I spent weeks tweaking this Black and White Cookies recipe to capture that authentic New York City bakery taste right in my own kitchen.
These tender cookies offer a melt-in-your-mouth texture that sits perfectly between a light cake and a sturdy biscuit. You will appreciate how the glossy vanilla and chocolate icing sets to create that signature snap with every bite.
Why This Black and White Cookies Recipe is a Keeper
The texture here is truly unique because it uses buttermilk to keep the crumb incredibly moist and tender. I find that this ingredient makes all the difference in preventing the cookies from drying out too quickly.
You do not need any complicated equipment or hard-to-find ingredients to recreate this iconic East Coast classic at home. The dough comes together easily in a single bowl before baking into perfectly golden, domed rounds.
Frosting these beauties is actually quite therapeutic and serves as a fun weekend project for bakers of any skill level. It is so satisfying to spread the glaze and watch it settle into a smooth, professional finish on your Black and White Cookies.
If you love impressive desserts, my Zesty Basque Cheesecake Recipe is another showstopper that is surprisingly simple to make. For a creamy treat without the oven time, you should definitely try the Savory No-Bake Cheesecake Recipe next.
Ingredients for Black and White Cookies
Here is everything you will need to bake these classic treats:
- Cake Flour: Provides the essential fine crumb and soft texture that mimics a bakery style cookie.
- Buttermilk: Adds moisture and a slight tang that balances the sweetness of the icing.
- Unsalted Butter: Ensures a rich flavor base while allowing you to control the salt content.
- Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the cookie dough and helps create a light, aerated structure during creaming.
- Egg: Binds the dough together and adds richness to the final crumb.
- Vanilla Extract: Infuses the dough and the white icing with a warm, aromatic flavor.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: These leavening agents work together to give the cookies their signature lift and dome shape.
- Salt: Enhances all the other flavors and balances the sugar.
- Powdered Sugar: The base for the smooth, pourable fondant style glaze.
- Light Corn Syrup: Gives the icing its characteristic glossy shine and helps it set firm without cracking.
- Milk: Thins the icing to the perfect spreading consistency.
- Dutch Process Cocoa: Provides a deep, rich chocolate flavor and dark color for the chocolate half of the glaze.
How to Make Black and White Cookies
Let’s get baking with these simple steps:
- Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F and lining your baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, use a mixer to cream the butter and sugar together until the mixture looks light and fluffy, then beat in the egg and vanilla extract until fully combined.
- Whisk your dry ingredients—cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt—together in a separate medium bowl. With your mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the butter mixture in alternating batches, starting and ending with the flour, until just combined.
- Scoop the dough onto your prepared baking sheets using a 1.5 tablespoon scoop, leaving about 2 inches of space between them for spreading. Bake the cookies for roughly 10 minutes until the edges show a hint of golden brown and the bottoms are set, then let them cool completely on the pan or a wire rack.
- To make the icing, whisk the powdered sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, and a small amount of milk together until thick but spreadable. Flip the cooled cookies over so the flat bottom is facing up, and spread the white icing over the entire surface of each cookie.
- Allow the white base to set slightly, then whisk the Dutch cocoa powder into the remaining icing, adding a teaspoon of milk if it becomes too thick. Carefully spread the chocolate icing over exactly half of each cookie to create the classic Black and White Cookies look, using a piping bag for a sharper line if you prefer.
My Best Tips for Perfect Black and White Cookies
I highly recommend using cake flour rather than all-purpose flour to achieve that authentic, soft crumb structure. The lower protein content ensures your Black and White Cookies remain tender and cakey instead of becoming tough or chewy.
Make sure to bake these until they are golden brown on the bottom rather than underbaking them like you might with chocolate chip cookies. They need a sturdy structure to hold up the heavy layer of glaze without crumbling or breaking apart.
Let the white icing set completely before you attempt to add the chocolate side to the cookies. This little bit of patience prevents the colors from bleeding together and keeps that line down the center sharp and distinct.
How to Serve This Black and White Cookies Recipe
I love pairing these sweet treats with a hot cup of black coffee or a cold glass of milk to balance the sugar. The bitterness of the coffee cuts through the sweetness of the fondant style glaze in the most satisfying way.
These cookies keep wonderfully at room temperature and actually taste even better the next day once the icing has fully set. You can stack them between layers of wax paper in an airtight container for up to five days without them losing their fresh texture.
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Print
Classic Black and White Cookies
- Total Time: 37 min
- Yield: 18 cookies 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Soft, cake-like cookies topped with a glossy half-vanilla, half-chocolate glaze. An authentic NYC bakery style treat made easily at home.
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cup (190 g) cake flour
- 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 3 Tablespoons buttermilk
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 1/2 cups (560 g) powdered sugar
- 4 Tablespoons light corn syrup
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (for icing)
- 4–6 Tablespoons milk
- 4 teaspoons Dutch process cocoa powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, cream the softened butter and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract, beating until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture in alternating additions, starting and ending with the flour. Mix until just combined.
- Drop 1.5 tablespoon-sized scoops of dough onto the baking sheets, spacing them at least 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are just barely golden and the bottoms are light brown. Allow to cool completely on the baking sheet.
- For the icing, whisk together powdered sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, and 4 tablespoons of milk until smooth and spreadable. Add more milk sparingly if needed.
- Flip the cooled cookies over to frost the flat bottom side. Spread the white icing over the entire surface of each cookie.
- Whisk the cocoa powder into the remaining white icing, adding a teaspoon of milk if it becomes too thick.
- Spread the chocolate icing over half of each cookie. Allow the icing to set completely before storing.
Notes
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. For a sharper line, use a knife to mark the center before frosting the chocolate side.
- Prep Time: 25 min
- Setting Time: 1 hr
- Cook Time: 12 min
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 260
- Sugar: 42g
- Sodium: 95mg
- Fat: 6g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 52g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 25mg
Keywords: black and white cookies, nyc cookies, cakey cookies, half moon cookies, cookie recipe