Black and White Cookies

I'm SO glad I decided to try this recipe!  I've seen these made...mostly on t.v. featured at bakeries in New York.  They have always looked amazing, but kind of a task with 2 icings to make.  But I was in the mood the other day for a nice BIG cookie and so I stumbled upon this recipe from King Arthur Flour.  It gave a nice little description of these cookies and where they originated...New York City!  Apparently they are very common to find in the deli's around NYC.  Well, these big and beautiful cookies have definitely become one of our new favorites, with the white icing having a slight lead over the chocolate...

Black and White Cookies {adapted recipe from King Arthur Flour}

INGREDIENTS FOR COOKIES: {Makes 2 dozen large cookies}

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. grated lemon rind
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 4 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour {I did use King Arthur brand}
• 1 Cup milk {regular or low-fat; NOT non-fat}
• *If you use salted butter, reduce the salt in the recipe to 1 tsp.

VANILLA ICING:

• 3 1/3 cups confectioners sugar
• 3 Tbsp. light corn syrup  
• 3 Tbsp. hot water
• 1/2 tsp. Vanilla exract {I used the clear vanilla extract, which keeps the icing white; Wilton's brand}

CHOCOLATE ICING:

• 2 2/3 Cups confectioners sugar
• 3 Tbsp. light corn syrup
• 1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup hot water {increase hot water by tablespoons if icing becomes too thick}
• 3/4 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips, melted

DIRECTIONS:

  1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  

  2.  To make the cookies:  Beat together the butter, sugar, salt, baking powder, lemon, and vanilla till well combined.

  3.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

  4.  Stir in the flour alternately wit the milk, beginning and ending with the flour.  Do this gently; do not beat.

  5.  Using a muffin scoop or a 1/4-cup measure, drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets.  **The dough will be sticky, so you'll probably have to use a spoon to help get the dough out of the scoop.  With wet fingers, flatten/spread the dough to a 3"-diameter circle.  Leave 2 inches between each cookie; they'll spread.

  6.  Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, until they're set, and are very light golden brown around the edges.  If there's no sign of brown, that's OK!  Cookies baked for 10 minutes will be very moist.  Cookies baked for 12 minutes will be drier, and more "authentic".  

  7.  Remove the cookies from the oven, and cool them right on the pan.  As they cool, prepare the icing.  

  8.  To make the vanilla icing:  Whisk together the confectioners sugar, corn syrup, and hot water.  For a nice vanilla flavor, add the vanilla; if you're not using "clear vanilla extract", you may want to omit the vanilla to make the whitest icing.

  9.  Spread the icing over half of each cookie.  Place them on a rack to set while you make the chocolate icing.  

  10.  To make the chocolate icing:  Combine the confectioners sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, hot water, stirring until smooth.  

  11.  In the microwave, or in a pan set over very low heat, melt the chocolate.  If you're melting in the microwave; heat for 1 minute, stir, then heat additional 20 seconds, stir, and repeat as necessary.  

  12.  Add the melted chocolate into the sugar mixture, stirring till well combined.  **If you need to adjust the icing to be more spreadable, add 1 Tbsp. of hot water at a time to reach the desired consistency.  Just be careful not to make the icing too runny!

  13.  Spread the icing on the uncovered half of each cookie.  You'll have a generous amount of icing, so don't be afraid to pile it on.  

  14.  Set the cookies back on the rack, and allow them to rest for about 30 minutes, till the icing is set.  THIS IS THE HARDEST PART...WAITING!

  15.  For best storage, wrap each cookie individually, in plastic wrap, and store at room temp.