If you love classic New York–style black and white cookies, you’ll adore these Pumpkin Black and White Cookies. They’re cakey and pillowy, infused with pumpkin spice, and finished with a half-vanilla, half-chocolate glaze.
Fall is finally hinting its arrival and I’m savoring every cooler morning. I’m ready for sweaters, scarves, and cozy baking — even if my city is still holding on to summer. While I patiently wait for crisp weather, I’m fully embracing fall flavors: pumpkin, apples, and all the comforts that come with them.
These Pumpkin Black and White Cookies are a seasonal twist on a deli favorite. Black and white cookies are a New York staple that don’t appear everywhere, so I wanted to give them a warm, autumn makeover. The result is a soft, cakey cookie with pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice, topped with a traditional split glaze of vanilla and chocolate.
These cookies stay soft for days if they last that long. The dough has a texture between cake batter and cookie dough, which yields a tender, cakey crumb after baking. The vanilla glaze brightens the pumpkin spice, while the chocolate glaze adds rich contrast — you don’t have to choose a side.
Pumpkin Black and White Cookies are simple to make and ideal for fall gatherings, lunchboxes, or a cozy afternoon with coffee.
Pumpkin Black and White Cookies
1 hour
18 minutes
1 hour 18 minutes
12 cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 10 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree NOT pumpkin pie filling
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
For the Glazes:
- 5 cups confectioners’ sugar sifted
- 7 Tablespoons whole milk divided
- 2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
- 3 Tablespoons cocoa powder sifted
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
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In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the softened butter and granulated sugar for about 2 minutes until light, fluffy, and pale. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined, scraping the bowl as needed.
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Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice in a medium bowl. Add one-third of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients on low speed until just incorporated, then add half the pumpkin puree and mix. Continue alternating the remaining flour and pumpkin, ending with the flour, until a soft dough forms. The texture will be between cake batter and cookie dough.
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Using a 1/4-cup scoop, place mounds of dough 3 inches apart on the prepared sheets (about six per sheet). Bake 15–18 minutes, rotating pans halfway through, until the cookies are set. Let cool completely on the baking sheets.
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For the glazes: In a large bowl with the sifted confectioners’ sugar, add 6 tablespoons of the milk, corn syrup, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Whisk until smooth. Reserve 1 cup of this glaze in a smaller bowl, then add the remaining 1 tablespoon milk and the sifted cocoa powder to that smaller bowl and stir until smooth to make the chocolate glaze.
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Frost the cookies upside down: use an offset spatula to spread vanilla glaze on one half of the flat underside of each cookie. Let the vanilla set for about 15 minutes, then spread the chocolate glaze on the other side. Allow the chocolate to set about 20 minutes before serving or storing.
Notes
These soft, cakey glazed pumpkin spice cookies will quickly become a fall favorite.
Have a super sweet day!
xo, Hayley