Black and White Cookies

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Soft and pillow-like, these classic Black and White Cookies are a staple in New York and so addictive. The cookies have a light cake-like texture and then topped with half vanilla and half chocolate icing, giving it its iconic look. You’ll never have to pick a favorite flavor when enjoying one of these!

These cookies, also known as Half-Moon Cookies, are the best of both worlds. They’re half way between a cake and a cookie. The icing is half chocolate and half vanilla. But don’t be mistaken and think that these cookies are half as good because I promise you that they are absolutely delicious!

The texture of these black and white cookies are sponge-like (similar to a cake) with a sweet glaze overtop, just like what you’ll find in a bakery in NYC. They’re also surprisingly easy to make at home and if you’ve got kids, they’ll have a ton of fun icing them. See my full recipe tutorial below including important notes on ingredients, step-by-step photos, and decorating tips! Love cookies as much as I do? Make sure to check out my whole collection of delicious cookies here!

What You Need To Make This Recipe

All-purpose flour – no need to use a cake or specialty flour for this. You can still achieve a cake-like texture with a basic all-purpose flour.

Buttermilk – the buttermilk is what helps give them a soft texture. The acid in the buttermilk tenderizes the glutens structure so the cookies are soft and not too dense or firm.

Butter – make sure your butter is at room temperature so everything is mixed well and bakes evenly. Take the butter out of the fridge about an hour in advance to soften it, and don’t be tempted to heat the butter so it melts because it’ll cause the cookies to spread too much. Use a warm bowl or one of my other methods to soften butter quickly if you forget to set it out or don’t have time to wait.

Baking soda – make sure your baking soda hasn’t expired as it’s a key ingredient for the shape and texture of the cookies. It helps the cookie dough puff and spread for the right texture and thickness.

Light corn syrup – light corn syrup is colorless, sweet, and has a hint of vanilla flavor. It gives the icing a nice gloss. Be sure to not accidentally use dark corn syrup which has a toasty molasses flavor to it and will turn the white glaze brown. You can substitute it for glucose syrup, golden syrup, or honey, or omit if desired.

Vanilla – use real vanilla extract for the best flavor and stay away from vanilla essence. it has a fake flavor. You can use homemade vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste if you’d like flecks of vanilla bean in your white glaze!

Cocoa powder – Dutch-process cocoa powder, like Hershey’s Special Dark or Ghirardelli, will give you that characteristic dark color. I have tested this with natural cocoa powder and it works just as well, but the color is a paler brown.

How To Make Black And White Cookies

1. Combine the dry ingredients (flour, salt, and baking soda) in a bowl then whisk together and set aside.

2. Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, before mixing in the egg and vanilla. This stage mixes air into the batter so your cookie base has that signature cake-like texture.

3. Add the flour mixture and buttermilk in three alternating batches starting and ending with the flour, while mixing on low. Mix until just combined. By alternating between the two, they combined more easily without over-mixing the dough.

4. Use a ¼ cup scoop (#16) or greased measuring cup to drop balls of batter onto your lined baking sheets. Space them about 4 inches apart because they will spread quite a bit. In testing, I was able to fit 5 n a half sheet pan (12×17 inches). Bake for 13-14 minutes or until the centers are springy to the touch and the bottoms are golden brown. Let them cool for a few minutes on the pan, then transfer them to a wire rack, bottom side up.

5. Make the icing by combining the powdered sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, corn syrup and water in a large bowl then mix until smooth, adding more water as needed to make a thinner spreadable icing. You can use a hand mixer or a whisk.

6. Transfer almost half the icing to another bowl and combine the cocoa powder, water, and corn syrup with one half of the icing. Cover the bowl of chocolate icing with plastic wrap and set aside. We are going to start with the vanilla icing. In my testing, I left the chocolate bowl uncovered and it formed a crust on top. Covering it prevents the top from drying out.

7. Cover half of each cookie in a thin layer of vanilla icing. Draw a line down the middle with an offset spatula or knife to get a nice clean edge.

8. Allow the icing to set then cover the other side with the chocolate icing. Allow to set before enjoying.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you’ve tried these Black and White Cookies then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!