The Ultimate Jewish American Comfort Food

Enjoy a delicious free recipe from The Jewish Cook Book by Leah Koenig courtesy of Phaidon.

BLACK AND WHITE COOKIES
Adapted from THE JEWISH COOKBOOK

Preparation time: 25 minutes, plus cooling
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Makes: about 2 dozen cookies

Black and white cookies—the cake-textured rounds frosted with white icing on one half and black on the other—were a staple in the New York City Jewish bakery case in the mid-twentieth century. They can still be found in bakeshops today, though many of the commercial options tend to be almost comically large. This version is petite and gently sweet—perfect for dipping into a cup of coffee or tea.

INGREDIENTS

For the cookies:

• 1½ cups (210 g) all-purpose (plain) flour, sifted
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ⅔ cup (130 g) sugar
• 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
• ⅓ cup (75 ml/2 ½ fl oz) milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon lemon extract

For the icing:

• 2½ cups (270 g) powdered (icing) sugar, sifted
• 3 tablespoons milk, plus more as needed
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon lemon extract
• 2 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon instant coffee granules

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C/Gas Mark 4). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Make the cookies: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a stand mixer (or using a handheld electric mixer and a large bowl), beat together the butter and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the whole egg, egg yolk, milk, vanilla, and lemon extract and beat until combined. Don’t worry if the batter appears lumpy or curdled at this stage—it will smooth out. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in stages, beating briefly on low after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, to form a soft batter.

Place rounded tablespoons of dough, spaced 2 inches (5 cm) apart, on the prepared baking sheets. Bake, rotating the pans front to back halfway through, until lightly golden around the edges but still pale on top, 12– 15 minutes. Carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the icing: In a medium bowl, stir together the powdered (icing) sugar, milk, vanilla, and lemon extract. Stir until a thick icing forms. The mixture should be easily spreadable, but not loose or liquid. If necessary, stir in additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the desired consistency is reached.

Transfer about half of the icing to a separate bowl. Add the cocoa powder and coffee granules and stir to combine. If necessary, add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the same thick, spreadable icing consistency is reached.

Once the cookies are fully cool, set the wire racks over a piece of parchment paper. Using a butter knife or small offset spatula, carefully glaze one half of the flat (bottom) side of each cookie with the white icing. Repeat on the other half with the black icing. Depending on how thickly the cookies are glazed, there may be some icing left. Set the glazed cookies back on the racks to set for a few minutes before serving.