Black and white cookies are a classic cult favorite in New York City. I’ve never seen them anywhere else, and I’ve never walked into a NYC deli without them. I was going to a dinner party last weekend at the apartment of a true born and bred New Yorker, so I attempted to make my own, using this recipe. I tried to make them slightly healthier by alternating agave nectar for corn syrup, and using whole wheat pastry flour instead of regular. Next time, I will definitely stick to the white flour but the agave tasted great!

Makes about 40 medium-sized cookies.

Ingredients:
-1 3/4 cups organic cane sugar
-1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature
-4 large eggs
-1 1/2 cups almond milk (or regular if you aren’t dairy-free)
-1/2 tspn pure vanilla extract
-1/4 tspn lemon extract
-2 1/2 cups pastry flour
-2 1/2 cups organic unbleached all-purpose flour
-1/2 tspn baking powder
-1/2 tspn salt
-4 cups confectioners’ sugar
-1/3 to 1/2 cup water
-3 oz unsweetened chocolate
-1 tspn agave nectar
-1 tblspn unsweetened cocoa (optional)

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 375 degrees
-Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper
-In large mixing bowl, combine sugar and butter
-Mix until fluffy then add eggs, milk and vanilla and lemon extracts, and mix until smooth
-In another bowl, combine both flours, baking powder and salt. Stir until mixed
-Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in batches, stirring after each addition
-Using a big spoon, place heaping spoonfuls of the dough 2 inches apart on the baking sheets
-Bake until edges begin to brown, 18 to 20 minutes and cool completely

For Frosting:
-Boil a cup of water in a small pot
-Place confectioners’ sugar in large, heat-safe mixing bowl
-Gradually stir in enough boiling water to the sugar to make a thick, spreadable mixture. Leave remaing boiling water on the stove.
-Spread frosting on half of the flat side of each cookie. Once all cookie halves have been frosted, place the bowl of the remaining frosting over the hot water and bring it back to a simmer.
-Stir in the unsweetened chocolate until melted, along with the agave nectar.
-Add a tblspn of cocoa powder to darken up the color.
-Ice the remaining half of the cookies with the chocolate frosting.
-Let the frosting set
-Enjoy!