Black and White Cookies

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Cookbook

NYC Vegan: Iconic Recipes for a Taste of the Big Apple

Published by Vegan Heritage Press, LLC

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Black and White Cookies

This image courtesy of Jackie Sobon

Editor's Note: Step up your baking skills when you make this recipe for Black and White Cookies! This vegan dessert recipe is a new twist on the beloved cookie and is sure to win over fans. Whether you dip the dessert in coffee or eat it on its own, this recipe is one you'll want to use again and again. You'll discover this cookie recipe is perfect for just about any occasion; consider sharing a few batches with neighbors and family over the holidays, or present a plate piled high with the cookies as part of a special birthday present for a friend.

Thanks to a famous episode of Seinfeld, the black and white cookie, once only known to New Yorkers, garnered national attention. In that episode, Jerry used the black and white as a metaphor for racial harmony. Although called a cookie, these treats are actually made from a stiff cake batter and baked free-form on a cookie sheet. Once found only in bakeries, today the black and white can be found in almost every grocery store and bodega in New York.

Makes18 cookies

Cooking MethodBaking

Easy

Make Ahead RecipeYes

Kid FriendlyYes

OccasionBirthday, Buffet, Buffet Meal, Casual Dinner Party, Family Get Together

Recipe CourseDessert

Taste and TextureSweet

Type of DishCookie, Dessert

Ingredients

Cookies
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup nondairy butter
1/4 cup nondairy milk, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Icing
3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup boiling water, plus more if needed
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup nondairy semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (18 x 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In another large bowl, combine the sugar and butter and beat until creamy, about 5 minutes. Add the milk and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in batches, beating after each addition, until combined.
Scoop the dough, 1/4 cup at a time, onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the scoops 3 inches apart. Flatten them slightly with your hands (keep your hands wet to prevent the dough from sticking). Allow room between the scoops as the cookies will spread as they bake.
Bake the cookies for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cookies to cool 2 minutes on the baking sheets and then carefully flip the cookies over and transfer them, upside down, to a wire rack to cool completely.
While the cookies are cooling, make the icing. In a large mixing bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar, boiling water, and vanilla. Mix well to get a spreadable icing. Add a little more water, if needed. Using an offset spatula, spread a thin layer of icing onto the flat side, the former bottom, of each cookie. Return the cookies to the wire rack to dry. You should have about 1/2 cup of icing left.
While the white icing is drying, melt the chocolate chips in a microwave or double boiler. When the chips are all melted and smooth, whisk the melted chocolate into the remaining icing. The chocolate icing should be thicker than the white, but still be spreadable. If it is too thick, add a little hot water to thin it out. Use the offset spatula to frost one half of each cookie over the white icing. Return the cookies to the wire racks to dry. Store leftovers in a covered container for up for 5 days.