Make Black and White Muffin Mix Cookies in Boxes

With the exception of subway churros and maybe cheesecake, the black and white cookie is New York’s most iconic dessert. You can find them clinging to their packaging at the corner deli or lined up proudly at the bakery. But if you don’t live in New York or don’t have access to a Jewish bakery, don’t lose hope. You can bake damn gorgeous black and white cookies at home with a store-bought box of muffin mix.

Black and White Cookies are soft, vanilla-like brownie cookies with a hint of lemon. They are usually about five or six inches in diameter and rise in the oven to form a mound rather than a flat disc. The cookies are turned over and the flat side is coated with half vanilla and half chocolate glaze. The glaze has a very specific texture, hard with a subtle ductility. There are many ways to eat one of these cookies, and they are all correct. I usually start with the vanilla side, then the chocolate side, and finally eat the middle where the frosting overlaps.

Before you think to yourself, “why not just use a box of cake mix if it’s so cupcakey?” I tried this and it sucked. Box cake mix is ​​designed to produce a tender, soft cake almost no matter what you do with it. Despite my testing, which included adding more eggs and less water, the cookies consistently deflated after coming out of the oven. Except for the rise, the texture was completely inappropriate for a black and white cookie. They should not be airy and tender, but more solid, with a dense texture. What can I say, she’s a tough cookie.

Boxed muffin mix is ​​a different story. It’s fuller, firmer, has a firmer crumb and is designed to have a ridge on top and hold its shape out of the oven. Perfect for cupcakes and, it turns out, black and white cookies. The only thing I had to change was the amount of water added to get a thicker dough.

I also had to strain the chocolate chips. In a grocery store twist, I learned that plain or vanilla muffin mix is ​​rare at my local ShopRite, but there are a ton of chocolate chip muffins. Vanilla or regular is suggested, but if you can only find chocolate chips, this will work. Just pass the dry mixture through a sieve and put the chips in a small container for a future recipe. (Although if you were making black and white chocolate chip cookies, I wouldn’t argue with you.)

I used a Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Muffin and Quick Bread Mix (14.75 oz box) and sifted the chocolate chips and added a teaspoon of lemon zest and the indicated amount of eggs and butter from the back of the box. Water measurement was my adjusting lever. I hardly needed it – about an eighth of a cup or two tablespoons. Depending on the brand and size of your boxed muffin mix, you may need to adjust the amount of water, so I recommend adding water a tablespoon at a time and checking the consistency after each addition. I knew my mixture was ready when I could drop an even “ribbon” of dough from the spoon and write the letter A without disappearing back into the mixture. If the mixture is too thick, it will be clumpy and will not form a ribbon. If it’s too thin, the letter you write will blend in with the rest of the dough. You can fix a dough that is too thick by adding a little water and trying again. (Too-battery is tricky, but you can add a quarter cup of flour and fix it so no one gets it.)

Spread the dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment into circles about three inches in diameter, leaving at least two inches between them to allow them to rise. I only made about four per baking sheet. You can resize to make 2-inch minis or big, chunky 8-inch ones, but be sure to adjust the roast time. Bake them in an oven heated to 375°F for about 10 minutes, or until the tops are lightly browned and the center is firm when lightly pressed.

Let the cookies cool on a wire rack, flat side down. Once it cools down, it’s ice time. You can use the classic black and white cookie icing, as shown below, or just use whatever chocolate and vanilla icing you have on hand. This will be a hit if you use canned icing, white and dark chocolate ganache, or (somewhat indestructible) royal icing.

The classic black and white cookie icing is very close to plain icing sugar (powdered sugar, extract and some liquid) with light corn syrup added. Corn syrup adds the softness and suppleness I mentioned earlier. Frosting made without corn syrup will still taste great, but will have a drier, crunchier texture.

To make ice, flip cookies flat side up. Instead of making one bowl with vanilla frosting and one with chocolate, simplify the process and get one bowl dirty. First mix the bowl with the vanilla frosting, coat the whole cookie with the vanilla half, and then add the cocoa powder to the vanilla frosting. Continue applying the chocolate frosting to the other halves.

This recipe has enough frosting for four to five inch black and white cookies and can easily be doubled. Working with a light hand; frosting should be thin. The accumulation of icing will only lead to the fact that it will spread on the sides. (I used a spatula to spread the frosting.) It’s best to let the frosting dry for a couple of hours, but you can eat it whenever you want. Who will stop you? Not me. Store leftovers in an airtight container, in a single layer, side by side. Folding them will only ruin the bottom.

Black and White Muffin Mix Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 box plain muffin mix (strain if using chocolate chip mix)
• Eggs and fat according to the instructions on the box
• 2 tablespoons water (or adjust if using a box larger than 14.75 oz)
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Preheat oven to 375°F. Baking line with parchment paper.

Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl. If necessary, adjust the water to pass the “tape” test as described above.

Place the dough on a baking sheet and form circles with the back of a spoon. Leave at least two inches between cookies. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned and firm to the touch. Cool completely before frosting.

Black and white cookie icing

Ingredients:

For the vanilla frosting base:

• 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 1 ½ tablespoons water
• ½ tablespoon light corn syrup
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

For chocolate icing add:

• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• ½ tablespoon water

Start with vanilla frosting. Whisk these four ingredients in a bowl. The consistency should be thick, but spreadable and not very runny. Lightly coat one semi-circular side of the cookie.

To remaining vanilla frosting, add cocoa powder and ½ tablespoon water. This will turn it into chocolate icing. The consistency should be the same as vanilla. Brush the remaining halves of the cookies with this chocolate icing. Let dry.