Half Moon Cookies

Half Moon Cookies
I have never been there, but family members are always bragging about a cookie they would get at the Harrison Bakery in Syracuse, New York. They called it the half Moon cookie. I had to set out to find the recipe for this treat. Wow! Not only did I find many variations of this cookie, but a few different names. The main three are:
- Half Moon Cookies
- Black and White Cookies
- Amerikaners
And each recipe differs in some way. There are chocolate cookies and vanilla cookies. Some come with simple confectioner’s sugar frosting and some with buttercream frosting. Several were a thinner cookie, while various ones were a chewy type cookie.
I decided to try a chocolate cookie (can’t go wrong with chocolate, now can you) with a butter cream frosting.
TIPS:
- Using a cookie scoop (or ice cream scoop) either a #40 – 1 ½ tablespoons works best.
- Do not freeze or refrigerate these cookies as they will come out like hard cake.
- Wrapping each one separately in plastic keeps them nice and fresh. (Of course, there’s always the chance that they will be eaten right away, if your house is anything like my house.)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line cookie sheets with parchment paper
Makes approximately 30 cookies
Cookie Ingredients
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 egg
2 cups cake flour
3 heaping tablespoons cocoa powder – the better the powder the better the cookie
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk
Cookie Preparation
Cream the sugar, brown sugar, and shortening.
Add egg and mix until combined.
In a separate bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda, and baking powder until cocoa is distributed throughout.
Add this to the wet ingredients and alternate with milk a little at a time and mix until thoroughly combined. This mixture will resemble a thick cake batter.
Scoop and drop onto lined cookie sheet. If you shake each cookie slightly is will allow the batter to settle down.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes and remove from oven. Before placing on a wire rack to cool let the cookies sit on the pan for a minute or two.
FROSTING INGREDIENTS
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
2-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons hot milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, melted (reserve this for the chocolate frosting)
FROSTING PREPARATION
Combine all ingredients except the cocoa.
Beat until smooth.
Divide this mixture in half.
Add melted chocolate to half of the frosting and stir well.
Keeping the frosting slightly warmer than room temperature allows for easier spreading.
If you would like a printable page of this recipe Here it is
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