Black and white cookies | NY-style dense cake with crispy icing

***RECIPE, MAKES 6-8 BIG COOKIES***

For the cookies:

1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
1.5 sticks (170g) softened butter
1/2 cup (120g) sour cream
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt (if you're using unsalted butter)
2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour

For the frosting:

6 cups (720g) powdered sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup (more if you want the icing gooey rather than crisp)
3-4 (21-28g) tablespoons cocoa powder (I think dutched works better)
milk (just enough to dissolve everything, which isn't much)
blue food coloring (optional to darken the chocolate color)

Combine the granulated sugar and softened butter in a mixing bowl and whip until very fluffy — this should take a few minutes, even with an electric beater. Whip in the sour cream until fluffy, followed by the eggs and the vanilla and almond extracts. Mix in the flour gradually, along with the baking soda, baking powder and salt (if you used unsalted butter). If you want firmer cookies, you could increase the flour a bit.

Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper and deposit the batter in dollops, being sure to leave lots of room for each to spread — I used a half-cup measure for each dollop and got seven large cookies. Using clean, wet hands, smudge the batter of each dollop around to get a reasonably smooth, even shape.

Bake 350ºF/180ºC convection (375ºF/190ºC conventional) until just baked through but still pale on top, about 20 minutes. You could use the toothpick trick to assess doneness, or pat them to see if they still feel squishy in the center (they shouldn't).

Let the cookies cool and solidify before peeling them off the paper and flipping them around — the flat bottoms become the tops that you ice.

Put the powdered sugar in a mixing bowl along with the corn syrup and stir in just enough milk to get you a very thick (yet still spreadable) glaze — it will only take a glug. If you make it too loose, you can always stir in more sugar. If there are lumps, just let the mixture sit for a few minutes before stirring it again.

Ice the white halves of the cookies (watch the video for some technique suggestions) and let those firm up for about an hour before you put on the chocolate icing.

To convert the remaining icing into chocolate, stir in the cocoa powder (add enough until you like the taste), and enough additional milk to get you a thick yet spreadable texture. You might also consider adding a bit more corn syrup to make the chocolate icing gooier than the white icing. If you want the color to be darker (or even black), stir in blue food coloring a few drops at a time, keeping in mind the color will be darker when it dries.

Ice the chocolate sides of the cookies and let them dry overnight; I think they taste even better when two days old.

[Dommas]

funny anecdote: in Germany we call these cookies "Amerikaner" wich simply translates to 'American'

[OmicronGaming]

My mom used to make these for me when I was a kid…I haven’t had one since in five years, but this video shook my memory! So thank you, Adam.

[looserdev]

"Hey did you know that clouds of flour are highly combustible? It's true look it up" this is why I love your channel.

[Silverpicker]

I cannot believe I never realized that these were just cakes 😂. These were my absolute favorite "cookies" growing up and it was such a treat getting these from my local bakery or bagel shop. So enjoyed this video :)

[MisterNoble]

Jerry:
You see, Elaine, the key to eating a black and white cookie is that you wanna get some black and some white in each bite. Nothing mixes better than vanilla and chocolate. And yet still somehow racial harmony eludes us. If people would only look to the cookie, all our problems would be solved.

[quizzically]

I'm very grateful to this guy for always having captions on his videos. As someone with issues with audio processing it helps me a lot. I think all video creators who write scripts should feel morally obligated- if not want to- just take the minute to convert those into captions for their vids. I only have minimal issues and I can manage without but having captions opens up your creations to a far wider audience that includes those that are deaf/HOH, don't have english as a first language and find it easier to read, etc. Thank you!

[mickedymackedymarkedy]

Replace the icing with buttercream frosting and ganache and you'll have Half Moons! A Central New York staple.

[gemmeldrakes]

Someone has probably said this before....but you can add almond extract to the white icing to give it a flavour beyond just tasting like "sugar". It is colourless, so the icing will remain white.
Also McCormick's makes a colourless vanilla extract. That will also work. I use it when I want things to have that special commercial bakery/packaged baked goods taste most of us have gotten used to from buying cakes and cookies.

[aceface]

In Upstate NY we have a version of this called Half Moon cookies with more of a buttecream white frosting, and usually a fluffier chocolate cake cookie. I'm not used to Adam's version but I'll give it a try.

[Goliiith]

Hi Adam. I just wanted to say you’ve inspired me to get into cooking. I wasn’t incompetent before but now I try new things and I can make a few recipes that I think are better than restaurants. Thanks for keeping your videos informative and I hope you and your family have a great day!

[SlamBolts]

Lauren's reaction is the most relatable ever

[datacentre]

Look to the cookie Elaine! Look to the cookie...

[Dodecahedonist]

Whenever you taste raw dough, you mention the raw eggs being a health risk that you're taking, but the raw flour is just as much if not more of a health risk as the eggs. See the FDA guidance on flour as a raw product that may have been exposed to Salmonella or E.Coli.

[masansr]

"I would not bother doing this without a power tool of some kind"
Ok, where's my jackhammer?

[aaronbailey]

Just made these and they were excellent. My wife said they were the best dessert I’ve ever made. That’s saying a lot since I cook quite often.

[tomgio]

“I’ll give it a taste, the raw eggs being a minor health risk, you do you.” Best badass yet responsible comment/directive from a recipe giver I’ve heard in quite some time. Respect.

[rkinder]

This is hilarious. Being from Canada I've never heard of black-and-white cookies until about a week ago when I was watching Seinfeld reruns from over 20 years ago and they talk about black and white cookies. Bizarre.🤣

[DGrayson]

Being from LI I remember about half of the bakeries having a layer of white icing under the chocolate side.

[VileVisionshaunt]

Clouds of any powders are highly combustible. I remember asking my father about that way back when Are You Afraid of the Dark was airing and they throw the sawdust on the fire and it flares up. While that could have just as easily been a special effect, throwing saw dust on a fire would yield that flare. It’s crazy that noncombustible materials can act like they are if the elements are right.

[Ratsfrom]

Almond extract is an underrated spice in baking. It elevates and creates more complex flavors just by adding a little bit. Pro-tip to the reader: add a 1/4tsp to your next banana bread loaf!