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–+ servings
Halfmoon Cookie Recipe

Halfmoon Cookie Recipe

This halfmoon cookie recipe hails from Utica, New York and is emphatically different from a New York City style black & white cookie. It's a light chocolate cookie base, with a half vanilla and half chocolate frosting top.
5 from 3 votes
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 18 cookies

Equipment

  • baking sheet
  • parchment paper
  • silicone baking mat

Ingredients
  

For the cookies:

  • 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 5 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder sifted
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 egg at room temperature
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup milk

For the vanilla icing

  • 2 tbsp butter at room temperature
  • 1 cup confectioners sugar
  • 1 tbsp milk
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For the ganache chocolate icing:

  • 1 oz bittersweet chocolate
  • 1 oz semisweet chocolate
  • 1/2 tbsp butter
  • 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
  • 1 tbsp corn syrup
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 pinch salt

Instructions
 

For the cookies:

  • Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
  • In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and baking soda.
  • Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream on low speed for one minute to loosen.
  • Add the sugar and cocoa powder to the butter and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy
  • .Add the egg and vanilla, beating to combine.
  • Add half the flour mixture, followed by the milk, followed by the other half of the flour mixture.
  • Use a large (3 tbsp) cookie scoop to scoop the cookie dough onto the sheet, leaving plenty of room around each cookie as they will spread to roughly 3-inches in diameter.
  • Bake for 12 minutes until the cookies are puffy and spring back when touched.
  • Remove cookies to a cooling rack to fully cool.
  • Meanwhile, make the vanilla buttercream frosting.

For the vanilla frosting:

  • Cream butter and confectioners' sugar until smooth in a large bowl.
  • Add the vanilla extract, then gradually add the milk, pour just enough to thin icing to a spreadable but not drippy consistency.

For the chocolate fudge frosting

  • Make a double boiler by pouring enough water in a small saucepan so that it is about 2 inches deep. Place a medium bowl on top of the saucepan and heat the water gently over medium low heat until it comes to a simmer.
  • Add the bittersweet and semisweet chocolates and butter into the bowl.
  • Add the confectioners' sugar, corn syrup, vanilla and salt, and 6 tbsp boiling water and mix until a smooth, stiff paste forms with a rubber spatula.
  • If needed, thin the icing with additional boiling water until it is spreadable.
  • Keep icing warm over simmering water until you are about to use it. You can chill and rewarm later in a double boiler over low heat when you are ready to use it, if needed.

To assemble:

  • Once the cookies have fully cooled and the ganache has a creamy, spreadable consistency, flip the cookies over and use an offset spatula to spread half of the flat side of each cookie with a thick coating of ganache chocolate fudge frosting.
  • Then spread the other half of each cookie with the vanilla frosting.
Keyword buttercream, chocolate, ganache, vanilla
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!