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We’re bringing Big City Energy straight to your kitchen with these homemade New York-Style Black and White Cookies. This iconic bakery staple is surprisingly easy to make and tastes just like the real deal!
Each soft, cake-like almond cookie is pillowy soft just like you would get at a new york bakery. And each one is finished with the classic half-and-half look – rich chocolate icing on one side and vanilla icing on the other.
They look super impressive, taste delicious and are perfect for serving at a party or your next get together. We love to serve these for the holidays, new years or big celebrations. But to be honest, any day is a perfect day for a black and white cookie!
What You’ll Need
for the cookie dough
- Flour
- Sugar
- Butter
- Baking Powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Eggs
- Sour cream
- Almond extract
for the black and white icing
- Dutch Cocoa Powder
- Powdered sugar
- Corn Syrup
- Water
- Vanilla extract
How to Make New York- Style Black and White Cookies, Step by Step
Step 1: Mix together the batter.
Black and white cookies are known for being slightly cakey in texture, and the almond-flavored dough has a slight tartness to it. Which pairs so well with the sweet, rich, hardened glaze on the outside.
The method for making this batter is very similar to how you would make any other cookie.
Start by creaming the butter and sugars together. Once you have a nice creamy mixture, blend in the eggs, almond extract and sour cream. Sour cream is going to add some tartness and fluffiness to the batter.
Lastly, mix in the flour mixture – flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix until just combined. The dough with be soft, yet slightly thick.
Step 2: Scoop out cookies and bake.
Using a large spoon, scoop the cookies onto a pan. Each cookie should be a couple of inches wide. If the cookies have an odd shape to them, gently try to mold them into a circular shape. They should be pliable enough to shape.
Pop the pan into a preheated oven at 350ºF to bake for about 10-14 minutes. They should be golden brown on the edges.
Step 3: Cool Cookies and make vanilla and chocolate glaze.
Place your cookies on a cooling rack to cool for about 10-15 minutes until completely cooled. You don’t want to put glaze on warm cookies.
Make one large batch of vanilla white glaze and separate half of the glaze to make your chocolate glaze. You want to make sure you use Dutch Cocoa Powder for the glaze for the most authentic flavor.
Step 4: Glaze cookies and let them set.
Once you’ve whipped up your chocolate and vanilla glaze, use an icing spatula to spread vanilla glaze on half of the cookie.
Let the half-iced cookies set in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes before adding the chocolate glaze. Let the chocolate glaze set on the cookies before serving or storing
Once the cookies have set completely, enjoy!!!
Tips for making black and white cookies:
- Sour cream adds softness and fluffiness to the dough. You will find many variations of this recipe- some use buttermilk, others use milk. They are all great alternatives, but it just comes down to your preference of flavor and texture. Buttermilk and milk will yield a thinner batter.
- Use unsweetened Dutch cocoa powder for the icing. You want the chocolate half to have a very rich dark chocolate flavor, so it is important you use dark Dutch cocoa to give it the iconic flavor and won’t be too sweet.
- Corn syrup gives the icing a smooth look. If you want to have that classic smooth finish to the glaze, add some light corn syrup to your icing.
How to Store Black and White Cookies
Store at room temperature in an airtight container for 3-5 days.
If you notice the icing becoming too soft or melting, store them in the refrigerator in a sealed container.
Can I Freeze Black and White Cookies?
Yes! Freezing is a great way to preserve their longevity if you are making ahead or do not plan to eat in them in several days-time. Here’s what you need to do:
- Flash freeze first! Freeze baked, iced cookies on a sheet pan in a single layer for 1-2 hours. This way they the icing solidifies and you can store them with out fear of disrupting the pretty decoration.
- Wrap and Store. Wrap each cookie in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. ‘
Thaw black and white cookies in the fridge until they are soft enough to eat.
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More Yummy Cookie Recipes:
New York-Style Black and White Cookies
Description
These homemade New York style black and white cookies are soft, cake-like almond cookies topped with classic chocolate and vanilla icing. An easy, iconic dessert inspired by NYC bakeries and perfect for any occasion.
Ingredients
Cookie Base
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 2/3 c sugar
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 egg, at room temp
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1/3 cup sour cream
Black and White Icing
- 3–4 tbsp Dutch Cocoa powder (unsweetened)
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp corn syrup
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Prep your baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper and set to the side.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients – flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt.
- In a separate bowl, with an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar. Once your butter and sugar are creamy mix in in egg, sour cream, and add almond extract.
- Lastly, mix in flour mixture until all flour is incorporated, careful not to over mix. Your batter should be soft, but also a bit thick in texture.
- Using a large spoon, scoop spoonfuls onto a baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between each dough round. Your dough will be a bit sticky but pliable. If you have any wonky-shaped cookies, gently use your fingers to form the dough mounds into circular shapes. (They will spread but keep their original shape, so make sure the dough rounds are as circular as possible.)
- Bake for about 10-14 minutes until they are golden brown on the edges. Allow the cookies 10-15 minutes to cool completely on a cooling rack.
- Make icing : in a bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, vanilla, water and corn syrup u til smooth. Divide icing into two bowls. Whisk in cocoa powder into one bowl.
- Using an icing spatula, press chocolate icing over half of the FLAT side. Spread vanilla icing over the over half and let them set for about 30 minutes until set and hardened.
