Vanilla Half Moon Cookies
It’s been a long time coming, but I finally have a vanilla half moon recipe to share with you! After the massive success of Hemstrought’s Half Moon Cookie Recipe here I knew I needed to find a vanilla counterpart, and you’ve definitely been asking for one! To this day it is still the most requested recipe.
But finding a authentic vanilla half moon cookie from Utica, proved to be easier said than done.
Until now.
Today, I am sharing a vanilla version of Utica’s famous Half Moon Cookies from the cookbook Cry, Laugh, Cook! by local author Yvonne Conte. This is an authentic half moon cookie from a local family known for fabulous food and family style restaurants in the Utica area.
What Are Half Moon Cookies?
Half Moon Cookies are a quintessential Upstate New York treat. Half Moon Cookies are a soft and fluffy cookie, either chocolate or vanilla, that are iced with half white, half chocolate frosting.
Half Moons are not delicate little tea cookies, these are indulgent monstrous cookies cake-like cookies, that are more of a full-out dessert. Every bakery and restaurant has their own unique take on half moon cookies, and recipes are usually closely guarded.
These cookies are immensely popular in Upstate New York, and hold a special place in the hearts of transplanted New Yorkers.
Who Invented the Half Moon Cookie?
A former architect, Harry Hemstrought, opened up a little bakery in Utica in 1925. His signature chocolate cookie, half chocolate icing, half white caught on immediately with his customers. It didn’t take long for the cookie’s popularity to spread throughout Central New York, and you can now find Half-Moon cookies just about everywhere, including Wegmans.
The recipe we are talking about today is from Yvonne Conte, a well known local personality, who has had recurring columns in local Newspapers, weekly morning radio show appearances, delivered motivational speeches to corporate events, and written several books, including the collection of Conte family recipes in the book Cry, Laugh, Cook!
What’s the Difference Between Half Moon Cookies and NYC Black & Whites?
The Half Moon cookies of Central New York, are drastically different from the Black & Whites of New York City. Where the Black & Whites have a thin shortbread-like cookie, Half-Moons have a pillowy, cookie. Black & Whites are glazed, Half-Moons are slathered with vanilla buttercream of one-half of the top and chocolate buttercream on the other, resulting in the half-moon appearance. I have always been a huge fan of soft cakey cookies, so there will always be one of my favorite cookies, EVER.
How Do You Make Vanilla Half Moon Cookies?
The Half Moon Cookie Recipe from Cry, Laugh, Cook! Is incredibly simple, and requires basic ingredient measuring, mixing and baking, but there are a few things you might want to keep in mind before you dive in:
These are cake-like cookies, and the cookie dough is very unique. It’s closer to a super-thick cake batter rather than a stiff cookie dough. The ingredients and instructions resemble a basic vanilla cake batter, and at times during the process you may start to think the batter is too liquidy, but don’t worry it will all come together in the end.
Because this cookie dough is made with shortening instead of butter, there is no need to chill the dough before baking– you can bake the cookies right away. And since we are on the topic of butter, I have not attempted to make this recipe with butter, in place of the shortening. I imagine any attempt to replace the shortening with butter would also require you to cut back on the milk slightly, as butter has more liquids than shortening.
When you are ready to bake your cookies, you can use a ¼ cup measuring cup, but my favorite way to scoop out the cookie dough for half moon cookies is to use a #20 scoop to perfectly portion out the cookie dough without all the mess of a measuring cup and spoon.
And finally, to prevent the bottoms from over-browning use light colored cookie sheets lined with a silicon baking mat.
How Do You Frost Half Moon Cookies?
Once the baked cookies are completely cooled you are going to want to flip them upside down, and frost the bottoms!
Yup, you read that right. The flat bottom side of the half moon cookie is frosted with the chocolate and vanilla frosting , not the doomed top side of the cookie. No one really knows why this is the way half moon cookies are frosted, but that’s how we roll here in Upstate New York.
Traditionally the chocolate frosting is slathered on significantly thicker than the vanilla frosting, so I find it easier to frost the vanilla side of the cookie first, and then go back and do the chocolate side.
Vanilla Half Moon Cookie Recipe by Yvonne Conte
The Conte family has been in the food business for many generations, Yvonne’s grandparents owned Conte’s restaurant on Columbia Street in Utica, and her Uncle Carl owned the North Genesee Club Dinner and the Diplomat Restaurant in Utica. In Cry, Laugh, Cook Yvonne shares her family’s treasured recipes, and entertaining anecdotes surrounding the food and meals the Conte’s shared as a family.
There is no mention in Conte’s book that this recipe for Vanilla Half Moon Cookies is from any of the Conte family establishments, but Yvonne does say this specific recipe has been made within her family for several years.
Vanilla Half Moon Cookies
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and continue beating until well combined.
- With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the buttermilk and dry ingredients, beginning and ending with the buttermilk. Mix just until combined. The batter will be thick and soft, similar to muffin batter.
- Scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet using about 3 tablespoons of batter per cookie, leaving 2 inches between each. If needed, use your finger or the back of a spoon to gently smooth the edges into a round shape.
- Bake for 12–15 minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to turn golden. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Divide the softened butter evenly between two bowls. Add 1 cup confectioners’ sugar to each bowl, then stir the cocoa powder into one of the bowls.
- Using an electric mixer, beat each mixture until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
- Add 1 tablespoon milk and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract to each bowl. Beat until smooth, adding a little extra milk if needed. The frosting should be thick but easy to spread.
- Once the cookies are completely cool, frost half with vanilla frosting and the remaining half with chocolate frosting.
- Store unfrosted cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Unfrosted cookies may also be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw completely before frosting and serving.
Nutrition
Notes
- Smooth any uneven edges before baking for the most uniform cookies.
- A warm baking sheet can cause the second batch to bake more quickly, so begin checking for doneness about a minute earlier.
- These cookies are best frosted the day they are served.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!More Recipes From Upstate New York…
- Grandma Brown’s Baked Beans
Explore Grandma Brown’s humble beginnings, its rise to local fame, and how to recreate this cherished recipe at home. - The Depot Blue Cheese Salad Dressing
The Depot Restaurant’s creamy and tangy blue cheese salad dressing, a beloved specialty from a from a restaurant that once graced a historic train station in the village of Pittsford. - Finger Lakes Concord Grape Bread
This quick bread originally published in The Cookbook For Goodness Taste in 1991, is a delicious way to enjoy the fall grape harvest.
I am always on the lookout for local recipes! If you have a recipe you are willing to share, shoot me an email, or leave it in the comments, you will be credited as the source of the recipe when I publish, and I will be eternally grateful.
Is it supposed to be 2 tablespoons for the cookie part of the recipe? It says so, but I think it is a misprint. I just make these cookies, with the recipe as written, and it definitely wasn’t correct (or taste good) with 2 tablespoons!
Tons of good recipes here as well as half moon
cnyeats.com
I grew up in Seneca Falls NY, and absolutely loved the Half Moon Cookies at Calarco’s Bakery and Rose Bakery in Auburn. This recipe nails it, right down to the frosting. I’ll be bringing a few dozen of these cookies to our next family reunion in July. Thank you so much.
I’m confused on your nutrients info. Can you see if there’s a misprint in the carbohydrates…or your list of info is written confusingly. Ty. Also do you gey a lot of requests to make the Half Moons with chocolate batter instead of vanilla
How do I modify this recipe to make these a chocolate cookie ?
Many thanks for posting this vanilla version and the chocolate version of the recipe. I was getting by because Wegmans has come as far south as Virginia but they’ve recently stopped selling these cookies so now I need to make my own! Yours were the first recipes I came across and I can’t wait to give them a try.
If your driving through Utica NY Northbound on Route 12, take a right on Oswego Street and immediately on your left you will see a small Hemstrought’s Store. They do not have a lot of stuff, but they sell their original half-moons there. Grab Some! If your passing through Utica Route 12 South bound – take the French Road Exit, turn left at Home Depo and a 1/4 mile more on your right is Chanantry’s Market – run in and to your right against the wall you’ll see fresh half-moons. They are created to Hemstrought’s specs and carry the name too, but they are baked right in Chanantry’s in store bakery at the rear of the store. Delicious Half-Moons!