This black and white cookie recipe is near and dear to my heart. Honestly, it reminds me of childhood. Not only were black and white cookies a staple in our Jewish home (we always had them after a bagel brunch), but they were (and still are!) widely available at all Kosher-style delis, which we went to often. They’re also widely recognized as a quintessential New York City treat!
The Black and White cookie gets its name from the colored icing on top. Half is covered with vanilla icing, and half with chocolate. Everyone seems to have a favorite, and not surprisingly I’m team vanilla!
Here’s the sneaky thing about black and white cookies: they’re essentially cake! They’re not crispy or chewy at all, they’re cakey. More in line with the the texture of classic madeleines.
Once they cool, spread half the cookie with vanilla icing and the remaining half with chocolate icing. Allow to harden a bit, then dig in! These are the best black and white cookies, and we just know you’ll love them as much as we do!
Ingredients For The Best Black And White Cookie Recipe
For the cookie dough:
- White pastry flour or all-purpose flour: The base of the cookie recipe.
- Whole wheat pastry flour or whole wheat flour: The base of the cookie recipe.
- Baking powder: Adds carbon dioxide into the batter, helping the cookies to puff up and out.
- Baking soda: When activated by acid (in this case, buttermilk), this creates carbon dioxide which helps the cookies puff up as they bake.
- Kosher salt: To season the cookies!
- Unsalted butter: Creamed with sugar and extract to provide a light and tender texture.
- Granulated sugar: To sweeten the cookies!
- Eggs: Make sure to use room temperature eggs! The egg yolks are used as a binder.
- Pure vanilla extract: Gives the black and white cookies a delicate vanilla flavor.
- Buttermilk: This is the acid needed to react with the baking soda and help the cookies to rise. Lemon juice would work similarly.
For the glaze you’ll need: confectioner’s sugar, heavy cream, milk, vanilla, and cocoa powder (only for the chocolate icing)
The icing comes together really easily! Okay, let’s get baking! We’ll show you how to make it below.
You’ll also need either a stand mixer or electric mixer!
How To Make Black And White Cookies
This is a two step process: first, you’ll bake the cookies and allow them to cool, then you’ll make the frosting.
- Preheat oven to 350 F and place racks on the upper third and lower third of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, sift together 1 ½ cups white pastry (or all-purpose) flour, 1 cup whole wheat pastry (or whole wheat) flour, ½ tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, and ¾ tsp Kosher salt. Set aside.
- Cream the sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream together 12 Tbsp room temperature butter and 1 ¼ cups sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes on medium speed. Add 2 tsp vanilla extract and 2 eggs, one at a time, making sure they are completely mixed in.
- Slowly add dry ingredients and buttermilk. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then with the mixer on low, alternate between adding dry ingredients and the ⅔ cup buttermilk, until both are gone, ending with the flour mixture. The dough will be sticky.
- Scoop black and white cookies. Use a ¼ cup cookie scoop to transfer dough to prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 2″ between cookies. You should be able to fit about 6 cookies per standard ¼ sheet tray.
- Bake the cookies. Bake for 9 minutes, rotate the pans, then bake an additional 8 minutes. Do not over bake. Allow cookies to cool on the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to completely cool. Repeat with remaining cookie dough.
Make The Vanilla And Chocolate Icing
To give the black and white cookies their signature appearance — half chocolate, half vanilla on top! — make the icing. You can do this while the cookies are cooling.
- For the white icing: In a large bowl, whisk together 3 ½ cups confectioner’s sugar, 3 Tbsp cream, 3 Tbsp milk, and 1 tsp vanilla extract . Transfer half of the icing to another bowl and whisk in ½ cup cocoa powder. If either icing is too thick (it needs to be easily spreadable) add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking until fully incorporated, until desired consistency is reached.
- Use a small rubber or offset spatula to spread vanilla frosting on one half of each cookie — the flat side, not the rounded side! These need to set for about 15-20 minutes.
- Carefully spread chocolate frosting on the opposite side, being careful not to overlap. Enjoy immediately or store in an airtight container.
You want the icing thin enough to spread, but not so thin that it won’t set and harden on the cookies.
Tips For The Best Black And White Cookies
- Allow the cookies to cool completely before adding the glaze! If you want the chocolate and vanilla icing to harden properly, let them cool down first. This helps the chocolate and vanilla icing firm up. When you bite into the cookie, the icing should crack a bit!
- Make sure the baking powder and baking soda haven’t expired! You really need them to activate in the cookie dough to help them rise up.
- Use room temperature ingredients! It’s important that the butter and eggs are room temperature to evenly incorporate into the batter.
- Frost the flat side of the cookies! Not the rounded side.
How Long Will Black And White Cookies Keep? Should Black And White Cookies Be Refrigerated?
You can actually keep these in an airtight container at room temperature if you plan to eat them within 3 days. Otherwise, yes, store in a refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Can You Freeze Baked Cookies?
Yes! First, make sure the icing has completely hardened. Wrap each cookie individually with plastic wrap and/or aluminum foil, trying your best to remove as much air as possible. This will help to prevent freezer burn. You can store the wrapped cookies in a Ziploc or freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Be sure to freeze them within 1 day of baking for best results!
You can easily double or triple this recipe as needed. These are great for sweets at a holiday party!
These are seriously the best black and white cookies!! They’re light, cakey, and loved by all. Our family looks forward to them every holiday season. If you make this Black and White Cookie Recipe, please let us know by leaving a review and rating below!
If you love these, be sure to check out our homemade chocolate raspberry rugelach — they are life changing!!
And make sure to sign up for our newsletter and follow along on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Facebook for more Well Seasoned recipes! DON’T FORGET to tag us on social channels when you make a recipe at #wellseasonedstudio !! We LOVE seeing what you’re up to in the kitchen!
Dessert recipes we are loving:
- Flourless chocolate cake
- Italian rainbow cookies
- Chocolate babka parfaits
- Simple vanilla cake with mascarpone buttercream
- Speculoos skillet cookie
- Blueberry dump cake
Black and White Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 ½ cups white pastry flour or all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour or whole wheat flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp Kosher salt
- 12 Tbsp unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup buttermilk very cold
For the icing
- 3 ½ cups confectioner's sugar
- 3 Tbsp heavy cream
- 3 Tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ½ cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F and place racks on the upper third and lower third of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, sift together 1 ½ cups white pastry (or all-purpose) flour, 1 cup whole wheat pastry (or whole wheat) flour, ½ tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, and ¾ tsp Kosher salt. Set aside.
- Cream the sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream together 12 Tbsp room temperature butter and 1 ¼ cups sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes on medium speed. Add 2 tsp vanilla extract and 2 eggs, one at a time, making sure they are completely mixed in.
- Slowly add dry ingredients and buttermilk. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then with the mixer on low, alternate between adding dry ingredients and the ⅔ cup buttermilk, until both are gone, ending with the flour mixture. The dough will be sticky.
- Scoop black and white cookies. Use a ¼ cup cookie scoop to transfer dough to prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 2" between cookies. You should be able to fit about 6 cookies per standard ¼ sheet tray.
- Bake the cookies. Bake for 9 minutes, rotate the pans, then bake an additional 8 minutes. Do not over bake. Allow cookies to cool on the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to completely cool. Repeat with remaining cookie dough.
- Make the icing. In a large bowl, whisk together 3 ½ cups confectioner's sugar, 3 Tbsp cream, 3 Tbsp milk, and 1 tsp vanilla extract . Transfer half of the icing to another bowl and whisk in ½ cup cocoa powder. If either icing is too thick (it needs to be easily spreadable) add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking until fully incorporated, until desired consistency is reached.
- Frost the cookies. Use a small rubber or offset spatula to spread white icing on one half of each cookie. These need to set for about 15-20 minutes. Carefully spread chocolate icing on the opposite side, being careful not to overlap. Enjoy immediately or store in an airtight container.
Notes
- Store cookies in an airtight container to retain freshness.
Nutrition
Photography by: Pate of The G&M Kitchen
Do I need to let the white frosting set before I add the chocolate frosting?
Mandy! Nope, no need to let it set. The cookie puff up a bit when they bake, so you can grab or hold onto the side of the cookies (where there isn’t any icing) to hold them as you add both the chocolate and vanilla. Can’t wait to hear what you think! xo, Ari