New York Black and White Cookies

New York black and white cookies featuring a soft, round cookie topped with half chocolate and half vanilla frosting. A classic NYC-style black and white cookie!

What Inspired These New York Black and White Cookies?

Even after many years spent studying, living, and working in London, there are still plenty of things I find baffling about British food: the chunky, overly-sweet applesauce; the lack of decent pickles or pretzels; the tomato-water salsa; the pancake mix sold in a milk carton. But to a longtime New Yorker like myself, there is nothing quite as baffling as the “NYC cookie.”

At some point, UK bakers decided that fat, puffy, slightly underbaked chocolate chip cookies are the cookies most representative of New York City. A Google UK search turns up recipes for “NYC style” cookies from food bloggers, cookbook authors, and influencers, and you’ll spot “NYC cookies” for sale at plenty of British bakeries.  There are also spinoff recipes, like “NYC” gingerbread cookies and “NYC” Easter cookies. There are even “NYC cookies” for sale on Etsy.

To make sure I wasn’t going completely crazy, I asked some New York foodie friends what they’d consider the iconic “NYC cookie.” The response was nearly always the black-and-white (or, in one case, the Italian rainbow cookie). Not one person said chocolate chip.

From what I can tell, this “NYC cookie” phenomenon began with a copycat version of the popular Levain cookie and spiralled from there. But while chocolate chip cookies from Levain (and other bakeries like Schmackary’s and Chip City) have their loyal fans, to a New Yorker like myself, the “NYC cookie” will always be the black-and-white.

What is a Black and White Cookie?

Featuring a soft cookie similar to a sugar cookie, with a slightly domed bottom and a flat top iced with equal parts vanilla and chocolate icing, you’ll find this NYC classic at shops like Orwashers, Zabar’s and Barney Greengrass, although I personally love a good B&W from the local greenmarket, too.

Who makes the best black and white remains the subject of endless debate; as does which side to eat first: chocolate then vanilla, or vanilla then chocolate? I usually split the difference and take a bit straight down the middle.

Black and White Cookie Ingredients

• Baking Powder – Baking powder creates bubbles that give the cookies their light and airy texture.
• All Purpose Flour – All purpose flour (or plain flour, in the UK) forms the cookie dough base.
• Cornflour – A small amount of cornflour (or cornstarch, depending on your location) creates a soft, slightly cakelike texture. (Black and whites are definitely a “cakey” cookie, more closely resembling a whoopie pie or PA Dutch sugar cake than shortbread or a cut-out sugar cookie.)
• Salt – Kosher salt the sweetness of the granulated sugar.
• Egg – Along with baking powder, a large egg helps the cookies to rise.
• Vanilla Extract – You’ll need vanilla extract for the cookie dough, and more for flavoring the icing. Because vanilla is a key flavor in this recipe, I recommend using a good-quality extract (Nielsen-Massey is my preferred brand for all things vanilla) rather than cheap imitation flavoring.
• Unsalted Butter – I recommend using unsalted, American-style butter for the dough. Omit the kosher salt if substituting salted butter.
• Granulated Sugar – Granulated sugar adds sweetness and moisture to the cookie dough. You can substitute caster sugar, but measure by weight rather than volume.
• Buttermilk – Like whoopie pies, I’ve added acidic buttermilk to my cookie dough to give the cakes their moist, tender texture and slightly tangy flavor. Buttermilk usually comes in larger containers, so save the rest to make buttermilk ice cream or homemade ranch dressing.

Icing Ingredients

• Confectioner’s Sugar – Confectioner’s sugar (icing sugar) makes the sweet, two-toned frosting.
• Corn Syrup – Corn syrup gives the icing its glossy appearance. You can use light corn syrup (I like the Golden Barrel brand), light Karo syrup, or liquid glucose.
• Lemon Juice – Lemon juice adds a distinct acidic note—a hallmark of the classic black and white cookie icing.
• Cocoa Powder – For making the chocolate icing. Be sure to choose unsweetened cocoa powder, not the sweetened kind you’d use for making a cup of hot cocoa. Do not use Dutch processed.

Making and Applying the Frosting

Make the Two Tones. To make the dual-colored frosting, you’ll start by mixing the base ingredients (confectioner’s sugar, water, corn syrup, lemon juice, vanilla) in a large bowl, then portion half into a second bowl and whisk in a few tablespoons of cocoa powder. Because the cocoa powder lacks moisture, you’ll also need to add a small amount of water to the second bowl. The chocolate icing should match the fluidity of the vanilla.

Prepare Your Tray. Before icing, sit your wire cooling rack over top of a sheet of parchment or wax paper to catch any drips.

Flip the Cookies. Similar to whoopie pies, these soft sugar cookies will dome and puff as they bake. But for black and whites you’ll ice the flat sides of these cookies, not the domed sides. Before icing, flip each cookie to reveal its smooth underside.

Start with Vanilla. Using a small stepped palette knife (a butter knife or small rubber spatula will also work) coat half of each cookie with vanilla icing, then place it on the wire rack and allow the icing to set for 15 minutes, or until dry to the touch.

Add the Chocolate. Repeat the process with the chocolate icing.

Allow cookies to rest uncovered until icing sets, about 15 minutes.

For ingredient quantities, process photos, and step-by-step instructions, scroll down to the recipe card below.

Helpful Tools

You don’t need many fancy tools to make your own black and white cookies, but I find the following helpful: A wire whisk, for whisking the dry ingredients, and for combining the ingredients for the frosting; a wire rack, for cooling the cookies, and for catching any icing drips (I use a set similar to this one, with a wire rack designed to fit neatly over my half sheet tray); a small stepped palette knife, for applying the icing; a silicone baking mat (you’ll ice the bottom sides of these cookies, so silicone works best for creating a flat, wrinkle-free surface); and a piping bag and 1/2-inch round piping tip, for piping the cookie batter.

Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions

Store black and white cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. I recommend layering between sheets of wax paper or parchment to prevent the cookies from sticking together.

Other cookie recipes you might enjoy:

Peanut Butter Cookies
Chocolate Oreo Cookies
Tahini Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Chocolate Molasses Cookies
Rolo Cookies

And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!

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