WOW scale: 10
Time to prepare: @ 1 hour
Skill required: You must have a burning desire to eat these cookies.
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon half & half (OR cream OR whole milk)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1-1/2 cups cake flour (if you use pastry flour, it will make the cookies lighter and more delicate.)
Frosting
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 to 1/2 cup boiling water
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Butter 2 baking sheets and set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine and cream butter, vanilla and milk until light and fluffy.
4. In a small bowl, beat the eggs until almost foamy.
5. Gradually, add the eggs and sugar to butter mixture, beating until smooth.
6. Stir in flour and beat until well mixed.
7. Using a soup spoon, drop spoonfuls of the dough 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
8. Bake until the edges begin to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
Frosting:
1. While cookies are cooling, place the confectioners' sugar and vanilla extract in a large bowl.
2. Gradually add enough of the boiling water to the sugar, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick and spreadable. To make frosting shiny, add 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil.
3. Put half of the frosting in a small sauce pan. On LOW heat, add the chocolate.
4. Warm the mixture, stirring, until the chocolate is melted and the frosting is smooth. (If you have a double boiler and know how to use it, use this instead of a sauce pan.
5. Remove from heat.
6. With a brush, coat half the cookie with chocolate frosting and the other half with white frosting.
Yield: 30 medium sized cookies.
Substitutions:
Splenda works fine in this recipe.
The richer the butter, the sweeter and smoother the cookie. Do NOT use whipped butter.
I use half & half or canned evaporated milk to make this cookie extra rich.
Bittersweet chocolate, Baker's dark chocolate, and the dark chocolate of your choice works fine. Candy bar chocolate does not make good frosting.
Commentary: The cookie recipe is one that I've used as a base for several cookie variations. You can add M&M's to the top, raisins, sprinkles, etc. You can substitute lemon or almond extract for the vanilla - or add a tablespoon of bourbon and a dash of chocolate to the batter - it's a basic cookie dough but VERY rich.
If you are desperate to eat the black and white cookie - and you SHOULD be - then don't waste time brushing the frosting in place. DIP one half of each cookie into the frosting bowl. By the time you've dipped all of them in the chocolate, the first ones have cooled. Now dip the other half into the vanilla, etc.
This particular treat is best served only to those you really care about. Do NOT waste this creation on just anybody. Make them EARN the right to eat these cookies. If you serve these and the folks TALK while eating, DO NOT EVER give this cookie to them again! If, on the other hand, they pause in mid-breath and savor each and every bite, they are worthy. I always make several batches at a time because... I just do.
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