Yin Yang Cookies Recipes

Steps:

• Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.
• In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter at low speed for a minute or two until soft. Add the shortening and sugar and continue beating until fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla, corn syrup, and almond extract and increase the speed to medium for about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and add half of the flour mixture, then beat slowly until all the flour is incorporated. Next, add half the sour cream, then mix slowly. Repeat until all the flour mixture and sour cream are incorporated. Allow the dough to rest in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.
• While the dough chills, make the icing. Sift the confectioners' sugar into a bowl. Combine the corn syrup and water in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Stir the hot mixture into the confectioners' sugar, stirring vigorously. Add the butter and vanilla and stir until the mixture is smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and store at room temperature until the cookies are ready to be iced.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Scoop a ball of cookie dough (about 1/4 cup) onto the cookie sheet one at a time, placing them about 1 inch apart. Roll each cookie scoop into a ball between your palms and flatten each one slightly to a thickness of at least 1/2 inch.
• Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, or until slightly risen and golden brown on the edges.
• Remove them from the baking sheet with a spatula, and place them on a plate. Ice the cookies by spreading a thin layer of icing on each one with an offset spatula while they are still warm.
• To decorate, make a batch or 1/2 batch of Dark Chocolate Plastique (the recipe yields more than you will need here but freezes well). I like using a round pastry tip and a paring knife to cut out shapes. Roll out the plastique on parchment paper until very thin. Cut a yin yang shape (like a large comma) with a paring knife to fit on the top of your cookie. Use an offset spatula to move the plastique comma onto the iced cookie. You need only one side, because when you place the plastique on the iced cookie, it will stick, creating the black-and-white, yin yang pattern. This may involve some trial and error to get just the right fit, but it becomes easy as you go along. You can use your pastry tip to punch out the "eye" of the yin yang symbol before you place it on the cookie for the full effect.

Steps:

• Sift flour and salt into a medium bowl; set aside. Put butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low. Mix in egg yolk and vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture; mix until just combined, about 1 minute.
• Remove half of the dough; set aside. Add cocoa powder to remaining dough; mix on low speed until well combined. Turn out chocolate dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll into a 10-inch log, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Repeat with reserved vanilla dough. Wrap each log in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until slightly firm, at least 30 minutes.
• Press handle of a long wooden spoon into side of chocolate log, making an indentation along its length. Roll handle into and then away from log, creating an apostrophe shape. Repeat with vanilla log. Fit logs together; press lightly to seal. Gently roll into a 2-inch-diameter log. Wrap in plastic wrap, and freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut log into 1/4-inch-thick rounds; space 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. If dough becomes too soft to slice cleanly, return to freezer until firm.
• Bake until firm to the touch, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to wire racks; let cool.

Steps:

• CUPCAKES: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and sugar together. Add butter and milk and mix at medium speed for 2 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and beat 2 more minutes.
• Divide the batter in half, and mix coffee and cocoa powder into one half of the batter, mixing well for 2 minutes to incorporate. (using two pyrex measuring cups or containers with spouts works well for this).
• Using both hands, pour equally and at the same time both batters into lined muffin tins so that they fill each cup equally side by side (it helps if you have a helper nearby).
• Carefully place muffin pan into the oven and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely on cooling racks.
• MAKE THE FROSTING: Place butter and confectioners sugar in a bowl and beat until creamy. Blend in half and half and vanilla.
• Divide the icing and mix cocoa powder into one half, mixing well. Frost a yin-yang design over top in opposing color of each side of the muffin (white frosting on chocolate side, chocolate frosting on white side).