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Recipe for Black-and-Whites (Half Moons)

The thread about how good these cookies are got me hungry. I have a Zabar's recipe (about 10 yrs old) that is taste tested. I'll post it if there is interst.

Dick, I'd like to have that recipe, please do post it! After reading that thread yesterday I was craving them. ;-)

Please do post - this may tie me over until I can get back to the city!

Zabar’s Black-and-Whites (see notes at bottom) For the cookies 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 4 large eggs 1 cup milk ½ teaspoon vanilla extract ¼ teaspoon lemon extract 2 ½ cups cake flower 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt For the Frosting 4 cups confectioners sugar 1/3 to ½ cup boiling water 1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, chopped 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter 2 baking sheets and set aside. Combine sugar and butter in bowl and beat until fluffy. Add the eggs, milk, and extracts. Mix until smooth. 2. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and mix. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in batches, stirring until combined. Drop soup spoonfuls of the dough 2 inches apart on the baking sheets, Bake until the edges begin to brown, 20-30 minutes. Cool. 3. To make frosting, place the confectioner’s sugar in a large bowl. Gradually add some boiling water, stirring until mixture is thick and spreadable. Place half the frosting in the top of a double boiler set over simmering water; add the chocolate. Warm, stirring until the chocolate is melted and the frosting is smooth. Remove from heat. 4. Brush half the cookie with the chocolate frosting and the other half with the white frosting Yield about 24 cookies Notes: 1. Halfway through baking, flatten the cookies with a spatula. Otherwise, they come out too rounded. 2. The cookies need to be “flipped over” after baking. You are actually frosting what was the bottom. 3. This frosting is for New York Black-and Whites. Being from Boston, we make Half Moons and frost them with a light buttercream frosting instead.

Thanks for the recipe, Dick. It'll be fun to make these.

Thanks so much for the recipe and even more thanks for the tips included in the recipe. I've made them before but didnt know about flattening the cookies and turning them upside down-now mine should come out nicer. Y-U-M. My kids are eternally grateful

Thanks for the recipe....my teeth are sharpened.

Rachel, We didn't know about flattening them either. The first time we made them they were they didn't look like the Half Moons, my wife and I grew up on. When flattened halfway through....they come out perfect. When they are fresh and with buttercream frosting, they are better than being bought at a bakery. Growing up in Boston, my reccomendation is not to use the frosting in the recipe, but substitute with buttercream(whip the frosting to get it light and airy).

Thank you for this recipe, Dick. These are my favorite cookies - I'm looking forward to trying this. Would you also be kind enough to share your buttercream frosting recipe??? :)

Steph, I'll try to post the frosting recipes tomorrow.

Dick thanks so much for posting the recipe, I'm going to make them this weekend!

Here are the requested frosting recipes. Now everyone has to tel me how they tasted. White Butter cream Frosting ¼ cup butter pinch of salt ½ pound unsifted confectioners sugar ( about 2 ¼ cups) 1-egg yolk, unbeaten ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 1-tablespoon milk Cream butter until soft. Add salt and part of sugar gradually, blending after each addition. Then add egg yolk and vanilla; blend well. Add remaining sugar, alternately with milk until of right consistency to spread, beating after each addition until smooth. Notes 1 We generally add a little more vanilla. We taste it to see if it tastes “ just right”. 2 Tastes better with real butter. 3 This makes more frosting than is needed for the cookies. (Actually it is half of the amount that is used to frost a layer cake.) We actually cut this in half again for the cookies but I didn’t want to post this using such small measurements. Chocolate Frosting (This is really good !) ½ cup Nestle Toll House LITTLE BITS 6 Tablespoons butter ¾ cup sifted confectioners sugar 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract Melt over hot (not boiling) water the chocolate Little Bits: stir until smooth & set aside in small bowl. Combine butter and confectioners sugar: beat until creamy. Add melted chocolate and vanilla extract: blend until smooth. Notes 1 Again, use real butter. Original recipe called for softened. It’s better unsoftened. 2 I whip the frosting, at the end, on high for a few seconds. I adds a little air and makes it very light and creamy. 3 When melting chocolate on double burner use plastic wrap (Saran Wrap, etc) to cover the top. It keeps the moisture out ( I learned that one in the Death by Chocolate cookbook

Dick - thanks again! Looking forward to trying these.

Steph, Glad to be of help. Let me know how you like them.

Ok, I admit it, I'm curious. Did anyone make these over the weekend?

I didn't but this brings back very old memories of the best Halfmoons ever, we got them as children visiting Grandma in Utica New York at Hemstroughs (sp?) bakery. Does anyone know if this place still exists? They were the best!

I opened this thread because I grew up in Utica with Hemstrought's half moon cookies. They are still in operation & I buy them whenever I go back there. the last time I was there, the parking lot was full of out of state cars - probably former Uticans who moved away. i asked for the recipe but they said they don't give it out. As far as I am concerned, they are the best & believe me I have eaten more than my share of them!

Wow! I don't know when I'll be back to Utica since my grandparents passed away, but if I'm ever in a 100 mile radius you can bet I'll make the trip for those halfmoons! I used to eat the white part first, and save that awesome, fudgy icing for last!

Liz, is Jeans Beans still in operation? We used to get fried fish and chips wrapped in paper there when I was a kid. Another Utica favorite.