Since my vegan, organic sugar isn’t really white (no bone char filtering for me!), I decided to make these Black and White Cookies into The Grass is Always Greener at TCA Cookies.

Here is the easy recipe:

For the cookies
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 canola oil
1/3 cup soy milk
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the icing
2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon lemon juice

To make the cookies:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper or a silpat.

In a large bowl, whisk all of the dry ingredients for the cookies. In a different bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients, and pour this wet mixture into the dry mixture. Whisk until almost smooth.

This is a thick batter that I like to scoop up with an ice cream scoop to make uniform cookies. Oil the scoop first so that the batter falls out nicely, or use a 1/4 cup scoop. These cookies are large! Drop the scoops of batter on the cookie sheet with 3 inch distance between the scoops. Flatten the cookies slightly. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, and let cool on the pan.

To make the icing:
In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of water until smooth. Transfer half of the icing to another bowl, and add the cocoa powder plus the remaining tablespoon of water a bit at a time. Add the lemon juice to the remaining icing along with food coloring of your choice. I use India Tree. If the icing is too thick add small amounts of water. If the icing is too thin, add small amounts of powdered sugar to achieve the right consistency.

This recipe was adapted from Chloe’s Vegan Desserts.

– Linda Nelson