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Black and White Cookies are a classic New York City bakery cookie recipe. They’re soft cake-like cookies with tons of vanilla flavor and an iconic mix of half and half vanilla and chocolate icing. If you love chocolate and vanilla you don’t have to choose – you’ll get both in this delicious pillow-like cookie.
TL;DR
To make traditional Black and White Cookies (also called Half Moon Cookies), cream 10 tablespoons of butter with sugar and eggs, then stir in vanilla and room-temperature sour cream. Mix in the dry ingredients and bake large scoops at 350°F until the edges are set. Once cool, ice the flat bottom of the cookies with a vanilla glaze made of powdered sugar, corn syrup, and warm water. Add cocoa powder to the the second glaze to finish the chocolate half.
I’ve had Black and White Cookies in Manhattan and honestly? I didn’t like them. They were dry and kind of flavorless, so I just assumed I didn’t like these type of cookies…until I made them myself. I tested several recipes and merged my favorite elements of each to make a soft cake-like cookie with tons of vanilla flavor with a delicate crumb and a burst of more flavor from the dual icings. Now THIS recipe is one I’ll eat over and over again (and did, throughout all my testing).
The secret to an authentic black and white cookie recipe is the base: it shouldn’t be crunchy like a sugar cookie. Instead, it should be a soft, tender drop cake. By adding room-temperature sour cream to the batter, we ensure these stay incredibly moist and light. We also use a professional-style icing with a touch of corn syrup to give it that signature glassy shine that sets firmly but stays soft when you bite into it.
Ingredients for Homemade Black and White Cookies
- These have the usual cookie ingredients like unsalted butter, granulated sugar, eggs, and all-purpose flour.
- While many cake-like cookies call for buttermilk or milk, my recipe uses sour cream. Much like my Lofthouse Copycat Cookies, the sour cream helps the cookies stay moist and light.
- While most cookie recipes call for baking soda, Black and White cookies use baking powder for leavening. Baking powder promotes a vertical rise and helps create that cakey texture.
- The icing is a traditional cookie icing with powdered sugar.
- Light corn syrup is an an important part of the icing. It’s the “interfering agent” that prevents sugar crystals from bonding. In icing, this results in a smooth, high-gloss finish that looks professional. It also keeps the icing slightly flexible so it doesn’t crack or become “chalky” when the cookie is handled or stored.
- Half of the cookie is made with white icing flavored with vanilla extract. You could also use lemon extract or almond extract for a different flavor (in the icing or the cookie).
- The other half is a delicious chocolate frosting. For that traditional black look, you’ll want to use black cocoa. Dutch process cocoa or regular unsweetened cocoa can also be used but the icing will be more brown in color.
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Dorothy’s Expert Tips for NYC Black and White Cookies
- Know that Black and White cookies are “drop cakes.” The batter is more similar to a cupcake or sponge cake than a traditional cookie dough, which gives them their signature airy, puffed shape and soft crumb. The addition of an acid like sour cream ensures the gluten stays tender, preventing them from becoming tough or dry.
- Make sure your sour cream and eggs are room temperature to avoid lumps.
- To get that perfect 50/50 split, always ice the flat bottom of the cookie, not the domed top. Use a small offset spatula to spread the vanilla icing over exactly one-half of the cookie first. Let it set for a few minutes before adding the chocolate icing to the other side. This set time prevents the two colors from bleeding into each other at the center line.
- Be sure to use warm water in the icing (not cold). The warmth of the water helps immediately dissolve the powdered sugar, ensuring a lump-free frosting.
- You have size options for these cookies: While the traditional Manhattan cookies are giant (the size of a hand or face), I recommend using 1- or 2- tablespoon cookie scoops. These do spread so the more dough you use, the bigger the cookie will be.
Black and White Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
Cookies:
- 2 cups (248g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 10 tablespoons (140g) unsalted butter,, softened
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs,, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup (82g) sour cream,, room temperature
Icing:
- 2 ¾ cups (301g) powdered sugar, divided
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup, divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, divided
- 2-5 tablespoons warm water, divided
- ¼ cup (20g) unsweetened cocoa powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Beat in eggs and vanilla until smooth.
- Running the mixer on low, add half of the flour mixture; mix until just combined. Add all of the sour cream; mix until incorporated. Add the rest of the flour mixture and mix just until combined. The dough will be soft and sticky.
- Using a large (3-tablespoon) cookie scoop, drop 3 tablespoons of dough per cookie, 3-inches apart, on prepared cookie sheets. Bake until edges are light golden brown and centers are just set, 15-18 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.
- Once cookies are cool, turn them over, flat side up.
- To make the white frosting, whisk together 1 ¼ cups (141g) powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon corn syrup, ½ teaspoon vanilla, and 1-2 tablespoons warm water (add 1 teaspoon at a time) until spreading consistency. Frost half of each cookie with the white frosting.
- To make the black frosting, whisk together 1 ½ cups (170g) powdered sugar and the cocoa with 1 tablespoon corn syrup, ½ teaspoon vanilla, and 1-3 tablespoons warm water (add 1 teaspoon at a time) until spreading consistency. Frost the other half of each cookie.
- Let cookies sit about 20 minutes to set.
- Store in an airtight container between sheets of wax paper at room temperature for about 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
- Got 14 cookies using my large (3-tablespoon) OXO scoop
- Cookies are quite puffy (see photo below) — I know they are meant to be somewhat puffy, but I have never had a real-deal B&W cookie in NY to know just how puffy is typical. If you think they need to be a bit flatter, I’d try wetting the bottom of a glass and pressing down the cookie dough slightly before baking.
- Un-iced cookies are lightly sweet, buttery, and have a light, cakey texture
- Could suggest using black cocoa for a truer black color in the black icing.
- Had almost the exact perfect amount of white icing for the batch, with more of the black icing left over.
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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How to make Black and White Cookies Step by Step
1. Always whisk dry ingredients together first.
2. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
3. Once eggs are mixed in you’ll add the sour cream and flour alternately, mixing between each addition.
4. The cookie dough will be somewhat wet, a cross between cake batter and regular cookie dough.
5. Cookies need to be flattened before baking. Use the bottom of a glass sprayed with nonstick cooking spray or wet with water. Cookies will spread.
6. What makes these unique is they’re frosted upside down!
7. Whisk the frosting just adding enough warm water so that it drizzles back into itself. You don’t want it too thin or it won’t cover. Frost half the cookie white.
8. Repeat with chocolate frosting. Cookies will mostly set in about 20-30 minutes.
FAQs
Yes, you can substitute full-fat Greek yogurt in a 1:1 ratio, though sour cream provides a slightly richer flavor.
Icing the flat side allows for a perfectly level surface, which is how you achieve that iconic, clean bakery look.
Start with 2 tablespoons of warm water and add more only a teaspoon at a time. The icing should be thick enough to coat a spoon but thin enough to spread smoothly.
