New York Black And White Cookies
These famous cookies called New York black and white cookies are a most delicious experience everyone should try. Don’t miss out of enjoying homemade black and white cookies right in your own home with this classic black and white cookie recipe. You can easily bake a batch of these delectable treats any time you want without having to run out and buy some. And I’ve included a recipe for a low fat cookie as well! This New York black and white cookies recipe is really close to an original black and white cookies recipe New York style.
THE ORIGIN BEHIND NEW YORK BLACK AND WHITE COOKIES
Before you scroll down to the delicious copycat recipe, let’s talk about the origin of the classic black and white cookie recipe.
It’s said that the original black and white cookies recipe is traced back to 1902 at the Glaser’s Bake Shop.
The shop was owned back then by Bavarian immigrants. The bake shop was located in the Yorkville neighborhood of New York City.
The black and white cookie recipe was one of the first cookies the bake shop made. Most cookies back then were small, thin and crispy. The New York black and white cookies recipe produced large, thick, almost cakelike cookies that were anything but crispy.
New York black and white cookies are baked to perfection. Thick, soft and cakey inside with a thin layering of a half vanilla and half chocolate glaze over the top. Ever since Glaser’s Bake Shop came out with the black and whites (an abbreviation us New Yorkers call them) they have stayed very popular and now made all over the country and probably the world.
But, the best place to get a black and white is right here in New York.
When I say New York, it can be on Long Island where I live, upstate or anywhere in New York State. We take our New York black and white cookies very seriously here.
Nowadays, I would say every single bagel shop carries them.
Here in New York state there are diners on almost every corner of every town and especially in Manhattan.
Diners are known to have black and whites individually wrapped and placed on a large rectangle tray sitting right on the counter in back of the stools along with other baked goods, such as giant muffins and large, thick slices of pound cake. After speaking with many owners and bakers at lots of diners all around New York, they all told me the most popular baked item that’s sold is always the homemade black and white cookies.
FROM JERRY TO ELAINE, “LOOK TO THE COOKIE ELAINE”
If you are a Seinfeld fan like my husband and I are, you must have seen the episode called “The Dinner Party.” I certainly don’t want to give the episode away, it’s so funny and one of my favorite episodes. The gist of it is, Jerry and Elaine are invited to a dinner party and they want to bring a special dessert from a New York City bakery called The Royal Bakery. (I’m not sure if this was an actual real name of a bakery in NYC.) They are waiting in line to order a chocolate babka. If you don’t know what a babka is, another reason to watch. They didn’t want the cinnamon babka, only the chocolate one.
Well, Jerry orders the famous New York Black and White Cookies. Then he goes into a whole spiel about what is the right way to eat a black and white and oh, yeah, he keeps going. It’s funny and amusing. The episode was episode 13 in the 5th season.
You may wonder why would I make this classic black and white cookie recipe if it’s found all over the place here in New York. That’s a good question. The answer, my family loves these cookies so much, I had to learn how to make the New York black and white cookies recipe at home so we could enjoy them anytime we wanted to.
Our favorite time for a black and white? On Sundays when my hubby picks up the bagels, lox and cream cheese.
I make a big pot of coffee and we enjoy our bagels with the best thing waiting for us, homemade black and white cookies!
Is there a secret to make the best batch of Black and White Cookies?
I have asked many a baker in the diners and bagel shops for their secret to making great homemade black and white cookies.
A few of them told me their “secrets” to the best black and whites. I took all this info and came up with an amazingly delicious version of a New York Black and White Cookie.
I hope you enjoy these homemade black and white cookies as much as my family does.
By the way, these New York black and white cookies are so popular with family and friends, I bake many batches for special occasions and deliver them for others to enjoy. I include the recipe when I deliver my homemade black and white cookies so they can bake some right in their own kitchen.
* A recipe note…Down below there’s a recipe for a low fat cookie and lower calorie black and white cookie. This is a recipe I made over ten years ago when I was dieting and still wanted my black and whites but needed to cut down and make these instead. They taste delicious too. So, if you are dieting or someone you know is, bake this recipe as a low fat cookie and enjoy, guilt free.
New York Black and White Cookies
Yields: 10 to 12 large cookies
What Are The Ingredients That Go Into Making A Black And White Cookie?
Here Are The Everyday Ingredients:
- all purpose flour
- baking powder
- baking soda
- fine sea or kosher salt
- granulated sugar
- 1 large beaten egg, room temperature
- sour cream, regular. Lower fat or fat free will not work for this recipe
- pure vanilla extract
- real lemon extract, this is optional
- 10 tablespoons or 1 stick plus 2 tablespoons unsalted softened butter
- full printable recipe with amounts in recipe box below
Icing ingredients:
- sifted powdered sugar
- cold water
- light corn syrup
- fresh lemon juice
- pure vanilla extract
- unsweetened cocoa powder, I used Dutch process, you can use half regular and half Dutch also
- fine sea or kosher salt
- full printable recipe with amounts in recipe box below
This is what my counter looked like after I was done frosting the cookies!
Ready to eat one of these gems!
Eat up!
How Do You Make A Black And White Cookie?
Directions for New York black and white cookies batter:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line two rimmed cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpat baking mat
- Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
- Using a hand held mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the sugar and softened butter until light and fluffy. This will take about two to three minutes.
- Add in the beaten egg, sour cream, vanilla extract, lemon extract if using. Beat until combined. Stop and scrape down sides of bowl if needed.
- Gradually add in the flour mixture. Using a large serving spoon is how I find to be the easiest way. Mix for about one minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat again until completely combined. Another 20 seconds. Stop and continue to combine by hand with a rubber spatula. Batter will be very thick.
- Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, lightly mist the cup with cooking or baking spray. Scoop and gently drop batter onto the baking sheet. Five to six mounds at a time. Make sure they are spaced. If you can get all six on the sheet that would be best.
- Bake between 15 and 18 minutes or until edges of each cookie are lightly browned. The cookies will stay light with just a hint of color. The tops should spring back lightly when gently touched. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for about five minutes. Then, slide the parchment paper onto the cooling rack for the cookies to cool completely.
Directions for vanilla and chocolate icing:
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together all icing ingredients except the cocoa powder. I used a small whisk to get out any lumps and to make a smooth and shiny glaze. If needed add a teaspoon of water for consistency or more powdered sugar to thicken up a little. The icing should be pourable yet not too runny. You want the icing to be spreadable but not as thick as a frosting would be.
- Take half of the prepared icing and pour into a separate bowl. Add in the sifted cocoa powder. Using the whisk again, mix until smooth and spreadable. If needed add more water a teaspoon at a time for powdered sugar for right consistency.
- Turn cookies flat side up. So the rounded side is facing down. Hold one cookie in your palm, Using a butter knife or an offset spatula, start with the vanilla icing. Spread a layer of icing on only half of each cookie. Lay that cookie down and go on to the next. When finished with the vanilla icing, start spreading the chocolate over the other half of each cookie. Let it set up completely. Once the cookies are completely dried and set, you can wrap them in plastic wrap like they do in the diners and bagel shops. Best stored in a sealed glass container up to three days on the counter. Can be refrigerated up to five days or frozen up to a month.
Enjoy the deliciousness!
Print full recipe with amounts below in recipe box
New York Black and White Cookies
Here is an iconic cookie that is beyond delicious with it's giant size and soft and cake like consistency. Take a bite and you will have a great cookie experience. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp fine sea or kosher salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large room temperature lightly beaten egg
- 1/3 cup sour cream, regular. lower fat or fat free will not work for this recipe
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp real lemon extract, this is optional
- 10 tbsp softened unsalted butter
Icing
- 3 cups sifted powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp cold water
- 2 tbsp light corn syrup
- 4 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, I used Dutch process, you can use half regular and half Dutch in that combo too
- 1/8 tsp fine sea or kosher salt
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two rimmed cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpat baking mat. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Set aside. Using a hand held mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the sugar and softened butter until light and fluffy. This will take about 2 to 3 minutes. Add in the beaten egg, sour cream, vanilla extract, lemon extract if using. Beat until combined. Stop and scrape down sides of bowl if needed. Gradually add in the flour mixture. Using a large serving spoon is how I find to be the easiest way. Mix about 1 minutes. Stop scrape down the sides of bowl and beat again until completely combined. Another 20 seconds. Stop and continue to combine by hand with a rubber spatula. Batter will be very thick. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, lightly mist the cup with cooking or baking spray. Scoop and gently drop batter onto baking sheet. 5 to 6 mounds at a time. Make sure they are spaced. If you can get all 6 on the sheet that would be best. Bake between 15 and 18 minutes or until edges of each cookie are lightly browned. The cookies will stay light with just a hint of color. The tops should spring back lightly when gently touched. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for about 5 minutes. Then, slide the parchment paper onto the cooling rack for the cookies to cool completely.
Icing
-
In a medium mixing bowl, stir together all icing ingredients except the cocoa powder. I used a small whisk to get out any lumps and to make a smooth and shiny glaze. If needed add a teaspoon of water for consistency or more powdered sugar to thicken up a little. The icing should be pourable yet not too runny. You want the icing to be spreadable but not as thick as a frosting would be. Take half of the prepared icing and pour into a separate bowl. Add in the sifted cocoa powder. Using the whisk again, mix until smooth and spreadable. If needed add more water a teaspoon at a time for powdered sugar for right consistency. Turn cookies flat side up. So the rounded side is facing down. Hold one cookie in your palm, Using a butter knife or an offset spatula, start with the vanilla icing. Spread a layer of icing on only half of each cookie. Lay that cookie down and go on to the next. When finished with the vanilla icing, start spreading the chocolate over the other half of each cookie. Let set up completely. Once the cookies are completely dried and set, you can wrap them in plastic wrap like they do in the diners and bagel shops. Best stored in a sealed glass container up to 3 days on the counter. Can be refrigerated up to 5 days or frozen up to a month.
CUTTING CALORIES? YOU CAN STILL ENJOY A DELICIOUS BLACK AND WHITE COOKIE. CHECK OUT THE LOW FAT COOKIE RECIPE BELOW. YOU CAN SWAP RECIPES ONCE IN A WHILE
Ingredients for this Low Fat Cookie Recipe:
Nutrition: per cookie – calories 269, fat 4.9, fiber 1.1, protein 3.1
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 2/3 cup applesauce (I use baby applesauce)
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon softened unsalted butter
- 1 large egg white
- 1 large egg
Icing:
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar, for vanilla
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar, for chocolate
- 1/4 tsp almond extract, for vanilla
- 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 for each icing
- 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 tbsp skim or 1% milk
Directions for this black and white low fat cookie recipe:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees, Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (You must use parchment paper)
- In a medium to large bowl whisk the flour, baking powder and salt.
- In a large bowl cream the softened butter and sugar. Add the applesauce, vanilla and lemon juice. The batter will look like it is curdling but don’t worry it will be fine when you add the flour mixture.
- Add the eggs and using the electric mixer, beat for one minute.
- Stir in the flour mixture and beat with the mixture for two minutes until the batter looks nice and smooth. Let the batter sit for about five minutes.
- Drop batter by about two heaping tablespoons each. With clean hands, smooth with index fingers to make nice round circles. You need to work in small batches. Four to five to a cookie sheet. (Remember, this batter makes 10 large cookies).
- Bake for 10 minutes until set but not browned. The bottoms will look nice and light brown but the tops will not.
- Let cool on a cookie sheet for just a few minutes and then move over to wire cooking rack.
Time to make the icings…. Have two small bowls ready.
- Each bowl gets 3/4 cup powdered sugar.
- Add one tablespoon milk to the vanilla frosting along with the vanilla and almond extracts. Whisk until nice and smooth.
- Set aside until the chocolate is ready.
- In the other bowl add the cocoa whisk in the milk and vanilla until nice and smooth.
- Use a small butter knife or a small spatula and start with the vanilla icing. Spread over half the cookie. Do this over the bowl to catch the drips.
- Spread chocolate icing on the other half of the cookie. Remember over the bowl.
- Place on the cooling rack or on a flat surface until the icing sets.
- Now go and ENJOY this wonderful light as air giant low fat cookie!
Other great recipes to try…
Black Bean Pumpkin Seed Quick Salad
Best New York Cheesecake Lower Fat and Calories Too
Easy Black and White Poke Cake
Shortcut Apple Carrot Bundt Cake with Marshmallow Cream Cheese Frosting
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Hi Madeline! I would love to hear what you think after you make them. It’s an easy recipe and sooo delish! I grew up with black and white cookies and this was an important recipe for me to come up with for all the people who love them too. Thanks for writing and Happy Holidays! Smiles, Pam
These look delicious!!!….I MUST try this recipe!!!