New York City Black and White Cookies Recipe - Food.com (2024)

44

Community Pick

Submitted by Chef Hayley

"Look to the cookie.These cake-style cookies are a staple in New York City. Growing up we used to buy these all the time and you can still get them in every bake-shop in the city. They were made famous to the rest of the world by an episode of Seinfeld entitled "The Dinner Party". They are more like small cakes than crunchy or chewy cookies, and should be roughly the size of the palm of your hand, if not, bigger. These are great for taking to a potluck, or if you've got a wayward New Yorker around."

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Ready In:
40mins

Ingredients:
14
Serves:

6

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ingredients

  • For Cookies

  • 1 14 cups all-purpose flour
  • 12 teaspoon baking soda
  • 12 teaspoon salt
  • 13 cup buttermilk
  • 12 teaspoon vanilla
  • 13 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 12 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • For Black or White icing

  • 1 12 cups icing sugar or 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
  • 1 tablespoon clear corn syrup
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 14 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon water (approx)
  • 14 cup cocoa powder

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directions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Sift together flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl.
  • In small bowl or cup, mix together buttermilk and vanilla.
  • Beat butter and white sugar together in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer for about 3 minutes or until it's evenly distributed.
  • Add egg to butter and sugar mixture, and beat until blended.
  • Gradually beat in flour mixture one cup at a time, and add in buttermilk mixture between each cup of flour, and mix until smooth. It will be necessary to scrape down the sides of the bowl while mixing.
  • Spoon batter in 1/4 cup size servings onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  • Bake on middle rack for about 15-17 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and spring back when touched.
  • Place on a cooling rack, and allow to cool completely before icing.
  • Stir together icing sugar, corn syrup, lemon juice, vanilla, and 1/2 Tbsp of water in bowl until smooth.
  • Place half of mixture into separate bowl and add cocoa powder, and remaining water bit by bit until it is the same consistency as the white icing. If the icing is too runny, add more icing sugar until it is smooth and spreadable.
  • Turn cooled cookies flat side up, and spread icing with pastry spatula, or butter knife. White over one half, chocolate over the other. The icing does not set solid on these cookies, and does not harden, but it dries enough to be wrapped as they are sold in the city. They can be wrapped individually in cellophane, or sealed in a plastic container.

Questions & Replies

New York City Black and White Cookies Recipe - Food.com (13)

  1. When scoping the batter , what measurement should i use to make mini’s?

    Karen P.

  2. How many cookies does this make?

    Kids A.

  3. What is the best way to make ahead these?

    Anonymous

  4. Question about the pan. Growing up my grandmother would make these. But she did not use a cookie sheet. It was more like a much bigger, shallow, cupcake pan ( way bigger, not as deep) I have never been able to find this pan. Any ideas?

    Kara O.

see 6 more questions

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Reviews

  1. Thsee cookies are THE duplicate of NY black and whites. I followed the recipe to the T, almost but that's the icing, and amazed at the results. I used the pampered chef cookie scoup that I mame all my cookies with so the were round and uniform. I only cooked them 10 minutes since they were small (1 recipe made 24). The icing. ..I generally followed the directions but I added a little more corn syrup to make it a little thicker and I used lemon extract instead of juice as I was out of juice. And I added the cocoa but also melted dark chocolate to the other side. Came out rediculously good!

    • New York City Black and White Cookies Recipe - Food.com (20)

    Dorothy T.

  2. Good, good cookie. Made exactly as written and made eight cookies. Next time I will make them smaller - I have no will power once I start eating a giant one even tho I know I should.

  3. These cookies are easier to make than they look. I recommend making 1.5 times the icing recipe or even doubling it. I really had to scrape the icing bowl in order to have enough icing to cover all of the cookies. Also, there wasn't enough white icing for me to apply a thick enough layer so that the golden brown cookie under the frosting did not show through.<br/><br/>I recommend using a clear vanilla extract in order to keep the white frosting a pristine white color.<br/><br/>Good cookie and I'll make them again.

    Marie Nixon

  4. AWESOME! Just like I was back home. (Wife thought I was doing it wrong but she's only been to NYC once lol)

    Robert T.

  5. This recipe is FABULOUS! I live in New York and work in Manhattan and these cookies came out EXACTLY how we eat them in bakeries here. I did substitute 1/2 the amount of lemon juice for water. I also needed much more water than the recipe called for to make the icing smooth. But, I will absolutely make these again!

    Diet It Up

see 38 more reviews

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Tweaks

  1. Add the remaining butter to the icing, YUM!!

    Melba J.

  2. The cookies are a little bit dry, but the flavor and texture of the overall cookie is wonderful--it's a soft, more cake-like confection that's a vehicle for the icing. I increased the amount of buttermilk by an additional 1/3 cup, and used a 3 TB disher to portion out the cookies. I also with wet hands slightly pressed the cookie dough balls down so the domed shape wouldn't be so dramatic. With the icing I really do like the lemon aspect in the vanilla, but not so much for the chocolate. Like another review suggests you can substitute the lemon juice for water for a cleaner vanilla and chocolate icing flavor. I add water by 1/2 teaspoonfuls to get a thinner, but still smooth icing consistency. Thank you for sharing this great recipe!

    PKG178

  3. AWESOME! I did take the advice of others and replace half the lemon juice with water, and it definitely did take way more water than indicated. Outside that, it was perfect! Now I can make my OWN Black and Whites instead of looking for a bakery that knows how!

    Ricearoni161

  4. This recipe is FABULOUS! I live in New York and work in Manhattan and these cookies came out EXACTLY how we eat them in bakeries here. I did substitute 1/2 the amount of lemon juice for water. I also needed much more water than the recipe called for to make the icing smooth. But, I will absolutely make these again!

    Diet It Up

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

Chef Hayley

  • 10 Followers
  • 1 Recipe

Hiya! I'm currently working as a Pastry Cook at a posh hotel in Toronto! Woo hoo! Always up for new recipes and unusual ingredients.

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New York City Black and White Cookies Recipe  - Food.com (2024)

FAQs

What is a black-and-white cookie from New York? ›

According to Molly O'Neill, black and white cookies are “broken promises” in that they're floury cakes baked in a cookie shape. Essentially, they're “drop cakes” because the batter resembles what you'd find in the batter of a cupcake, with a little extra dough so it does not run all over the place.

What are the flavors of black and white cookies? ›

Black & White Cookies are a soft, cakey cookie that clearly have vanilla and chocolate flavors on top, but they have a subtle lemon flavor and aroma to them as well. It's actually something I never noticed for years, until I started making them at home.

What's the big deal about black and white cookies? ›

The black-and-white cookie was among the original recipes used by Glaser's Bake Shop. By the post-war period, black-and-white cookies had become part of American Ashkenazi Jewish culinary repertoire, deeply rooted in the Jewish communities of New York City and elsewhere around the United States.

What is the base of a black-and-white cookie? ›

What Kind of Cookie is a Black and White? The term “cookie” is actually a little bit of a misnomer when it comes to black & whites, as the base is far more cake-like than cookie-like. They have a soft, velvety texture with a fine crumb, and the texture is cakey but firmer and denser than that of a traditional cake.

What is the real name for black and white cookies? ›

Eventually, half-moon cookies and black and white cookies became interchangeable terms for the same chocolate and vanilla drop cake (via Untapped New York). After all, both names accurately describe the striking design of this fondant cookie.

Do black and white cookies need to be refrigerated? ›

They will keep for up to 3 days, stored in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. If you'd like to make them ahead of time, it's better to freeze the cookies after baking. Making the batter and chilling it beforehand will not work.

How do you eat black and white cookies? ›

“The the key to eating a black and white cookie, Elaine, is you want to get some black and some white in each bite,” Jerry says.

What are the 4 cookie types? ›

Here are the 4 main types of cookies:
  • Session cookies. These are temporary web cookies that are only present as long as your web browser stays open or your session is active. ...
  • Persistent cookies. ...
  • Third-party cookies. ...
  • First-party cookies. ...
  • User experience. ...
  • Advertising and marketing. ...
  • Analytics and web optimization.
May 22, 2023

Who is famous for black and white cookies? ›

The black-and-white cookie was apparently among the original recipes that Bavarian immigrants John and Justine Glaser used when they opened the bakery in 1902, according to grandson Herb Glaser, making their black and white at least as old as Hemstrought's half moon.

What do British people call most cookies? ›

Hard or crisp cookies are called biscuits in the U.K. while the chewier dessert can be identified as a cookie.

Are there nuts in black and white cookies? ›

A crisp shortbread cookie covered in a beautiful and striking glaze. Fancy enough for parties, or just a lazy afternoon with a tall glass of milk. Free of: gluten, dairy, egg, soy, peanut and tree nuts.

What is the black part of the Oreo called? ›

The cocoa used in Oreo cookies is dutched (treated with alkali). This makes it darker, and also makes it less bitter. Dutched chocolate comes in a number of different grades, one of which is called black cocoa. It is very dark, much darker than ordinary dutched cocoa, and intensely flavored.

What is the black part of an Oreo? ›

Cocoa colors an Oreo black

So there's no dye, or colorant in there. However, most cocoa powders are brown, not black. They get this brown color during the production process in which cocoa beans are turned into cocoa powder. But, their exact color depends on the way they've been processed.

What cookie is NYC known for? ›

Freshly baked at the city's best coffee shops and bakeries, NYC's most beloved cookies include elegant crinkle wafers, old-school black-and-white rounds and homey, familiar chocolate chips. These aren't just some of New York's finest cookies—they are some of the very best desserts in NYC.

Where is the best place to buy black and white cookies in NYC? ›

Top 10 Best Black And White Cookie Near New York, New York
  • All "Black And White Cookie" results in New York, New York. Showing 1-60 of 2986.
  • Russ & Daughters. 4.3 (2.9k reviews) 1.3 mi. ...
  • Levain Bakery - Original Location, 74th St, NYC. 4.6 (9.7k reviews) 5.2 mi. ...
  • William Greenberg Desserts. 3.7 (331 reviews) 5.4 mi.

Are Rainbow Cookies a NY thing? ›

Known also as Tricolore cookies, Neapolitans, and Venetians, Rainbow Cookies are believed to have been invented in the United States at the turn of the 20th Century as waves of Italian immigrants arrived to the Northeast.

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