Black & White Cookies
Join Health & Cooking Groups

As a native New Yorker and a fan of the show Seinfeld I thought I would pay tribute to both my home state and the show's closure with this yummy dessert. Some of you might have seen these cookies on one of the Seinfeld episodes and others may not have ever heard of them. But one thing is for sure with one bite you'll be in love ! As a young girl living in New York, I would use my newspaper route money to buy one of these delicious cookies from my local bakery. Back then I didn't care how they were made as long as I had my black and white cookie every week. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do !

What you need:

• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
• 2 1/2 cups cake flour
• 21/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Frosting

• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1 ounce bittersweet chocolate

What you do:

1. 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter 2 baking sheets and set aside.
2. Make the cookies: In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar and butter and mix by machine or hand until fluffy. Add the eggs, milk, and vanilla and lemon extracts and mix until smooth.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, and salt and stir until mixed. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in batches, stirring well to combine. using a soup spoon, drop spoonfuls of the dough 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the edges begin to brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
4. Make the frosting: Place the confectioners' sugar in a large bowl. Gradually add enough of the boiling water to the sugar, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick and spreadable.
5. Remove half of the frosting to the top half of a double boiler set over simmering water and add the chocolate. Warm the mixture, stirring, until the chocolate is melted and the frosting is smooth. Remove from the heat. With a brush, coat half the cookie with chocolate frosting and the other half with white frosting. Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Comments:

Keeping the cookie shiny
From: Susan McNeil
A way to keep the icing shiny is to add about a teaspoon of oil ( not olive oil) to the icing and it will be shiny. I do this when I make the lemon drop cookies. I'm from Syracuse, NY and I love these black and white cookies. We call them half-moons in Syracuse.. I live in Georgia now and Publix grocery stores make them. I use to work there in the bakery, and they are delicious.

From: Kim Thames
Well, thank you so much for publishing this recipe.  I actually went looking  for it on the net, and was shocked to find it.   I was only hoping.   Actually, I had these from  a Las Vegas bake shop, and have liked them for  years.  They are popular in parts of California as well.  I am from Detroit, and have a fondness for our local favorites too.  It is  what you grow up with.  Anyway, thanks again.

From: Ilene
The recipe is "fantastic". It brings me back to the days in the Bronx, when Blooms bakery on Burnside Avenue had these cookies. Now, if i can only find the recipe for their crumb buns. Living in NJ, you can't find cookies like these.
The frosting is great, but one question ... how do you keep the chocolate frosting as shiny throughout the batch. After awhile, I found the frosting thickening and no amount of hot water would bring back the original shine. thanks again

From: fordguy
My boyfriend is a New Yorker who has been asking me to make Black and White Cookies for years. I never saw them before. He told me they were authentic NY Black and White cookies. I liked them and so did my son. They were gone in about a week. They kept very well stored in airtight container.
Thank You

Chocolate Half Moon Cookies
This week's Dessert is brought to us by Susan McNeil.  She has shared her recipe for Chocolate Half Moon Cookies.  These goodies are similar to the traditional Black and White Cookies but with extra chocolate and brown sugar.  Perfect for the chocolate lover and Valentine's Day! Thanks for the terrific recipe Susan : )!

interview with the Cake Mix Doctor, Anne Byrn
more cake books
more baking books

more Bakeware Sets
more Baking Supplies

Cheesecake Recipe Library
See our library of cheesecake recipes - some decadent and others more weight conscious, but ALL delicious.

Cookie Lovers Cookbook
by Elizabeth Wolf-Cohen

There's a color photo showing how each cookie should look, easy directions and the recipes are for a wide assortment of cookie favorites. It's has interesting bits of history and pictures of antique cookie jars. It would be a lovely gift for anyone.