Everyone has a favorite cookie, be it from a traditional family recipe or a classic Tollhouse. But for Rhona, the top choice hails from New York, and in the contest of cookies, there can be no better than the Black & White… (no true New Yorker would ever call it a “black and white cookie”… just simply a Black & White).
Besides, how many cookies do you know that speak to the idea of racial harmony? Two flavors side by side, better together; a cookie for our time!
Lately we’ve spotted these beauties at local bakeries like Renaud’s, or even Starbucks on occasion. But nothing beats the real thing from a New York deli. Until now… We have the recipe, courtesy of Martha Stewart, and it’s easy as pie… actually much easier!
During a recent visit from granddaughter Lillian, we tried being creative and made “Pink & Whites”… why not? It’s pink! We even added rainbow sprinkles. But it just didn’t sing. A fact is a fact. And in our family, the Black & White is king. All hail the king.
- Cookies
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla
- ½ cup low-fat buttermilk
- Icing:
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon light corn syrup
- 2½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla
- 1 tablespoon water, or more if needed
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
- For the cookies:
- Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl.
- Put butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix until creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Add granulated sugar and mix until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Mix in egg and vanilla, then mix in flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk.
- Roll tablespoons of dough into balls; drop onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart.
- Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until bottoms turn golden, about 10 minutes.
- Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.
- For the icing:
- Whisk confectioners' sugar, corn syrup, lemon juice, vanilla, and water in a small bowl until smooth. Add more water if needed, to achieve a consistency slightly thicker than honey.
- Transfer half the icing to a small bowl and stir in cocoa powder here; thin with water if needed.
- Spread white icing on half of each cookie's flat side and cocoa icing on the other half. Let stand until set, about 20 minutes.