Recipe: Adina's Classic Black-And-White Cookies

the appetizer:

Cookies For Kids' Cancer Best Bake Sale Cookbook by Gretchen Holt-Witt with Sally Sampson, includes recipes like Adina's Classic Black-And-White Cookies; Melanie Karmazin's Eggnog Cupcakes; and Dark Rich Mocha-Glazed Brownies.

Adina's Classic Black-And-White Cookies

Yield: about 6 dozen cookies

Adina's cookies, which always sell out quickly, require cake flour, which you may not have on hand. It's worth buying cake flour just for these cookies because we guarantee they'll become a regular, whether at bake sales, birthday celebrations, picnics, or dinner parties.

For the Cookies

2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1-3/4 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup whole milk (please don't substitute low-fat milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups cake flour
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

For the Icing

4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup boiling water
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, melted

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Place the butter and sugar in a mixer fitted with a paddle and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between additions. Add the milk and vanilla and beat well. Place the flours and baking powder in a bowl and mix well. With the mixer running, gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and beat until completely mixed.

Form the dough into tablespoon-size balls and place about 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Transfer to the oven and bake until the edges of the cookies just begin to brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and repeat with the remaining dough.

To make the icing: Place the confectioners' sugar in a large mixing bowl and add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is spreadable but still thick. Transfer half the icing to another mixing bowl and stir in the melted chocolate. Set aside to cool.

Spread half the rounded side (flat sides down) of the cookies with white icing and the other half with the chocolate icing. Set aside until the icing hardens completely.

Bake Sale Tip

Offer Cookie Decorating

What's the most important ingredient at a Cookies for Kids' Cancer bake sale? Why, kids, of course!

We love kids at bake sales. Not only are children the inspiration, they bring fun, silliness, and love to the bake sale table. Our favorite way to attract the littlest of supporters is to offer a Cookie Decorating Table.

All you need:

One extra table, covered with craft paper
Baked sugar cookies, plus napkins or paper towels
Waxed paper cut into squares (great for anything with icing)
Multiple containers oficing, sprinkles, colored sugars, and candies for decorating
Donation jar
Lots of wet wipes

While some children will decorate and eat their cookies in a flash, others will use cookie decorating as an opportunity to express themselves artistically. As the kids decorate their cookies, use the time to talk to their parents—share why you are hosting a bake sale, what inspired you to get involved, and how the supporter's donation will make a difference.

Make local connections. If you're holding a bake sale to support a specific child in the area, tell that child's story. Make the connection between the child and the effort.