Community Pick
New York City Black and White Cookies
"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."
photo by Jonathan Melendez
- Ready In:
- 40mins
- Ingredients:
- 14
- Serves:
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6
ingredients
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For Cookies
- 1 1⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄3 cup buttermilk
- 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1⁄3 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1⁄2 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
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For Black or White icing
- 1 1⁄2 cups icing sugar or 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 1 tablespoon clear corn syrup
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1⁄4 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon water (approx)
- 1⁄4 cup cocoa powder
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
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When scoping the batter , what measurement should i use to make mini’s? -
How many cookies does this make?
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Can they be frozen?
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What is the best way to make ahead these?
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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?
see 6 more questions
Reviews
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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! -
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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. -
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. -
AWESOME! Just like I was back home. (Wife thought I was doing it wrong but she's only been to NYC once lol) -
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!
see 38 more reviews
Tweaks
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Add the remaining butter to the icing, YUM!! -
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! -
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! -
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!
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
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.
