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Recommended storage

2 days at room temperature between sheets of wax paper

1 month in the freezer

Personalize It!

For an even fudgier consistency, bake the cookies 2 or 3 minutes less than the time recommended—beware: they will be very delicate, so you should let them cool on the baking sheet at least 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.

These cookies are great for ice cream sandwiches. Let a 1-pint container soften about 5 minutes at room temperature, then place the container on its side and use a serrated knife to saw through the container, thereby making 1-inch-thick, perfectly round disks of ice cream. Peel off the container, place a disk on one cookie, top with a second, and enjoy!

BLACK BLACK AND WHITES

Purists, avert your eyes. Black and white cookies are nothing short of a New York City institution—you can find them everywhere from Carnegie Hall to Coney Island. Usually, they’re a cakey, vanilla cookie, one half topped with vanilla icing and the other half with chocolate icing. Here we made the bottom cookie a soft chocolate cookie (naturally), then topped it the traditional way. It’s not the custom of the country, but it may well start a trend.

MAKES ABOUT 16 LARGE COOKIES

FOR THE COOKIES

Nonstick spray

13/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening (4 ounces)

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup milk (regular or low-fat, but not nonfat)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

FOR THE ICING

1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped

21/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, plus more as necessary

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. To make the cookies, position the rack in the center of the oven; preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick spray; set aside. Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl until a uniform color; set aside as well.

2. Beat the sugar and shortening in a large bowl until creamy, using an electric mixer at medium speed; continue beating until light and airy, about 1 minute.

3. Beat in the eggs one at a time, making sure the first is thoroughly incorporated before adding the second. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat in the milk and vanilla until smooth.

4. Turn off the beaters, add the prepared flour mixture, then beat at low speed just until a smooth, moist dough forms, a little less than 1 minute.

5. Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing the cookies about 3 inches apart. Use a dampened flatware tablespoon or a small rubber spatula to take the peaks off the mounds, flattening them slightly and creating fairly smooth tops.

6. Bake for 15 minutes, rotating the sheet once while baking. When done, the cookies should be lightly browned at the edges but somewhat soft. Cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool completely before icing. Cool the baking sheet for 5 minutes before spraying again with nonstick spray and baking additional batches.

7. To make the icing, place the chocolate in the top part of a double boiler set over simmering water. Stir until half the chocolate has melted, then remove from the heat and continue stirring until all the chocolate has melted. Alternatively, place the chocolate in a small bowl and microwave on high for 20 seconds, stir, then continue heating in 15-second increments, stirring after each time, until almost all the chocolate has melted. Remove the bowl from the microwave oven and continue stirring until the chocolate has completely melted. Transfer the chocolate to a medium bowl and cool for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, place the confectioners’ sugar in a large bowl; set aside.

8. Bring the water and corn syrup to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring once or twice to dissolve the corn syrup. The moment the mixture is