NYC Black-and-White Cookies: Cake or Cookie?

September 3, 2025 • by The Cookie Team


Recipe At A Glance

  • Origin: New York City deli classic
  • Yield: 12 large cookies
  • Total Time: PT1H15M
  • Difficulty: Medium
  • Rating: 4.5/5

Half vanilla, half chocolate, all nostalgia. We ice the flat bottoms for that deli-case gloss you remember.

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🍪 NYC Black-and-White Cookies: Cake or Cookie? — Full Recipe

Recipe At a Glance

  • Origin: New York City deli classic
  • Yield: 12 large cookies
  • Total Time: PT1H15M
  • Difficulty: Medium
  • Rating: 4.5

Ingredients

  • COOKIE:
  • 113 g butter, soft (1/2 cup)
  • 150 g sugar (3/4 cup)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 240 g all-purpose flour (2 cups)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 180 ml buttermilk (3/4 cup)
  • ICING:
  • 240 g powdered sugar (2 cups)
  • 2–3 tbsp milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 20 g Dutch cocoa (3 tbsp) for chocolate half

Method

  1. Cream butter & sugar; add egg, vanilla.
  2. Whisk dries; alternate with buttermilk.
  3. Scoop 1/4 cup rounds; bake 350°F / 177°C for 12–14 min (domed).
  4. Icing: mix sugar, milk, vanilla to spreadable; divide and cocoa for half.
  5. Ice flat bottoms half white/half chocolate.

Tips

Let icing set fully before stacking; cookies are cake-like.

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