New York Black and White Cookies
Big, soft, cakey 4-inch cookies with a hint of lemon, iced half in vanilla and half in chocolate, the New York deli classic.
Wikipedia says the black and white cookie is commonly traced to Glaser's Bake Shop in Manhattan's Yorkville neighborhood, founded in 1902 by Bavarian immigrants John and Justine Glaser, where it was among the original recipes. Upstate, the same idea is the half-moon, traced to Hemstrought's Bakery in Utica, which began business in 1920 but apparently did not bake half-moons until about 1925 (Wikipedia). Spectrum News marked Hemstrought's 100th year in 2020, calling it the home of the original halfmoon. They differ: black and whites sit on a flat, dense cake base with fondant or royal icing, while half-moons are domed on a fluffier base (Wikipedia).
🇺🇸 This one is American
Big, soft, cakey 4-inch cookies with a hint of lemon, iced half in vanilla and half in chocolate, the New York deli classic.
🇩🇪 The original
Europe's holiday cookies came first: Nuremberg's spiced nut Lebkuchen, Scottish shortbread and Tuscan cantucci, recipes that German, Scottish and Italian immigrants carried to America. See the Nuremberg Elisenlebkuchen recipe.
📖 What's wrong with this picture?: Is the Black and White Cookie From New York City or Utica? →
Why it works the kitchen science
A cake batter, not a cookie dough
Creaming, eggs and alternating flour with milk make a soft, fine-crumbed base that is more cake than cookie, which is the whole point.
Corn syrup in both icings
It keeps the icing glossy and lets it set firm enough to stack without cracking.
Step by step
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 400°F. Grease baking sheets or line them with parchment.
- Step 2
Beat the butter, sugar, salt, baking powder, lemon and vanilla until light. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
- Step 3
Add the flour and milk alternately in three or four additions, starting and ending with flour, mixing gently just until smooth.
- Step 4
Scoop 1/4-cup portions onto the sheets, 2 to 2 1/2 inches apart, and flatten each to a 3-inch circle with damp fingers.
- Step 5
Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until set and barely golden at the edges (10 for moist, 12 for the drier bakery texture). Cool completely on a rack, about 20 minutes. Bake the rest the same way.
- Step 6
Whisk the vanilla icing ingredients until smooth and spread it over half of the flat underside of each cookie. Let it set on a rack.
- Step 7
Whisk the confectioners' sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, hot water and espresso powder, stir in the melted chocolate and spread it over the other half.
- Step 8
Let the icing firm, about 30 minutes, then store airtight at room temperature.
New York Black and White Cookies
Serves 24 (1 cookie each) · 24 large (4-inch) cookies · 1 hr 55 min total
Cookies
- 1 cup (2 sticks, 227 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups (298 g) granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp table salt
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp lemon oil or 1 tsp grated lemon zest
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 4 1/2 cups (540 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (227 g) whole or 2% milk
Vanilla icing
- 3 1/3 cups (379 g) confectioners' sugar
- 3 tbsp (57 g) light corn syrup
- 3 tbsp (43 g) hot water
- 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate icing
- 2 2/3 cups (315 g) confectioners' sugar
- 3 tbsp (57 g) light corn syrup
- 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (57 g) hot water
- 1/4 tsp espresso powder (optional)
- 3/4 cup (128 g) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips, melted
Method
- Heat the oven to 400°F. Grease baking sheets or line them with parchment.
- Beat the butter, sugar, salt, baking powder, lemon and vanilla until light. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
- Add the flour and milk alternately in three or four additions, starting and ending with flour, mixing gently just until smooth.
- Scoop 1/4-cup portions onto the sheets, 2 to 2 1/2 inches apart, and flatten each to a 3-inch circle with damp fingers.
- Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until set and barely golden at the edges (10 for moist, 12 for the drier bakery texture). Cool completely on a rack, about 20 minutes. Bake the rest the same way.
- Whisk the vanilla icing ingredients until smooth and spread it over half of the flat underside of each cookie. Let it set on a rack.
- Whisk the confectioners' sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, hot water and espresso powder, stir in the melted chocolate and spread it over the other half.
- Let the icing firm, about 30 minutes, then store airtight at room temperature.
Adapted from King Arthur Baking, "Black and White Cookies" by PJ Hamel (updated September 19, 2023), as written for 24. King Arthur Baking. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (3)
Tips
- Ice the flat bottom side, the bakery way; it gives a smooth, level surface.
- King Arthur notes the chocolate icing makes extra; ice a few more cookies or save it.
- For a holiday version, King Arthur tints a double batch of white icing with cranberry or pomegranate juice.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Glaser's invented it in 1902. Disputed: Wikipedia says the cookie is "commonly traced" to Glaser's, founded in 1902; the date is the bakery's founding, not a documented first cookie, and Utica's Hemstrought's claims the half-moon.
- Hemstrought's first half-moon was 1920. Disputed: the bakery's own materials say 1920 (search summaries); Wikipedia says about 1925.
- A black and white and a half-moon are the same cookie. Disputed: Wikipedia describes different bases (dense vs fluffy) and icings; some accounts suggest a common German ancestor.
- Ice the flat side. Documented for black and whites (King Arthur's method); Wikipedia says some Boston half-moons ice the domed side.
- Eat the vanilla side first. Folklore: pure house preference.
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