Ok, you might need to sit down for this one. This is going to be good. I don’t know where to start with these cookies. Red Velvet Black and White Cookies- they brilliantly combine the tradition of black and white cookies with the near religion that is red velvet cake. The cookie is soft, moist and cakey, and the frosting… shut up! They were SO incredibly good… and this is coming from me… I practically eat cookies for a living!
When it comes to Black and White Cookies, I think I have a problem. They are absolutely my favorite cookie in the world. I like Black and White Cookies more than I like…. I dunno: puppies. Yea, and who doesn’t like puppies!? So it’s pretty serious.
I can’t take credit for the cleverness of this delicious cookie. The idea is from Rachel Ray. I know… she seems to be everywhere these days, even a dog food cooking show. Crazy.
Onto the cookie.
Seriously. Please understand me when I say that YOU MUST MAKE THESE COOKIES! They’re brilliant! They’ll instantly make you more popular (if you share) and they’ll reduce the fine lines and puffiness under your eyes (if you use them like spa cucumber slices). I wouldn’t lie to you. Go. Make!
Red Velvet Black and White Cookies
recipe by RayRay
makes 10 large cookies
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
5 Tablespoons butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 Tablespoon red food coloring
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
For Vanilla Glaze
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 tablespoons hot water
For Chocolate Glaze
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
3 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon light corn syrup
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, or grease and flour the pan well so the cookies don’t stick. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
Using a mixer, 5 Tablespoons of butter with the granulated sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg, food coloring and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk until smooth.
Place 1/4-cup scoops of batter 2 inches apart of the prepared baking sheet, spread the batter out with a butter knife, so they’re not completely flat but look like the pictures below. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, 12 to 15 minutes. Let the cookies sit for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool.
To make the glazes-
In a bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon of corn syrup and 2 tablespoons hot water, until smooth. That’s your vanilla glaze.
In a seperate bowl, melt the butter and the chocolate in a microwave for about 1 minute. Add the corn syrup and stir until smooth. That’s your chocolate glaze!
Once the cookies are cooled, face them all bottom side up of a clean surface. Spread half of the cookie with vanilla glaze and the other half with chocolate glaze. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to set. And…Yum!
Mae
Hello just want to check with you if this is soft or crispy cookies and how well do they keep? Room temperature or in the fridge always? By the way I live in a humid country… Malaysia…. Thank you
Mae
Hi just want to check with you if this is a soft cookie or is it the crispy kind? And How well do they keep? At room temperature or in fridge always? Thank you
Joanna Morence
There’s just something special about homemade cookies, especially chocolate chip cookies, so far as I’m concerned. It’s a great family activity, something even children can help with, and everyone loves eating the results..
<Until next time .-*:"http://www.caramoan.co/caramoan-tour/
Hannah
Hi Joy!
You r my favorite baker ever! My aunt gave me your cookbook for my birthday and it’s amazing!!!! I was going to make this recipe but realized that I didn’t have butter. :(
So, I made the vanilla glaze and iced a whole bunch of graham crackers. Delicious!!! Thanks!
Hannah
Julie
I LOVE these cookies! They’re so gorgeous and so delicious! Made 5 batches this Christmas season.
Learned alot in the process. Light corn syrup and dark chocolate will help keep the frosting less sweet. Also, I only needed to make 1/2 the recipe of frosting to cover all the cookies. Letting the cookies cool on the cookie sheet kept the bottoms smooth, making them easier to frost. When adding corn syrup to the melted chocolate, if it “curdles” just add melted butter to make it smooth again. I tried several times to alter the recipe to make them crispy or chewey. No luck. So just accepted they are an indeed a “cakey” but yummy cookie!
Rose
joy, thank you, you’re amazing! I basically owe my entire baking obsession to you, because you’re adorableness and gorgeous pictures (and love appreciation of chocolate) just make me want to make everything you post!
just made these.
they’re amazing.
no surprise there.
Lauren
I made these cookies to take to a Christmas cookie exchange party. Of course around Christmas thing are busy, so I had just enough time scheduled to make these in between everything going on. I followed the recipe exactly. I didn’t even get to the glaze step because the cookies themselves were so bad I just threw them all away. My husband, who will eat anything, told me I should not serve those to people. Do not waste your time on this recipe like I did.
joythebaker
i know how crazy this time of year is… i’m so sorry you had a bad experience with this recipe.
Linda
Has this recipe been corrected? I’m excited to give this a try! It sounds yummy!
Erin
Ugh, I’m kicking myself for not reading through *all* the comments before baking these cookies (I read a few and couldn’t wait any longer! I had to try them!). I followed the instructions that said to add 1 tablespoon of corn syrup to the vanilla glaze (should have been 1 teaspoon). I realized the mistake after trying a finished cookie and realizing that the vanilla glaze was WAAAAY too sweet. Joy, I beg you to please fix the recipe before another person makes the same mistake! The amount is right in the ingredient list, but not in the actual recipe instructions. Very disappointing.
Kayla
I am absolutely going to make these nest week for a family celebration! We are having a themed night with lots of playing cards, and I plan to make make card suit- shaped cookies with the cookie cutters I found. How would you advise that I go about shaping these into my heart and diamond cutters? From the looks of it, I’m assuming this is not a recipe that I can lay the dough flat and just cut out shapes… Any advice? I would really love to make these! My only other idea so far was to make a sturdier, classic sugar cookie recipe, use red food dye, and cut accordingly. Thoughts? Thank you so much :)
joythebaker
hi kayla.
i think you should definitely stick with a classic, rolled sugar cookie recipe with red dye in it. and try to find a gel red die as it’s stronger than the grocery store liquids.
sugar cookies are the way to go. happy baking!
Bekah
Hi! Late response, but for anyone else reading through the comments looking for tips like I am at two in the morning….
I was just thinking it might work to set the cookie cutters down on your greased, papered, etc. baking sheet and then pour the batter in through the top (that is, if your cutters are open at the top). Hopefully, if the batter is thick enough, the shapes will hold. Hopefully. :)
Absolutely love this blog, by the way!
iris
‘Made these and they’re really tasty! I have enough leftover ingredients to make another batch…but it would be nice to have a vanilla glaze that didn’t just taste like pure sugar.
Ecochic
The first recipe of yours I’ve tried out! I did these red velvet cookies, but minus the red :) (didn’t have food colouring). I treated my coworkers to a fresh batch, and we were wonderfully on sugar highs for a meeting that afternoon. Delicious!
Melissa
I can’t wait to try these for a Christmas exchange I’m having. I use a Silpat baking mat most of the time, would that work for these cookies?
Thanks!
Melissa
Jen
I made these and mailed them to a friend for her birthday! They were fantastic! Except the vanilla icing absolutely would not stop being a thick gunky mess. Booo. I made a different one with powdered sugar, butter, and milk and life was good again. Thanks for the idea!
Amy I.
Hey Joy! Longtime reader of your blog, but I think this is actually the first time I’ve made a recipe that I found through you! These cookies are divine. Been meaning to make them forever, and so glad I finally had an occasion, so thanks! I’m always baffled by RR recipes though, the many I’ve made almost always take WAYYY longer than 30 minutes. Hmm.
Marina
This recipe is GENIUS! black and white cookies alone are amazing, red velvet cake is heaven, a fusion of both…NIRVANA!!!!
Loan Advance
yummy!!! that looks delicious I love the fact that you took the time to guide us through all the process of making this really nice lookin cookies… I will try your resepie just so you know I do give you credit for this cookies… your great!!!
Adriana A.
Hi!! i’m going to make these tomorrow to gift them to a friend. How well do this go stacked, or pilled in a plate? Will the frosting smear all over other cookies if they are kind of over each other???
Thanks!!
Alice
Hi Joy,
Another one stumbling onto your blog through my subscription to tipnut. I would love to subscribe to yours also but couldn’t find the link to do so.
These cookies have got to be the most amazing thing since ….. I hope all the bugs are worked out with the recipe as I am going to have to make these for our church dinner on Sunday for a big surprise. I have never seen so many people in one place that perfer red velvet cake over other kinds. You have certainly made my day with finding your recipe. it sounds like you are a top notch baker and I would love to try more of your recipes. Thanks and Best Wishes, Alice
Tara
I made these last night & made 2 batches! They came out FANTASTIC & it was worth being up until 1 a.m. making them (didn’t start until 10 and watched a show or two while they cooled). I tweaked the recipe a bit, only because I find many times red velvet doesn’t not have enough of a chocolate taste when that chocolate taste is what makes it so special…SO, I added an extra tbsp of cocoa powder (I used Ghiradelli) to each batch for a total of 2 tbsp per batch. Also, I don’t think that red velvet is true red velvet without cream cheese frosting, so I took a risk and added about half of a container of cream cheese (8 oz container) to the mixture of confectioners sugar, corn syrup & hot water…it really mixed together nicely & the cream cheese frosting had the perfect flavor, wasn’t too sweet & hardned perfectly on the cookies!
Melany
Oh my I just stumpled across this site on google.. YES!! Im excited to say the least. And reading about these cookies the first thing that came to mind is that I would make them with Cream cheese.. :) So glad to hear someone tried it and it was good.. Here I go.. Im making them in 5…4…3…2
Em
I made my first Joy The Baker recipe- these turned out great! The cookies were a little big for my taste- so I made smaller ones. Also, made a double bath. Some of them fell apart a little but since I made so much there are plenty to work with! Especially in the smaller size. Thanks for the great recipe!
Lara
Well, I had never tried red velvet cake OR black and white cookies before nor had I been tempted. The pictures and descriptions in this blog finally tempted me to try both. Unfortunately, they are just not my cup of tea, though they did come out pretty and were fun to make. Making the vanilla glaze, though, there was no way that I was going to be able to incorporate 2 cups of powdered sugar into just 3tbsp of liquid. About a cup and 1/8 was all that I used in the end. Perhaps I tried to incorporate too much sugar at one on the first try? Also, the R. Ray recipe does call for 1tbsp of corn syrup in that glaze, not 1tsp.
Ngoc
I made these for a housewarming, and everyone FREAKED out. Thanks for sharing! :)
amela
Actually, rachel ray is from upstate new york i think?
which is where im from, and we are known for our “halfmoons”
they are almost like black and white cookies
except the bottom is like chocolate cake, and the “glaze” is more like a frosting. they’re delicious!
http://k53.pbase.com/o4/89/683489/1/72341080.NAz2pPaI.Halfmoon_cookiecopy.jpg
thats the best picture i could find!
but these look delicious as well, im going to try them as soon as i get a chance!
Brandi
I love this idea!! My daughter is turning 15 this weekend and we are having a Twilight party for her. These cookies are perfect for that. They are the exact color that I need!! Thanks for posting this recipe!!
joythebaker
Hi linda. Sorry for the confusion. Yes, 1 teaspoon is the way to to, especially since you don’t like the glaze overly sweet. Thanks! I’ll fix that shortly!
Linda
Hi Joy- Per my earlier post. I now know why my white icing was WAY too sweet. In the ingredients list the white glaze calls for 1 teaspoon of corn syrup. But later on in the methodology to make the glaze it says mix 1 TABLESPOON corn syrup- which is what I did. So I’m thinking it should have been only 1 teaspoon- is that correct? Thank you!
Linda
Hi Joy,
I just finished making these cookies tonight. The red velvet cookie is so delicious. But for some reason my vanilla glaze and chocolate glaze are so sweet that it really over-powers the cookie. I checked and i did follow the recipe as written. Is there any way to make a lighter (less sweet) glaze? Thank you!!
Karen
I made these for our family for Christmas. Everyone loved them! So pretty! Since there seemed to be a controversy about the ingredients I went to RR’s website to look at the recipe. The confusion occurred because her site says you need 8 T butter, but it should spell out early on 8 T butter, divided. 5T are for the cookie batter & the other 3T are for the chocolate glaze. I didn’t know if others spreading issue was because of excess butter or because of batter temperature. I always chill cookie dough first for cookies I don’t want spreading, so I chilled this for about 30 minutes, then spread out some dough with a knife to 3 inch circles. Baked them on a Baker’s Joy sprayed baking sheet. They were perfect. My vanilla glaze didn’t work so well. I had to add milk to make it work. I may have done something wrong. I’ll try again sometime using your recipe.
Thanks very much! You have a wonderful blog!!!!!
nancy
I just finished making these cookies, and for some reason the chocolate glaze had this funky texture… Was it because of the butter&chocolate? Also, how can I get the vanilla glaze to have more flavor than just … sugar?
Otherwise I think the cookie part turned out well :)
Deron
Best. Cookies. Ever. After I got the vanilla glaze to be glazey, all was well. However, the cookies seemed to be pretty huge, so maybe next time I’ll scoop a little bit less.
joythebaker
Hey all! It seemed like some of you were running into trouble when making this recipe! I’m so sorry. Nothing is worse that putting a bunch of time and energy into something and then having it come out all crazy.
I made the cookies myself, twice, this weekend. I realized that I had too much butter in the cookie recipe. The stick of butter I had previously posted was too much. Yikes! I’m so sorry! The cookie recipe only requires 5 Tablespoons of butter, NOT 8 Tablespoons.
I used a 1/4-cup measuring cup to scoop the cookies onto a greased and floured pan (I skipped the parchment) and spread them so they were roughly 2 1/2 to 3-inch circles. Going along that way, the recipe should yield 8-10 big old cookies.
Hope this helps!
Kristin
I loved the idea of these cookies but sadly i just made them and they puffed up like a cake and not so much like the pictures you showed I mut have done something wrong but they are very good even when they are cupcake style.
Nick
Joy – love your blog! Amazing recipes. I made this recipe and although it tasted great, it looked like the dog’s breakfast. Can you specify how wide to spread out the cookies and how many cookies this recipe will yield?
Also, I used parchment (my foolproof always reliable parchment) and they stuck to the paper…
joythebaker
jennifer- i’m sorry the cookies didn’t work out for you! i know how frustrating that is. i haven’t made these cookies in a few months. i’ll give them a go tomorrow to make sure the recipe still holds up. again… sorry!
jennifer
I just made the batter and put it in the oven, they all completely flattened out and ran together, im a pretty seasoned baker so this was a waste of ingredients for me….
vicki terpstra
OH THESE LOOK SOOOOOOOOOO good. Thank you very much for this recipe. These will surely be made very often in my house. I LOVE Red Velvet cake but these look so much quicker to make and much easier to send with hubby in his lunches. YUM!
PaniniKathy
These look amazing! I think I’ve found just the cookie to get me out of my non-baking rut. Look to the cookie! :-)
Peach
I love these cookies. My mom found your site from TipNut and I had to make these cookies when she showed them to me. I’m obsessed with other things you have listed, but one thing at a time.
I was confused, also, by the recipe. It says 1 stick of butter, but the instructions say 5 Tablespoons of butter… so I had to read your comments to get the skinny on what to do.
My family loved them!
I wasn’t expecting them to be so big, so I may make smaller cookies next time. But, I’m in love. *swoon*
Loulou
Hey, anyone else find it as finny as I that it says “Vanilla graze”? That is what I plan on doing after they are done… the vanilla (& chocolate) graze!
Hillary
These cookies remind me of that joke: “What’s black and white and ‘red’ all over?” A newspaper! :) I guess it doesn’t work when you type it out, but in this case, it would be these cookies. Yummy!
Rachel
I just moved to NYC and people here are obsessed with two things: black and white cookies and red velvet cake. These cookies are going to blow my coworkers’ minds.
Suzana
Hi Joy,
I am new to your site and am just going through all your past post now. One question, for this soft cookies, how long does it last if we pack them in air tight container?
Thanks.
-sue-
joythebaker
Cindy- I baked these a while ago and seem to remember using 5 Tablespoons of butter but you’re right, Rachel Ray’s recipe is different. Let’s go with her recipe for 1 stick of butter since I don’t remember correctly! Thanks Cindy!
cindy
Is the amount of butter listed incorrectly? The recipe you gave says 5 tablespoons but Rachel Ray’s recipe calls for 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of butter.
abby
I just made these for my field hockey banquet tonight and they were delicious! I love black and whites and I love red velvet so they were the perfect combination! thanks!
Verla J. Charles
Good Morning, Joy! What a pleasure it was to see your picture and what a beautiful young lady you’ve become. I know you don’t remember me but I’m Linda O’s Mother. If you don’t remember her call your Mother, Dad, Grandparents, etc. Just wanted to say that Linn gave me the name of the website and I have been checking it out. Beautiful desserts, etc! Keep on baking! Hugs, Verla
styleandsubstance
I am so making these for a dessert party!
Shamaria
I’m so excited about happening onto this website. I’m getting married in December and I’ve been looking for party favors that matched my theme and red velvet cake is my absolute favorite. My colors are red black and white and this is as close as I have come to good enough party favors for my reception. Thanks Rachel Ray.
Heidi from SavoryTv
Absolutely gorgeous photos! A must try on my list!
ria
thank you so very very much joy! i’ve ben looking for a made-from-scratch red velvet cookie recipe for at least a year now–i even checked yahoo answers and nobody knew anything. and i don’t watch tv, so i never would’ve known about this if you hadn’t posted it.
i made a batch yesterday, with raw sugar and agave instead of the white sugar and corn syrup, and they are so yummy! they came out really huge! i wasn’t expecting that. so i guess mine are black and tans. boy are they delicious!
khairul
Nice recipes
Brian Snedeker
I’ve made regular black-and-white cookies before, so I was anxious to try this recipe.
but for me, it didn’t work so well. I’m no seasoned baker, so I probably did something wrong.
The cookies flattened out too much, so they were too thin and a little crispy at the edges, not moist and cakey like a real B&W cookie should be. And it wasn’t because the batter was too thin — it was nice and thick. Wonder what I did wrong. And some of them stuck to the parchment paper. It was a bit of a disaster.
aysenil
Thanks so much, Joy! Now, I can try the four recipes I’ve been dying to but couldn’t… Happy baking :)
cate
Joy, I heard of you from my friend Genevieve at Delilah bakery, and now I just “Stumbled Upon” you! That is very exciting that your blog is getting stumbled on! Anyway, Gen may have mentioned us to you already, but my fiance and I are having a wedding reception on June 21 and we need a cake. Can you help? We definitely want red velvet.
guncha babbar
so yummy!!! could you give one to me?
Intetnet Meme
AHH! For the last time, they’re half Moons! Not black and whites! They were first made in central New York and are still sold here >_<
joythebaker
Hi Aysenil- Here s a link to a recipe for a corn syrup substitute! Thanks for reading from half way across the world! http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1823,147170-227206,00.html
Hi Cadi- I know how you feel about red velvet and cream cheese. The two just seem to belong together. In the case of these cookies, believe it or not… I wouldn’t put cream cheese in the vanilla glaze. Here’s why: The old school vanilla glaze is a perfect compliment to the cookie and the chocolate glaze. It’s really perfect. Also, the glaze is so simple that I don’t think cream cheese would properly incorporate into the ingredients. Lastly, the icing may not set up properly (harden on top) if cream cheese is added. But don’t make me the final judge! Go. Try. Eat! I’m sure it will taste heavenly!
Cadi
OK.. here’s my question.
Could I incorporate a little cream cheese to the white frosting? I’m used to red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. Red velvet and cream cheese just go together. I think a touch wouldn’t overpower the flavor, but maybe it would. You’re the baker. What do you think?
chriesi
You made me want to make them! :)
Gretchen Noelle
What amazing looking cookies! I need to try these!
Coffee and Vanilla
Beautiful :)
Chuck
Boy do those cookies look amazing. I would love to sink my teeth into them right now! Beautiful.
Sandie (Inn Cuisine)
While I’ve made red velvet cake and cupcakes before, I’ve never tried red velvet cookies or black and white cookies. I’ve never even heard of black and white cookies before (I assume you’re talking about the icing on top?) Do I live in some sort of horrible Midwestern cookie bubble? If so, this post just popped it.
Your write up was more than enough to make me agreeable to trying these cookies. Better than puppies? I am so there. Thanks for sharing!
kellypea
Mmmm…they look so good. They’re going on my list.
Susan from Food Blogga
The red just makes them pop!
Sandie
These look delicious, I have to make dessert for a get-together next week, thanks for the idea!
Lauren
First of all: YOURE IN THE PAPER?? Look at you go!
Second: I made these cookies last night and they were incredible. Although they weren’t as pretty as yours I used the word rustic when presenting mine. We’ll talk soon. See you in a week or so.
Lauren
Eli
I am another poor soul who has yet to try a black and white cookie or red velvet cake. Maybe I always thought black and white was just too dull and needed another punch of color? If that was the case, these look like the perfect remedy!
Patricia Scarpin
You’ve convinced me – I’m bookmarking the recipe and will make them as soon as possible! They look fantastic.
aysenil
Hi Joy, I love trying out your recipes :) I have a question : I live in Istanbul where there is no such thing as corn syrup. Any ideas for even the poorest substitute??
Kevin
Those cookies look really good. The red is so bright and strong and contrasts well with the perfect white and black.
Miri
Joy, these look delicious, I’d love a taste!
Erin @ The Skinny Gourmet
I adore black and whites, which is pretty much a cruel trick of fate as I am a midwesterner who currently lives in Chicago and I just havent found them around here that satisfy the craving. I have yet to actually attempt them myself. It seems like putting too much temptation too close to my fingertips. But these do look good…
mary
Rachael Ray hurts me. Physically and emotionally. But I plan on making these immediately. Look to the cookie!
Nikki
Ok, I’m sorry Joy but, I can not come visit your blog anymore. I already ate a gooey cake tonight now I’m now craving red velvet cookies. My tummy loves you, but my growing rear end … not so much :P
Holly
You are in my brain I swear! I was just obsessing over black and whites the other day (I’m still going to try making them) and, even though I’m not much of a RayRay fan, I still think these look and sound great! As always, spot on!
Linda
To be honest, I hate RayRay and I’m so lucky that she’s not a regular on free-to-air Australian TV! She seems to be bloody everywhere these days. First her books, now her own talk show, magazines. And that annoying nasal throaty voice. Oh god. Okay enough ranting here in the comment section…
These cookies look great Joy. Hopefully I’ll be able to try them soon. That frosting looks positively sinful :)
Stephanie
Oh my god!!! You have combined my love of red velvet and my love of black and white cookies! My mind is literally blowing as I write this! Must remain calm…
m
this looks delicious.
Chelle
I’ve never had red velvet cake/cupcakes OR black and white cookies. Sad, I know :( However, yours have inspired me to give both a try!
steph
rayray–no way! that’s a great idea she had! i love the black & white, too…gotta be homemade though, NYC deli ones are always stale.
Mike
:o
I love black and white cookies! Growing up, whenever a trip was made to the bakery, I always found myself leaving with a b&w in hand. These look excellent and I haven’t had one in years. I have to try this soon.
amanda
haha I am with you Joy, sometimes I love baked goods more than puppies.I’m glad somebody admitted to their secret so hopefully my guilt will ease away :) I have never had a Black & white cookie (I know, how deprived am I?!)but I’ve seen these recipes pop up everywhere over the internet. I might have to try it out soon! I like Rachae;s magazine because the recipes always turn out great and are pretty cheap ingredient wise but poor Ray Ray needs big PR break soon, or else she will find herself making ONLY doggie treats.
Deborah
I’m featuring a bunch of recipes from that exact magazine, and I can’t tell you how many times I have read over that recipe, wanting to make them. Now that I know that you love them, I will have to make them!
Dawnie
Greetings from Charlotte, NC! Joy, I was just getting over my giddy reading of your gooey chocolate cakes, and then WOW! I would love to try this . . .question: does the icing set up enough that I could possible stack 2-3 high without yummy frosting sticking? Thanks so much for sharing!
John
Wow…pure brilliance on these cookies…I’m not into stealing recipes, but consider this one stolen. And, damn, I thought I was the only one that called Rachel Ray “RayRay”…of well, off to the kitchen.
Alanna
Okay. Sitting down. Now give me a cookie.
|;>
Sarah
Wow…I am trying this one. They look awesome! :)