To coordinate with all the lovely black and white fabrics we have in-store, we thought we'd share our Black & White Cookie recipe!

These are large, cake-like cookies iced with a poured fondant-like frosting: Half black, half white. They were a staple of our youth and what we looked forward to every Sunday morning when our father came home from the bakery.

Jerry Seinfeld called them the perfect cookie. We just think they're yummy.

Hope you Enjoy,

The Fabric Garden

COOKIES
1 ¼  cups all-purpose flour (may need to add up to 1/4 cup additional)
1 ¼  cups cake flour (I use Softasilk)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup buttermilk (room temperature)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon extract
2 sticks margarine or unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs

 ICING
5 ½ cups confectioners sugar
5 tablespoons light corn syrup
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. lemon extract
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon salt
8 to 12 tablespoons boiling water
½  cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

Make cookies:

• Make sure the following have been set out to get to about room temperature:  Eggs, milk, butter or margarine.
  
  
• Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.   Line 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  
  
• Stir  together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl.   Stir together buttermilk, vanilla and lemon extract in a cup.
  
  
• Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high until light  and fluffy, about 3 minutes.   Then add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined well after each addition. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing just until smooth.   Do not overmix; hand mix the final addition of flour.  The batter should be thicker than cake batter – enough to hold it’s own once scooped.  If it appears too not be firm enough, hand-stir in up to 1/4 Cup additonal all-purpose flour.
  
  
• Measure batter  using either a large scoop (like a Pampered Chef  scoop, size large) or ¼ Cup measuring cup of batter, several inches apart onto baking sheets.    Leave plenty of room between them, you will only fit 4-5 on each sheet.     Bake, switching positions of sheets halfway through baking, until tops are puffed, edges are pale golden, and cookies spring back when touched, about 10-13 minutes total.  If you have the patience, it really is better to just bake one tray at a time on the center rack.  Transfer to a rack to cool.

Make Icing while the cookies are cooling:

Note:
The icings should be thin enough that they will not “drag” the cookie when icing… and thick enough to coat.  Adjust consistency if needed using water if you need to thin, or confectioner’s sugar to thicken.

• Put a small pot of about 2 Cups water on the stove and bring to boil.  (you will not be using all of this)
  
  
• Stir together confectioners sugar, corn syrup, lemon juice, vanilla, salt, and 4 tablespoons water in a small bowl until smooth. If icing is not easily spreadable, add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time.   The icing should be able to drizzle thickly off a spoon when lifted, yet be thick enough to coat. Beat very well by hand until absolutely smooth, for about 2-3 minutes.
  
  
• Transfer half of icing to another bowl and stir in cocoa, adding more water, 1 teaspoon at
  a time, to thin to same consistency as vanilla icing.   Again, beat very well by hand, adding additional hot water as needed to reach a thick, drizzly consistency.
  
  
• Cover surface with a dampened paper towel, then cover bowl with plastic wrap.
  
  

Ice cookies:

• Put parchment paper or tin foil under the racks to catch the drips.    With offset spatula or back of a large spoon, spread white icing over half of flat side of each cookie.  Then go back and spread chocolate icing over the other half, starting with the first one you iced with white.  
• If the icing firms up in the bowl while you're working, just add 1/2 - 1 tsp of hot water and remix until smooth.
• Let dry for a couple of hours.  If you leave out overnight uncovered, the glaze will “crisp”, which is not a bad thing.  

Makes 12-15 large cookies.

Enjoy!

copyright 2008, fabric garden / cm