Look to the Cookie

This is the second type of cookie I made for my Christmas in September party. People thought they were really excellent, as black and white cookies go. The recipe I used came from Desserts by the Yard by Karen Yard. The only change I made was to make more frosting, because I didn’t think the recipe provided enough. I used the entire recipe to make the white side of the cookies, and then made it half again of the frosting for the chocolate part, which provided enough. I also had to add way more water than the recipe called more to make the frosting even remotely spreadable. I applied it with a butter-knife rather than a brush, because I found that to be a lot easier.

Black and White Cookies

Cookbook says the recipe makes 42 small  cookies, I found it made 32

1 cup cake flour 

1 cup all purpose flour 

1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 sticks butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk

for the icing
2 1/2 C plus 1 tsp confectioner’s sugar
1 tbsp light corn syrup, plus more as needed
2 tbsp hot water, plus more as needed
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (Not dutch process)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sift together the flours and the baking powder, set aside.

2. Cream the butter and sugar at medium speed until fluffy, about two minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and mix at medium speed until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and paddle.

3. Begin adding the flour mixture and the buttermilk, alternating additions, doing it two or three times.

4. Put tablespoons of the dough on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. Put the cookies in the oven one sheet at a time. Bake for 8 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for another 4 to 6 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are golden. Let cool completely before frosting.

5. While the cookies are baking, make the icing. Whisk together the confectioner’s sugar, the corn syrup, the water and the vanilla.

6. In a microwave safe bowl melt the chocolate by heating it for 45 seconds at half power.  Whisk in the cocoa powder. Add half of the frosting to the chocolate mixture. You may need to add more water (up to 2 T) and more corn syrup (up to 1 tsp) to make the frosting smooth.

7. Using a brush or offset spatula, frost the cookies. I did all of the one color, then all the other. If the chocolate frosting sets too much for it to be spreadable, microwave it briefly or add  a very little hot water.