NYC Black and White Cookies are the perfect combination of soft little cakes and chocolate and vanilla icing. These classic New York City staples are gluten free, nut free, egg free and easily dairy free by using a dairy free milk and vegan baking sticks.
I have such fond memories of nyc black and white cookies. When I was three, my mom and I would walk to town to get bagels and cream cheese. After, we would stop at the bakery next door and get black and whites.
It was my favorite thing to do with her. Black and white cookies will always be one of my favorites because of that. Grew up with them...thanks, mama!
With that said, so many bakeries now a days make the cake part of these cookies so dry that the cookie is basically inedible.
Not to mention, I have never seen a gluten free one!
This recipe is so delicious and the cake part of the cookie is not a rock. It’s soft and buttery and everything a little tiny cake should be!
For more fun cookie recipes, try my Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies, Dinosaur Gingerbread Cookies, and Wow Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.
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How to Make NYC Black and White Cookies
Here are the step by step instructions to make these cookies!
Step 1: Preheat the Oven
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2: Whisk the Dry Ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten free baking mix, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
Step 3: Mix the Wet Ingredients
Measure out ½ cup of milk. Add ½ tablespoon of white vinegar to the milk, stir, let sit 5 min and stir again. It will look chunky. Add the vanilla into the homemade buttermilk and stir until combined.
Step 4: Make the Cornstarch Water
In a small bowl, using a spoon, stir together the cornstarch and water. It will be thick and tacky at first. Mix until watery and smooth.
Step 5: Cream the Sugar and Mix the Ingredients
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until soft and fluffy. About 2-3 min. Add the cornstarch water mixture and beat on low until combined. At low speed, beat in the gluten free flour mixture and the milk mixture, alternately in batches, beginning and ending with the gluten free flour mixture. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix until smooth.
Step 6: Scoop the Batter and Shape
Using an ice cream scoop or ¼ cup, spoon batter onto prepared baking sheets making sure to leave 2 inches in between each cookie. Gently using your fingers press down the batter to make a dome instead of a ball. Gluten free flour has a way of staying exactly as it is placed down, so if you leave it in a ball shape, that’s how it will end up.
Step 7: Bake
Bake for 15-17 min and immediately transfer to a cooling rack.
Step 8: Make the Icing
While the cookies cool make the icing. In a small bowl, stir together the confectioners sugar, corn syrup, lemon juice, vanilla and 1 tablespoon of water until smooth.
Step 9: Make the Chocolate Icing
Take half the icing and place into a separate bowl. Stir in the cocoa powder and more water, ½ teaspoon at a time until it is the same consistency as the white icing.
Step 10: Spread the Icing
Turn the cookies flat side up, then spread white icing over half the cookie and chocolate icing over the other half. Let the cookies dry on a cooling rack with wax paper underneath until hardened.
Expert Baking Tips
Make your homemade buttermilk- Measure out ½ cup of milk of choice. Add ½ tablespoon of white vinegar to the milk of choice, stir, let sit 5 min and stir again. It will look chunky, that’s perfectly normal!
Combine the cornstarch and water- In a small bowl, using a spoon, stir together the cornstarch and water. It will be thick and tacky at first. Mix until watery and smooth.
Reshape the batter on the baking sheet-Gently using your fingers press down the batter to make a dome instead of a ball. Gluten free flour has a way of staying exactly as it is placed, so if you leave it in a ball shape, that’s how it will end up.
Frost half the cookie at a time- Traditionally the entire cookie is dipped in the white icing, hardens and then half is dipped in the chocolate. This takes forever because it takes a while for the icing to solidify. I turn the cookies flat side up, then spread white icing over half the cookie and chocolate icing over the other half. Let the cookies dry on a cooling rack with wax paper underneath until hardened.
And there you have it!!! I love love LOVE Black & Whites! I hope you guys love these gluten free, egg free, nut free and easily dairy free ones!
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📖 Recipe
NYC Black and White Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 1 ¼ cups gluten free flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup milk of choice
- ½ tablespoon white vinegar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup 5 ⅓ tablespoons of unsalted butter or vegan baking stick, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 heaping tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with 3 tablespoons of water
For the Icing:
- 1 ½ cups confectioners sugar
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 to 2 tablespoons of water
- ¼ cup cocoa powder I use 2 tablespoons of Dutch and 2 tablespoons of dark
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten free baking mix, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- Measure out ½ cup of milk. Add ½ tablespoon of white vinegar to the milk, stir, let sit 5 min and stir again. It will look chunky. Add the vanilla into the homemade buttermilk and stir until combined.
- In a small bowl, using a spoon, stir together the cornstarch and water. It will be thick and tacky at first. Mix until watery and smooth.
- In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until soft and fluffy. About 2-3 min. Add the cornstarch water mixture and beat on low until combined. At low speed, beat in the gluten free flour mixture and the milk mixture, alternately in batches, beginning and ending with the gluten free flour mixture. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix until smooth.
- Using an ice cream scoop or ¼ cup, spoon batter onto prepared baking sheets making sure to leave 2 inches in between each cookie. Gently using your fingers press down the batter to make a dome instead of a ball. Gluten free flour has a way of staying exactly as it is placed down, so if you leave it in a ball shape, that’s how it will end up.
- Bake for 15-17 min and immediately transfer to a cooling rack.
- While the cookies cool make the icing. In a small bowl, stir together the confectioners sugar, corn syrup, lemon juice, vanilla and 1 tablespoon of water until smooth.
- Take half the icing and place into a separate bowl. Stir in the cocoa powder and more water, ½ teaspoon at a time until it is the same consistency as the white icing.
- Turn the cookies flat side up, then spread white icing over half the cookie and chocolate icing over the other half. Let the cookies dry on a cooling rack with wax paper underneath until hardened.
Nutrition
Recipe adapted from Black and White Cookies Recipe by Epicurious.
john
The icing on these cookies came out perfect!