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Black-and-White Cookies

For the longest time, I might have been the only person in the tristate area completely oblivious to the beautiful oversize black-and-white cookies found in every bodega from Brooklyn to the Bronx. Have you had one? Me, I was never allowed because of my food sensitivities, of course. So when I went to the kitchen and started brainstorming ideas for iconic cookies, this was one of the first ones I tackled. Prepare to be bathed in the sweet comfort of vanilla-chocolate overload.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes 12

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups white or brown rice flour
1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Flour
1/3 cup vegan sugar
1/2 cup arrowroot
1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup melted refined coconut oil or canola oil
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup agave nectar
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
Vanilla Sugar Glaze (page 127)
Sugar-Sweetened Chocolate Dipping Sauce (page 123)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

    Step 2

    In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, arrowroot, xanthan gum, baking soda, and salt. Add the coconut oil, applesauce, agave nectar, and vanilla and stir with a rubber spatula until the batter is smooth.

    Step 3

    Using a 1/4-cup ice-cream scoop or measure, drop the dough onto the baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Using the bottom of the measuring cup, press the dough to 1/3-inch thickness. Bake for 6 minutes, rotate the baking sheets, and bake for 4 minutes more. Let stand on the baking sheets for 20 minutes. Using a palette knife, spread chocolate sauce on one half of each of the cookies. Spread vanilla glaze on the other half of each cookie and let set for 5 minutes before serving.

Cover of the cookbook featuring gluten free vegan donuts with coconut.
Reprinted December 9, 2011, with permission from Babycakes Covers the Classics by Erin McKenna, © 2011 Clarkson Potter. Buy the full book at Penguin Random House, Amazon, or Bookshop.
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