Black and White Cookie with Lemon Zest

Black and White Cookies

With Lemon Zest

 I have been making black and white cookies for years duplicating the taste just the way I remembered from the local bakeries in Queens, New York.  They are moist and delicious and flavored with vanilla, with an ample amount of vanilla and chocolate icing to please myself whatever mood I am in.

 I am confident about my black and white cookie recipe since I large following who love this recipe, yet my fans and friends remind me that there are many black and white cookie lovers whose local bakeries added a touch of lemon. 

These loyal lemon lovers have been after me for years to add a taste of their childhood to my recipe.  Devoting the New Year to new goals and new tastes I have finally relented and have come to find out just the right taste of touch of citrus sparkle does also render a delicious and refreshing new taste of bling to the black and white cookie. 

The lemon flavor should come from the zest so that there are tiny bursts of the taste laced within.  Purists will agree the icing should not have lemon zest or juice if your cookie has it.  While lemon juice does make powdered sugar icing delicious in other recipes, in the Black and White it is redundant and overdoes the hint of vivacity and tartness a touch of lemon allows to contrast the sweet icing.

Serving these cookies on a black and white plate always makes it more fun.  Plating desserts and food is so important so that it help people taste with their eyes.

White I will always remain true to my own local bakery roots, here is the Black and White Cookies with Lemon recipe for the asking.

Remember to Always Stay in Touch with Your Inner Goddess!

Black and White Cookie Ingredients

2/3 cup Whole Milk

2 teaspoons White Vinegar

2 ½ cups All Purpose Flour

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Salt

11 tablespoon Unsalted Butter at room temperature

1 ¼ cups Granulated Sugar

1 ½ teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest (no pith)

2 Large Eggs at room temperature (lightly whisked)

Makes twenty-four medium size cookies, using a 2-tablespoon scoop

Icing Ingredients

9 cups Powdered Sugar

¾ teaspoon Salt

3 tablespoons Light Corn Syrup for vanilla side plus 2 -3 tablespoons extra for chocolate side

2 ¼ teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract

2/3 - ¾ cup Whole Milk, plus 2 - 4 tablespoons for chocolate side.

1 cup Unsweetened Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder sifted

Black and White Cookie Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line baking sheets with parchment.

Using whole milk, make your own buttermilk by adding 2 teaspoons of white vinegar to the milk.  Let stand. (Most brands of buttermilk found in the supermarket are low fat and don’t give the same richness as whole milk buttermilk to the baked item.) 

Combine flour, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.

Beat butter until creamy. 

Add sugar, vanilla and lemon zest to butter and beat till light and fluffy.

Incorporate eggs.

Stir buttermilk.

Alternately add dry ingredients and buttermilk.

Drop onto parchment using a two-tablespoon scoop.  Test your scoop by adding water to see how much it holds.

No more than 6 cookies to a sheet because they spread.

Bake 10 minutes and remove when you see the SLIGHTEST hint of gold on the edge.  Take them out immediately.  If your oven is fast check them sooner, 10 ½ to 11 minutes would be maximum baking time for slower ovens.  The cookies are easy to make but the timing is crucial.

Remove sheets from oven and let cool completely.

Icing Instructions

Turn all cookies over on a clean sheet of parchment or baking rack so that flat side is up.

Place the Powdered Sugar, corn syrup, vanilla extract, salt and ½ to ¾ cup of milk in a large bowl.  Beat at slowest speed until it begins to incorporate. Continue beating on the lowest speed only until it is smooth.   Test icing and make sure it is spreadable but opaque and thick.  If not, slowly add more milk by the tablespoon.

Divide the icing mixture in half and reserve one half. Mixture makes 4 cups.

First THICKLY ice the white side of all the cookies with a small offset spatula.

Add the sifted cocoa to the remaining half the (batter) mixture.  Add additional 3 tablespoons of corn syrup and additional 2 (or) - 4 tablespoons of milk to chocolate mixture. Then frost all cookies with chocolate.  The chocolate side is supposed to be traditionally thicker however it must be spreadable.

Let icing dry a couple of hours before serving.