Black and White Cookies: The Perfect New York Cookie Recipe

These Black and White Cookies are amazing and easy to make. This yummy dessert is perfect for anything.

Okay you guys, can we talk about Black and White Cookies for a second?! These iconic black and white half-moon cookies are literally one of the best sweets of all time — a quintessential New York treat that I am completely and totally obsessed with. If you’ve never made a white cookie recipe at home before, buckle up, because this is your sign. 🖤🤍 The buttery flavor of the cakey cookie base, that dreamy soft frosting, the perfect marriage of vanilla and chocolate flavor all on one fluffy cookie… be still my heart. I literally can’t even.

What Are Black and White Cookies?

Half-moon cookies — also called half chocolate, half vanilla cookies — are cake-like cookies with the most satisfying texture you’ll ever encounter in cookie form. We’re talking a cakey texture that’s closer to a slice of cake than a traditional sugar cookie. Think tender crumb, moist interior, that gorgeous flat side just waiting to be glazed. They are a New York staple found everywhere from New York delis to Times Square bakeries, and honestly they deserve way more hype outside the Big Apple. Food writer Molly O’Neill even featured them in the New York Times, and Melissa Clark has sung their praises too — so you KNOW they’re legit. These cakey cookies reportedly date all the way back to the early 1900s, showing up in history books connected to Glaser’s Bake Shop and beloved in upstate New York and beyond. American soldiers apparently carried them as a taste of home — how sweet is that?! 🥹 If you love the black and white aesthetic, you’ll also flip for my Black and White Donuts and the insanely good Black and White Cookie Gooey Pie!

Tips for the Perfect Black and White Cookie Dough

The only thing standing between you and New York City cookie glory is a little know-how! Here’s what I’ve learned. First, make sure your butter is at room temperature — this is SO important for getting that light, fluffy cookie base. Use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or a hand mixer!) and beat the butter and sugar together at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl and the bottom of the bowl as you go. Add your egg, then alternate adding the sifted flour mixture and your homemade buttermilk at low speed, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. The cookie dough will be a very thick batter — that’s exactly right! Don’t panic. Use a cookie scoop or large spoon to drop rounds onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets (aka prepared cookie sheets or sheet pans) about two inches apart. These spread into gorgeous, round, fluffy cookie domes. The only common element between all great versions? Real all-purpose flour, real baking powder, and patience. 😄 For another insanely cakey baked good obsession, check out my Best EVER Baked Donuts — same dreamy soft vibe!

Ingredients

Cookies: 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (purpose flour, sifted) | 1/2 teaspoon baking powder | 1/2 teaspoon baking soda | 1/2 teaspoon salt | 1/3 cup homemade buttermilk | 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract | 1/3 cup butter, softened to room temperature | 1/2 cup sugar | 1 egg | lemon zest, optional for lemon flavor

Frostings: 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar) | 1 tablespoon light corn syrup | 2 teaspoons lemon juice | 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract | 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract or almond extract | 1–2 tablespoons of milk (or water) | 1/4 cup cocoa powder

Directions for the Glaze — Half Vanilla, Half Chocolate

Okay so THIS is where the magic happens, you guys! Preheat your oven to 350°F. Mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside — those are your dry ingredients. Combine your buttermilk and vanilla in a measuring cup. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar at medium speed with your paddle attachment or hand mixer, then add the egg and beat until combined. Alternately add the flour and buttermilk mixtures at low speed, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed, beginning and ending with flour. Drop 1/4 cup scoops of the very thick batter onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake about 15 minutes until puffed and lightly golden. Cool completely on a wire rack before you even THINK about frosting. 🙌

For the glaze: in a medium bowl, whisk together confectioners’ sugar, light corn syrup, lemon juice, lemon extract, vanilla extract, and 1 tablespoon of milk until silky smooth — that’s your vanilla glaze, aka the white icing portion. Spoon half into a second bowl and whisk in cocoa powder, adding tablespoons of milk slowly to match the consistency of the vanilla frosting. You want that soft frosting spreadable but not drippy! Now flip each cookie flat side up. Using an offset spatula or butter knife, spread white icing over half of the cookie in one clean straight line down the middle, then spread the chocolate glaze (hello, chocolate icing!) over the other half of the cookie. That perfect balance of white look on one side and rich chocolate flavor on the other is exactly what makes these iconic black half-moon cookies so irresistible. The vanilla cookie side is bright and sweet; the chocolate side is deep and fudgy. It’s a perfect marriage, honestly. For more chocolate glaze inspo, my Best Chocolate Glaze Ever is a total game changer! And if you want to try a seasonal twist, my NYC-style Pumpkin Black and White Cookies are absolutely ah-mazing in the fall. 🎃

Storing Your Black and White Cookies

Store your finished cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days — if they last that long, which in my house they absolutely do NOT. 😂 Stack them carefully with parchment paper between layers so the soft frosting doesn’t smudge. These make the most dreamy gift, party treat, or “I-survived-the-week” reward. (Weight Watchers, look away. 👀) They’re truly one of the New York classics and among the best sweets of all time, and making them at home for the first time is such a fun project. The floury cakes texture, the buttery flavor of the cakey cookie base, that gorgeous iconic black and white split — I have to make this every single time I get a craving for something special. So go make a batch, share them with everyone you love, and enjoy every single gooey, dreamy, cakey bite! 🖤🤍

Try More Of My Recipes

Pumpkin Gingerbread Cupcakes

Banana Chocolate Chip Donuts With Biscoff Glaze

Pecan Pie Dip

Black and White Cookies Recipe

Yield: 12 Servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Cooling Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

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Black and White Cookies are a classic bakery-style treat featuring soft, cake-like cookies topped with both vanilla and chocolate icings. These delightful cookies are as fun to look at as they are to eat, making them a perfect dessert for any occasion.

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Ingredients

Cookies

• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg

Frostings

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 - 2 tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Mix together flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
3. Combine buttermilk and vanilla in a cup; set aside.
4. Whisk together butter and sugar in a stand mixer. Add the egg, beating until combined.
5. Alternately add the flour and buttermilk mixtures, beginning and ending with the flour.
6. Spoon 1/4 cups of batter about 2 inches apart onto a greased baking sheet. Bake until tops are puffed and lightly browned, approximately 15 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.
7. Whisk together powdered sugar, corn syrup, lemon juice, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon water until smooth. Transfer half of the icing to another bowl and whisk in cocoa powder, adding water 1/2 teaspoon at a time, to thin to the same consistency as the white icing.
8. Turn cookies flat sides up, then spread white icing over half of each cookie and chocolate icing over the other half.

Notes

Make sure cookies are completely cool before frosting to prevent the icing from melting. For a smoother icing, sift the powdered sugar before mixing. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.