Pumpkin Black and White Cookies
Yes it is already winter, and yes I am still enjoying pumpkin recipes over here!
Personally, I think pumpkin desserts should be enjoyed all year round. But I do want to squeeze it at least one last pumpkin dessert recipe before we all switch out of this mood. A few days ago, I shared this Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie recipe and now we’re chatting about these Pumpkin Black and White Cookies, which takes a classically perfect cookie and makes it oh so perfectly holiday friendly.
To be honest, I haven’t had that many black and white cookies in my life. They’re a New York treat so I haven’t seen them offered in many bakeries in the cities where I’ve lived, so they’ve always kind of eluded me. But, the last time I was visiting New York I made a special trip to pick up a black and white cookie. As soon as I bit in I loved how it was so pleasantly soft and lightly sweet with clear distinction in flavor between the vanilla and chocolate icings. If you’re someone who can’t always decide if you’re in the mood for a chocolate or non-chocolate treay, then make a black and white cookie because it’s literally both!
I adapted this recipe from Joy The Baker, who is a food blogger I’ve been following for yearssss. Joy is based in Louisiana, and she recently even opened up her own bakehouse down there. So, Joy is basically exactly who I want to be when I grow up.
Her recipes almost always have a delicious twist, which is why I gravitated towards these Pumpkin Black and White cookies. Her recipe calls for the addition of maple flavoring, but I made these vegan black and white cookies without it and they were still delicious.
The great thing about black and white cookies is making the icing slathering each cookie with it. It’s a fun process that can be as precise and artistic as you’d like - I’m not a super talented decorator so I did the classic half-and-half icing strategy. My friend though got creative with it and would actually draw an illustration on her cookie with the chocolate and vanilla icings. I hadn’t even thought of that, but give it a try!
Vegan black and white cookie heaven, here we come!
INGREDIENTS
Pumpkin Cookies
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (homemade: just mix up cinnamon + nutmeg, and add dashes of ginger and cloves)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 flax eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Icing
4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
3 tablespoons vegan butter
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
Vanilla Icing
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Pinch of salt
Splash of vanilla extract
2 tablespoons almond milk, plus more if needed
DIRECTIONS
Cookies
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices together in a medium bowl and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flax eggs and sugar until smooth. Add in the oil, pumpkin, and vanilla until blended.
Stir in the flour mixture until incorporated.
Using an ice cream scoop, scoop mounds of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies at least 2 1/2-inches apart. Smooth and flatten with the back of a spoon, if needed.
Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, about 15 minutes. Cool them on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Repeat with the next batch of cookies.
Icing
Place the chocolate chunks and vegan butter in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for about 2 minutes, stopping to stir the chocolate about every 15 seconds so it doesn’t burn. Once chocolate is completely melted and smooth, stir in the corn syrup - this is so that the chocolate doesn’t harden and seize up.
Now, place all of the vanilla icing ingredients in a medium bowl and stir together until smooth. The icing should be relatively thin, but still spreadable. You may need to add more almond milk, if necessary.
Now, make your cookies by icing each half with the chocolate and vanilla icing. Enjoy!
Adapted From: Joy The Baker