Black and White Cookies from NYC Vegan

June 6, 2017 By Sarah 39 Comments

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Classic Black and White Cookies from NYC Vegan—sweet, pillowy cookie perfection!

Black and White Cookies

I’m so excited to be bringing you a recipe from a new cookbook, NYC Vegan, today! I chose to share New York’s iconic Black and White cookies and I am so glad I did! Honestly, I just picked them so I had an excuse to make cookies, and now I will be making them all of the time….like later this week for David’s end of year Kindergarten music program! They are pillowy soft—truly like those big cookies you find in coffee shopswith the pink frosting. But these are better! Sweet icing—and the easiest I’ve ever worked with, paired with soft crumbly not-too-sweet cookies—serious perfection! I’ve been sending them in David’s lunch box this week and I am winning major cool mom points.

Black and White Cookies rose to fame after Seinfeld had an episode about them. Basically, Jerry says that he thinks the cookies are the secret to true racial harmony—if only it were that simple! The striking contrast of the two colors of frosting, both vanilla and chocolate, make these cookies stand out in the bakery case, and is no doubt part of why they are now so popular!

NYC Vegan

NYC Vegan,authored by New Yorkers Michael Suchman and Ethan Ciment, of The Vegan Mos, is one part cookbook, one part history lesson. I loved pouring through the pages of the book, learning about classic recipes from each of New York City’s unique neighborhoods. The melting pot of cultures in NYC has contributed so many amazing dishes, some already vegan, and some ready to veganize. Several of the recipes in this book pay homage to different signature restaurant dishes, while others replicate the flavors of distinct cultures and communities in New York City. I grew up in New York’s neighboring city to the south, Philadelphia. While definitely not the same, this book really felt like home for me.

Ready to try these amazing cookies? Yeah, me too (I may have a secret stash I’m hiding in my kitchen!). Be sure to take a picture of these gorgeous cookies and share on social media! And don’t forget to tag me so that I can see! {#frieddandelions // @frieddandelions} Oh, oh, and one more thing—be sure to scroll down below the recipe to enter to win a copy of this delicious book!

Thanks to a famous episode of Seinfeld, the black and white cookie, once only known to New Yorkers, garnered national attention. In that episode, Jerry used the black and white as a metaphor for racial harmony. Although called a cookie, these treats are actually made from a stiff cake batter and baked free-form on a cookie sheet. Once found only in bakeries, today the black and white can be found in almost every grocery store and bodega in New York. (From NYC Vegan, copyright © 2017 by Michael Suchman and Ethan Ciment. Used by permission.)

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time25 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: New York City

Servings: 1 cookie

Ingredients

Cookies:

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup nondairy butter
1/4 cup nondairy milk at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Icing:

3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup boiling water plus more if needed
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup nondairy semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 (18 x 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In another large bowl, combine the sugar and butter and beat until creamy, about 5 minutes. Add the milk and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in batches, beating after each addition, until combined.
Scoop the dough, 1/4 cup at a time, onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the scoops 3 inches apart. Flatten them slightly with your hands (keep your hands wet to prevent the dough from sticking). Allow room between the scoops as the cookies will spread as they bake.
Bake the cookies for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cookies to cool 2 minutes on the baking sheets and then carefully flip the cookies over and transfer them, upside down, to a wire rack to cool completely.
While the cookies are cooling, make the icing. In a large mixing bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar, boiling water, and vanilla. Mix well to get a spreadable icing. Add a little more water, if needed. Using an offset spatula, spread a thin layer of icing onto the flat side, the former bottom, of each cookie. Return the cookies to the wire rack to dry. You should have about 1/2 cup of icing left.
While the white icing is drying, melt the chocolate chips in a microwave or double boiler. When the chips are all melted and smooth, whisk the melted chocolate into the remaining icing. The chocolate icing should be thicker than the white, but still be spreadable. If it is too thick, add a little hot water to thin it out. Use the offset spatula to frost one half of each cookie over the white icing. Return the cookies to the wire racks to dry. Store leftovers in a covered container for up for 5 days.