Black and White Cookies

Ingredients

• 4 cups [600 g] cake flour
• 1 1 / 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 / 4 tsp salt
• 1 1 / 2 cups [270 g] vegetable shortening
• 1 cup [200 g] granulated sugar
• 1 / 2 cup [70 g] nonfat dry milk powder
• 1 tsp light corn syrup
• 3 eggs
• 3 / 4 cup [180 ml] water
• 1 1 / 4 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups [240 g] confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tbsp light corn syrup
• 3 to 4 Tbsp water or milk, or as needed
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 / 3 cup [25 g] unsweetened cocoa powder

Instructions

1. 1Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and lightly grease two baking sheets.
2. 2Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
3. 3In a separate large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to beat the vegetable shortening and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Creaming the shortening properly incorporates air for a lighter cookie.
4. 4Beat in the nonfat dry milk powder and light corn syrup. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.
5. 5Reduce the mixer speed to low. Gradually incorporate the dry flour mixture, followed by the water and vanilla extract, mixing just until a firm dough forms. Don't overmix, or the cookies will become tough.
6. 6Pinch off pieces of dough and roll them between your hands to form 1 1/4-inch balls. Space them about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
7. 7Bake in the center of the oven for 14 to 16 minutes, or until the cookies feel firm to a gentle touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. 8Let the cookies rest on the pans for 3 minutes before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely. They must be completely cool before frosting so the icing doesn't melt off.
9. 9To make the icing, sift the confectioners' sugar into a medium bowl. Add the corn syrup, 2 tablespoons of water, and the vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed until smooth, adding a little more water if needed to reach a spreadable consistency.
10. 10Transfer half of the white icing to a separate bowl. Stir in the unsweetened cocoa powder, adding a few drops of water to thin it out so it matches the texture of the vanilla batch. Cover both bowls tightly with plastic wrap if you aren't frosting immediately.
11. 11Using a small offset spatula, spread a thin, even layer of the white vanilla icing over exactly half of each cooled cookie.
12. 12Give the white glaze a few minutes to set, then carefully spread the chocolate icing over the remaining bare half of each cookie. Leave them undisturbed until the icing fully dries.

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