NYC Black and White Cookies

Thank goodness for vegans! Not only are they animal friendly, keeping their bodies healthy and saving the planet, but they are also creating superb cookie recipes for our egg-and-dairy-allergic kids.



From Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero.


1 cup soy milk
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 cup canola oil
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract or 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon jzest
1/4 teaspoon orange extract or 1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt

For the icing:
3 1/2 to 4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup boiling water (plus several additional tablespoons)
1 to 2 drops vanilla or almond extract
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the soy milk and lemon juice; allow the mixture to sit 1 minute to curdle. Add the oil, sugar, vanilla, and lemon and orange extracts or zests and whisk until well blended.
3. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Form a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the soy milk mixture. Stir to combine, taking care to moisten the flour at the bottom of the bowl. Stir until almost all of the lumps have dissolved and a thick batter forms.
4. With an ice-cream scoop or 1/4 cup measuring cup (you can use a 1/3 cup measuring cup for big, bakery-size cookies), scoop the batter onto the baking sheets, leaving 3 inches of space between cookies. These cookies will spread so leave adequate room between them. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, till a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the cookies from the oven, allow them to cool for 2 minutes, then carefully remove them from the parchment paper. Flip the cookies upside down and place them on wire racks to complete cooling.
5. When all the cookies are done baking, prepare the white icing. Scoop the powdered sugar into a large metal bowl. Add 1/4 cup boiling water and stir vigorously with a wire whisk. Add a drop of vanilla or almond extract if desired. If necessary, dribble in additional hot water by the tablespoon till a glossy, thin-but-spreadable icing forms. If it's too runny whisk in a little bit of extra powdered sugar.
6. Dust any crumbs off the flat bottoms of the cookies. With a frosting spatula, scoop some icing onto the flat side (the former bottom) of each cookie and spread an even, not-too-thick but opaque layer of frosting to the edges. Use the edge of the spatula to scrape away any extra icing dripping off the sides. Return cookies to cooling racks to allow the iced tops of the cookies to dry enough so surface feels set and not sticky. You will have some extra icing remaining (about 1/2 cup) that you'll be using to make the chocolate icing.
7. While the white icing is drying, prepare the chocolate icing. In a double boiler or microwave, melt the chocolate chips until smooth. Add the melted chocolate to the leftover white icing and use a wire whisk to blend until thick, smooth, and glossy. It should be slightly thicker than the white icing. If the chocolate icing is too thick or grainy, stir in very hot water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the desired consistency is reached. With the frosting spatula, ice one-half of each cookie over the vanilla icing. Feel free to layer it on thickly just because it's chocolate icing. Return the cookies to the wire racks to set the frosted tops until they feel dry to the touch.
8. NYC Black and White Cookies are best eaten the day they are made. If that's not possible, store them in a tightly covered container in a cool place.

These were a huge hit with the kids and adults alike.