Black and White Cookies with Rainbow and Chocolate Sprinkles

Classic black and white cookies get elevated with rainbow and chocolate sprinkles in this celebration-worthy, easy-to-follow recipe.

Do you know what day it is?!

No, I'm not talking about election day. Although, if you're in the US, I hope you made it to the polls to cast your vote. If you did, you totally deserve a cookie!

But no, today we're celebrating something else!

Today is the two year anniversary of the day that I launched this little blog!

And what an incredible two years it has been! I've had SO much fun creating and taste-testing tons of recipes, even when they don't turn out as planned. And even though I still have LOTS to learn, I'm really proud of how my food photography has improved (hello underexposed and understyled photos from 2014!) since I started this blog. Thank you for reading, for your support, and for being a part of this journey!

Now let's celebrate with some cookies! Black and white cookies are one of my all-time faves! And because it's not a party without sprinkles, today I jazzed up some black and white cookies with rainbow AND chocolate sprinkles! Cheers!

[recipe title="Black & White Cookies with Rainbow & Chocolate Sprinkles" servings="2 dozen cookies"]
INGREDIENTS:
5 cups cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups confectioner's sugar
1/3 cup boiling water
2 T lemon juice
1 1/2 oz. (2 little jars) rainbow sprinkles
3 oz bittersweet chocolate
1 T light corn syrup
1 1/2 oz. (2 little jars) chocolate sprinkles

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375°F.

In a large bowl, combine the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar for 2 to 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, milk, and vanilla. Gradually add the flour mixture and mix just until combined.

Scoop dough using a 1/4 cup measure and place scoops of dough 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake 17-19 minutes or until the edges become golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Once the cookies have cooled, make the icing. In a large bowl, combine confectioner's sugar, boiling water, and lemon juice. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and spreadable. Pour half of the icing into a small, heat proof bowl or double boiler and set aside.

Spread paper towels under the cooling racks and arrange the cooled cookies on the cooling racks with the flat sides facing up. Pour 1 jar of rainbow sprinkles carefully onto a shallow plate. (Use the second jar of rainbow sprinkles to replenish the plate as needed.)

Using an icing spatula or the back of a spoon, spread the white icing on half of each cookie. Let each iced cookie sit for a minute or two before dipping the cookie in the sprinkles so that the icing isn't too drippy and the weight of the sprinkles doesn't cause the icing to slide around the cookie. I recommend spreading icing on 3-4 cookies, then dipping them in the rainbow sprinkles before moving on to the next set of cookies until all cookies have been iced and dipped. If the icing in the bowl begins to firm up just give it a good stir with a wooden spoon. NOTE: To get sprinkles on only half of the white icing (as shown in the photos here), pour your sprinkles onto just half of the plate (using your hand to hold them back), then dip your cookie so that the line of the white icing is perpendicular to the edge of your sprinkles and so that only half of the cookie is over the side of the plate with the sprinkles.

Take the other bowl of icing that you'd set aside and set it over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Add the chocolate and corn syrup and stir until the chocolate has melted. Turn off the heat and let the chocolate icing stand over the hot water. Pour the chocolate sprinkles onto a shallow plate.

Spread the chocolate icing on the other half of each cookie and dip the cookies into the sprinkles using the same method as noted above for the white icing and rainbow sprinkles.

Let the icing set for 10 minutes before serving. Eat immediately or store in an air-tight plastic container (with a layer of wax paper between cookies, if stacking) for up to 3 days.

Recipe adapted from Real Simple.
[/recipe]

P.S. Last year I celebrated my one year blog anniversary with sprinkles, too. I think this might have to become an annual tradition!