You probably know about my love of TV shows about food by now. Whether they feature recipes, a competition, or restaurants and bakeries out in the world, I watch and enjoy a great deal of food shows on several different networks. Watching all of these shows introduces me to a lot of foods I’d never know about otherwise. Black and white cookies are one of those things. A New York staple, they are huge cakey cookies coated with half vanilla frosting and half chocolate frosting. There aren’t many, if any, places in the metro Detroit area to get black and white cookies, but even if there were, I wouldn’t be able to eat them since they have chocolate.
So I took a recipe for these scrumptious cookies and made it my own. I kept the cookies about the same, only swapping regular lemon zest for Meyer lemon zest. I’ve made the cookies before with the regular lemon zest, and I can tell you they are delicious both ways. Orange zest would work nicely as well. I made 16 really nice sized cookies. As opposed to the traditional ones on TV, these remain tall mounds of cakey cookie even when baked. The bottom gets golden brown, while the top and interior remains almost white. They texture is soft, light, and fluffy with a fine crumb, much more like cake than cookie. As far as cookies go, these may just be my favorite because they blur the line between cake and cookie. And who doesn’t love a cookie that tastes like cake or cake that tastes like a cookie?
Then there’s the frosting. Instead of making one chocolate and one vanilla, I only made the vanilla. This time I found myself making extra frosting. Maybe I was a little heavy handed, but I love a thick coating of sugary glaze. Below in the recipe, I’ll provide a doubled version, which is about what I ended up using. The frosting has amazing flavor. I have to say I love these cookies with only the vanilla frosting, not that I’ve ever tasted them with both. Once the cooled cookies have been frosted, let them sit for at least a half an hour to allow the frosting to set up.
A New Yorker probably wouldn’t be a fan of my version of the black and white cookie, but I swear they’re totally delicious and not to be missed. I’m heading to the freezer right now to munch on one while watching more food TV for inspiration for my next baking session.
White Cookies
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 16 1x
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons skim milk
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 Meyer lemon
- 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs (pasteurized if you like)
Frosting
- 4 cups powdered sugar, more if necessary
- 2 ½ tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon Meyer lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 5 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Make the cookies. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, and salt together.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together, using a hand mixer or spatula until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, and mix until incorporated. Mix in the milk, vanilla, and lemon zest. Once you have a homogeneous mixture, slowly incorporate the flour mixture while continuing to beat. Beat until you have a smooth batter.
- Using a small ice cream scoop, scoop batter onto cookie sheets with 4 rows of 2 cookies on each sheet. Bake the cookies 12-15 minutes, rotating the sheets at the halfway point if necessary. The cookies should be just set in the center and golden brown on the bottom. Cool the cookies completely on the sheets.
- Once the cookies are cool, make the frosting. In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, corn syrup, lemon juice, vanilla, and water until completely smooth. If the frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar until you reach the desired consistency, which should be thick, but still easily spreadable.
- Using a knife, off set spatula, or spoon, frost the entire bottom (flat side) of the cookies. It should be covered in a thick layer. Some of the frosting will drip off; that is okay. Let the frosting set before serving.
- Cookies may be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days, or frozen wrapped in parchment and foil and placed in a zipper bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for a couple hours before serving. They will be just as good, if not better, than the day you made them.
Notes
Recipe adapted from David Lebovitz, courtesy of Fine Cooking 2010
Do you have to make everything look so delicious?!? I want a cookie…one of these.
★★★★★
Made these several times. Nice and moist! They are my go to when I make black and whites. Thanks!
★★★★★
Thanks for leaving your comment, Margaret – it made my day. I am so glad you like the cookies.