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Wednesday, August 26, 2009

it don't matter if you're black or white

along with about a hundred others, i've had smitten kitchen's recipe for black and white cookies bookmarked for quite a while. i'd tried these for the first time last year during our trip to NYC and loved them. a lot. and when i realized that we didn't have any cookies in the house, i decided it was time to give it a try.

noting that the recipe yielded 60 freaking cookies, i cut it in half. butter and sugar, creamed together:



i'd not even known that such a thing as lemon extract existed. i always figured you could use lemon juice or zest. and this shit ain't cheap - $6 for this tiny little bottle. ack.



since i'd splurged on the extract, i bypassed the cake flour and searched online for substitutes using all-purpose instead. and i found that if you take some out and replace it with cornstarch, it works just fine:



as i continued mixing up the batter, i was a little alarmed at how goopy it was.



but once i added the dry ingredients, it firmed up nicely.



i dropped big ol' dollops onto my baking sheets and stuck the pan into the oven. again, i fired up the little convection oven vs. the big one that would heat up the entire house. it took longer, because i had to do smaller batches, but it wasn't awful. and i'd rather keep the house cooler and work a little longer than, well, the opposite.



look how pretty the cookies turned out! slightly puffy, with a cake-y texture and a perfect little hint of lemon flavor.



the frosting goes on the flat side of the cookies, so i flipped them all over.



the base icing contains two ingredients: powdered sugar and water. i mixed it up quickly and frosted the first half:



then, per the instructions, i added a little corn syrup and a bar and a half of unsweetened chocolate. as it melted, i was a little worried about the grainy consistency.



but all i had to do was add a little more hot water, give it a stir, and that gave it a lovely, smooth, glossy finish.



look at this pretty cookie!



and i gotta say, they taste as wonderful as they look. i'm sort of glad i cut the recipe in half, and sort of not - they're so yummy, but i can't stop eating them. heh. and they were a hit with the teen and the hub, too.

i think i need another one. right now.

13 comments:

  1. I like your step by step pictures.
    I also like your cookies - yum!

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  2. Yum, these look great! I love black and white cookies!!

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  3. i have more cake flour than i know what to do with. maybe i'll bake a cake.

    those look so good. i used to treat myself all the time as they had reached upstate ny, too.

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  4. mmm. those look yummy! I have some cake flour in my pantry, I might just have to try this recipe now. Thanks for the step by step pics!

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  5. These look mouthwatering good. Seriously, I'm salivating right now.

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  6. Your family is sooooo lucky to have you! Having all these wonderful homemade treats and meals. My gosh, can you adopt me? LOL

    The cookies look so good! I may have to try this someday.

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  7. I've never been a big fan of black-and-whites, but yours look beautiful.

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  8. OMG these look soooo good. I am super tempted to make them but have no way of getting to the grocery store other than walking in the heat.

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  9. It probably doesn't surprise you that I've never even heard of black and white cookies. I thought your post was going to be a delayed Ode to MJ. =/

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  10. i loooooooooooove black & white cookies! thank you for this post. i will be trying these very, very...very soon.

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  11. I have had these bookmarked for awhile -- but you make me feel like I could do it - thanks for your step by step.

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