Light corn syrup helps to make your icing perfectly glossy.
• Vanilla Extract - Vanilla extract is what will give your white icing some flavor.
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder - Regular unsweetened cocoa powder will work, but your cookies will be brown. Use dark cocoa powder for better results, or even black cocoa powder for the best-looking cookies.

🔪 How To Make Black & White Cookies

These giant cake-like cookies are no harder to make than any other cookie. The only extra step is mixing 2 flavors of icing. You will need measuring utensils, baking sheets, parchment paper, a stand mixer (or mixing bowl and hand mixer), 2 small bowls for the icing, a whisk, and an offset spatula or butter knife to ice the cookies.

One batch makes 12 jumbo cookies. It's an easy recipe to 2x or 3x for dessert tables and holiday cookie trays.

Mix The Cookie Dough

Step 1: Preheat. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C/Gas Mark 4) and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Step 2: Cream butter and sugar. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, cream together 10 tablespoons (140 grams) of room temperature butter and 1 cup (200 grams) of white sugar (photo 1) until fluffy and light, about 3 minutes (photo 2).

Step 3: Add eggs. Mix in the 2 eggs (photo 3) one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl until combined (photo 4).

Step 4: Add. Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract (photo 5), ½ a teaspoon of baking powder, ¼ teaspoon of baking soda, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Mix to combine (photo 6 - the batter may have a curdled appearance).

Step 5: Add flour and sour cream. Alternate between adding small portions of flour (1¾ cups (219 grams) of all-purpose flour cups total) and small portions of sour cream (⅓ cup (77 grams) total) (photo 7) until all has been added (photo 8), mix on low if using a stand mixer. Note: The batter should be thick.

Portion & Bake

Step 6: Portion the dough. Measure out ¼ cup portions of dough and place them in mounds on the prepared baking sheets with 3 inches of space between each cookie to allow for them to spread (photo 9).

Step 7: Bake and cool. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the edges of the cookie just start to brown and the cookie has puffed up. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely (photo 10).

Make The Icing

Step 8: Sift powdered sugar. Once the cookies are cool, sift 2¾ cup (330 grams) of confectioners' sugar into a large mixing bowl.

Step 9: Make vanilla icing. Pour in 3 tablespoons of milk, 2 tablespoons of corn syrup, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and whisk until smooth. Transfer ½ of the icing to another bowl.

Step 10: Mix chocolate icing. Add 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder to one of the 2 bowls and whisk until smooth. Use an extra tablespoon of milk to thin it out if needed (photo 11).

Assemble The Cookies

Step 11: Ice the cookies. Flip the cookies flat-side-up and use a knife or an offset spatula to spread the white vanilla icing on half of each cookie, leaving a straight line down the center (photo 12). Allow the icing to set (about 30 minutes) before icing the other side. *Remember, the flat side is the side you ice.

Step 12: Let set. Once the vanilla icing mostly sets (it should be firm and matte), spread the chocolate icing down the other side of the cookie. Let the icing set completely (about 1 hour) before serving.

💭 Tips & Notes

• Measure the butter. 10 tablespoons of butter is equal to 1¼ sticks or a ½ cup + 2 tablespoons.
• Measure your powdered sugar first. Measure the powdered sugar for your icing before sifting it.
• Use dark cocoa powder. Dutch-processed cocoa has a more mellow, smooth chocolate flavor that is perfect for these cookies. However, dark chocolate cocoa powder yields a darker icing. You can even use black cocoa powder for the best results.
• Spray your measuring cup for portioning. Greasing your measuring cup will help keep the dough from sticking when you portion it out.
• Use the fridge. To quickly set your vanilla icing before adding the chocolate icing, pop it in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

🥡 Storing

Store black & white cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 7 days.

Freezing

The cookies can be frozen before icing. Freeze the cookies, or the dough, by wrapping them tightly in plastic wrap and placing them in a heavy-duty freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw them in the fridge overnight before baking, icing, or eating.

📖 Recipe Card