Black & white cookies, half moons, harlequins, or Amerikaner, no matter what you call these incredible cookies they're delicious! These jumbo cakey cookies are coated with chocolate icing on one side and vanilla icing on the other which gives them their signature look. Why settle for one flavor when you can have two?
Black & White Half Moon 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!
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🥘 Ingredients for Black & White Cookies
These cookies are made with standard baking ingredients with the exception of sour cream and light corn syrup. Both ingredients should be easy to find on the baking aisle and dairy aisle of your local grocery store!
Cookies
- Butter - 10 tablespoons of butter softened at room temperature.
- Sugar - 1 cup of white granulated sugar.
- Eggs- 2 large eggs at room temperature.
- Vanilla Extract - 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. For the best flavor, use pure vanilla.
- All-Purpose Flour - 1 ¾ cups of all-purpose flour. (Spoon & level when measuring).
- Sour Cream -⅓ cup of sour cream at room temperature (full-fat is best).
- Baking Powder - ½ a teaspoon of baking powder.
- Baking Soda - ¼ teaspoon baking soda.
- Salt - ¼ teaspoon of salt.
Icing
- Confectioner's Sugar - 2 ¾ cups of confectioner's, aka powdered, sugar.
- Milk - 3-4 tablespoons of milk.
- Light Corn Syrup - 2 tablespoons of light corn syrup.
- Vanilla Extract - 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (use pure vanilla for best flavor).
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder -2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder. I prefer Dutch-processed cocoa usually, however, a dark chocolate cocoa powder will yield a darker icing.
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Black & White Cookies
These giant cake-like cookies are no harder to make than any other cookie, though you will have to make 2 flavors of icing. You will need measuring utensils, 2 baking sheets, some 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!
Make The Cookies
- Preheat. Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Cream butter and sugar. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, cream together 10 tablespoons of room temperature butter and 1 cup of white sugar until fluffy and light, about 3 minutes. Mix in the 2 eggs one at a time then 2 teaspoons of vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl until combined.
- Make the dough. Add ½ a teaspoon of baking powder, ¼ teaspoon of baking soda, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Alternate between adding small portions of flour (1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour cups total) and small portions of sour cream (⅓ cup total) until all has been added, mix on low if using a stand mixer. *The batter should be thick.
- 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.
- 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. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Make The Icing
- Sift powdered sugar. Once the cookies are cool, sift 2 ¾ cup confectioner's sugar into a large mixing bowl.
- 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.
- Make 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.
Assemble The Cookies
- 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. Allow the icing to set (about 30 minutes) before icing the other side. *Remember, the flat side is the side you ice.
- 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.
If you are making these cookies for the holidays, be sure to check out some of my other Christmas cookie recipes! Black & white cookies make a wonderful addition to any gift basket or cookie exchange. Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Tips & Recipe Notes
- 10 tablespoons of butter is equal to 1 ¼ sticks or a ½ cup + 2 tablespoons.
- Measure the powdered sugar for your icing before sifting it.
- 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.
- Greasing your measuring cup will help keep the dough from sticking when you portion it out.
- To quickly set your vanilla icing before adding the chocolate icing, you may pop it in the fridge 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 Black & White Cookies
The cookies can be frozen before icing. Freeze the cookies, or the dough, by wrapping them tightly in plastic wrap and placing it in a heavy-duty freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw them out in the fridge overnight before baking, icing, or eating.
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❓ FAQ
You can call them black & white cookies, but they do 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!
These cookies are nut-free! If you have a nut allergy you should be free to enjoy them.
Black and white cookies are thought to have originated in a bakery called Glaser's bake shop. It was opened by Bavarian immigrants in Manhattan in 1902. However, some would argue Hemstrought's Bakery in Utica, New York may have invented 'half moon cookies' around the same time.
🍪 More Tasty Cookies
- Cranberry Orange Shortbread - These shortbread cookies are full of flavor from fresh orange zest and dried cranberries!
- Gingerdoodles - A combination of two classic Christmas cookies: Snickerdoodles and gingerbread!
- Whipped Shortbread Cookies - These buttery soft shortbread cookies are easy to make and perfect for the holidays!
- Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies - A soft chocolate cookie with plenty of peppermint flavor!
- Cowboy Cookies - Cowboy cookies have a little bit of everything! They are filled with shredded coconut, oatmeal, chocolate chips, and pecans!
- Chocolate Blossom Cookies - A soft chocolate cookie with a chocolate Hershey's kiss right in the center, yum!
📋 Recipe
Black & White Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 10 tablespoon butter (softened at room temperature)
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs (at room temperature)
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- ⅓ cup sour cream (full-fat is best, at room temperature)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Icing
- 2 ¾ cup confectioners sugar
- 3-4 tablespoon milk
- 2 tablespoon light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (use pure vanilla for best flavor)
- 2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
Instructions
Make The Cookies
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy and light, about 3 minutes. Mix in the eggs one at a time then the vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl until combined.10 tablespoon butter, 1 cup sugar, 2 large eggs, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Alternate between adding small portions of flour and small portions of sour cream until all has been added, mix on low if using a stand mixer. *The batter should be thick.1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup sour cream, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt
- 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.
- Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 15-18 minutes, or until the edges of the cookie just start to brown and the cookie has puffed up. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Make The Icing
- Once the cookies are cool, sift the confectioner's sugar into a large mixing bowl.2 ¾ cup confectioners sugar
- Pour in 3 tablespoons of milk, the corn syrup, and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth. Transfer ½ of the icing to another bowl.3-4 tablespoon milk, 2 tablespoon light corn syrup, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the cocoa powder to one of the 2 bowls and whisk until smooth. Use an extra tablespoon of milk to thin it out if needed.2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
Assemble 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. Allow the icing to set (about 30 minutes) before icing the other side.
- 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.
Equipment You May Need
Notes
- 10 tablespoons of butter is equal to 1 ¼ sticks or a ½ cup + 2 tablespoons.
- Measure the powdered sugar for your icing before sifting it.
- 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.
- Greasing your measuring cup will help keep the dough from sticking when you portion it out.
- To quickly set your vanilla icing before adding the chocolate icing, you may pop it in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- To store: 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.
- To freeze: The cookies can be frozen before icing. Freeze the cookies, or the dough, by wrapping them tightly in plastic wrap and placing it in a heavy-duty freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw them out in the fridge overnight before baking, icing, or serving.
Nutrition
Angela is an at home chef that developed a passion for all things cooking and baking at a young age in her Grandma's kitchen. After many years in the food service industry, she now enjoys sharing all of her family favorite recipes and creating tasty dinner and amazing dessert recipes here at Bake It With Love!
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