Picture Perfect Cooking

While browsing on Pinterest one day, I came upon a pin for these iconic New York deli cookies called, simply enough, Black & White Cookies.  The recipe was posted from Brown Eyed Baker and the cookies looked so yummy!  I pinned the recipe for later and decided to try it one Sunday afternoon.

These are somewhat of a classic cookie so I am glad I tried them, but I am not sure if I will ever make them again.  The cookie is just your basic butter/sugar cookie with black and white frosting on them.  The white portion of the frosting turned out great but as soon as I added some of the white in with the melted chocolate to make the black frosting, disaster struck. 

My chocolate seized and there was nothing I could do to make it smooth again.  I put the bowl over another bowl of simmering water to loosen it and that didn’t work.  I even tried microwaving it for a few seconds and NOTHING!  So, the “black” part of my cookies is just melted semi-sweet chocolate chips.  Don’t get me wrong…the melted chips worked find, but it just wasn’t the same.  Oh, well, you win some and you lose some.

I am listing the original recipe, but there won’t be any photos of the chocolate frosting.

For the cookies:
4 cups cake flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup milk

For the frosting:

2 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate, finely chopped

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup light corn syrup

5 cups powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a cookie sheet with a baking mat or parchment paper. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.

Beat the butter at medium speed for 30 seconds then gradually add the granulated sugar.  Slow increase the mixer speed to medium-high and beat for about 3 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the eggs and vanilla extract.  Beat at medium speed for about 30 seconds.  Scrape the sides of the bowl again.  On low speed, add the flour mixture and milk alternatively, starting and ending with the flour.  Mix just until combined. 

Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet.  Gently press each cookie dough mound until it is about 2 1/2 inches wide.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until the edges are set and light golden brown.  Cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet and then put on a wire rack to cool completely.

Now let’s make the icing: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the water and corn syrup to boil.  Remove from the heat and whisk in the powdered sugar and vanilla.  Transfer 3/4 of a cup to another bowl.  Melt the chocolate and add it to the 3/4 cups of frosting.  Combine and that makes the chocolate frosting.  (That is also where mine seized and wouldn’t do a thing so I just used melted semi-sweet chips instead.)

Ice half the cookie with the white frosting and half with the melted chocolate.  Allow the cookies to dry completely before eating or storing.  They will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days.