Recipe: Eclipse Cookies

Recipe Source: Stewart, Martha.  Martha Stewart's Cookies.  Clarkson Potter Publishers, New York, 2008 p. 213

When I was a kid, most bakeries had these cookies.  They were like flat little cakes and frosted.  One half of the frosting was white and one half was black.  We called these cookies "Half-Moons."  When I came to Boston I looked for them, and I've looked for them ever since.  I can occasionally find them in the bakery section of some of the larger Stop-and-Shop groceries, in the more Italian neighborhoods, but only pre-packaged and wrapped in plastic.  They're sold under the name "Black-and-White" cookies, which is the name Martha Stewart uses in her book, and they don't taste quite the same.  Still, they're better than having NO half-moon cookies, so I buy them on the rare occasions I go to Stop-and-Shop.  I had a major craving for them the other day, and so decided to make them myself. 

I hate to say it, but the Martha recipe wasn't quite right either.  I wonder if it's something as simple as the water?  I never thought I'd miss Syracuse water, especially since I won't drink it without a filter, but maybe that's the source of the difference.  Anyway, the only real substitution I made was the buttermilk, which I replaced with yogurt.  The reason for the substitution was very simple: this was not a planned recipe and buttermilk is not an item I stock on a regular basis.  Yogurt, on the other hand, is.  The yogurt doesn't seem to be the reason it doesn't quite work. 

The frosting, I must say, was a little over-lemony.  I like the taste of lemon very much, but not necessarily when mixed with chocolate.  The frosting also frustrated me to no end, but it's more my fault than the recipe's fault.  I added too much water to the frosting when I was mixing it, and as a result the white frosting was more like a glaze.  Honestly, it looked (and acted) like the stuff on Krispy Kreme doughnuts.  The chocolate glaze had a better consistency and tasted great.  After I tried three or four times to get the glaze to act like a frosting on the cookies, I gave up and made them all-chocolate frosted cookies.  They no longer looked like half moons.  However, the little bit of cookie peaking around the chocolate frosting on the edge kind of reminded me of an eclipse.  I therefore give you... (insert off-key trumpeting here) Eclipse Cookies.  They don't stay fresh for more than a couple of days, but you won't need to worry about that.  Trust me. 

Eclipse Cookies (makes about 36; approx. $0.11/cookie)

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup fat-free yogurt

2 cups confectioner's sugar

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon light corn syrup

2 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon water, plus more if needed (be very conservative with this...)

1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

Equipment:

• Sifter
• Paper plate
• Stand mixer with paddle attachment
• Small bowl
• Whisk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Sift the flour, baking soda and salt onto the paper plate.  If you'd rather not use something disposable, use a flexible cutting mat instead.  You can use a bowl, too, but the ability to fold the vessel will make cleanup much easier. 
3. Put the butter into the bowl of the mixer and mix until creamy, about 2 minutes.
4. Add the sugar.  Mix until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
5. Add egg and vanilla.  Mix well.
6. Mix in the flour and the yogurt in alternating batches (ie, first 1/3 flour, then 1/2 yogurt, repeat).
7. Roll tablespoons of dough into balls. 
8. Drop the balls onto lined baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart.  They will spread. 
9. Bake 10 minutes, rotating halfway through.
10. Remove the cookies to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.  If you can hide them from the dog, you can go watch the Celtics game.  This is what I did, and I don't even LIKE NBA ball. 
11. Make the icing.  Whisk the confectioner's sugar, corn syrup, lemon juice, vanilla and water in the small bowl until smooth.  You want a consistency slightly thicker than honey.
12. Add the cocoa powder.  Whisk well.
13. Frost cookies.  Let stand until set, 30 minutes.