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The Best Black-and-White Dessert Recipes

Because you shouldn't have to choose between vanilla and chocolate

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Are there any quotidian decisions as difficult as choosing between chocolate and vanilla? OK, maybe a few. But now you’ll never have to pick a side again. Here, our favorite black-and-white dessert recipes. See, you can have the best of both worlds.

pudding
PHOTO: LIZ ANDREW/STYLING: ERIN MCDOWELL

Black-and-white Pudding

Fact: homemade pudding is way better than the boxed stuff.

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bwcookies
ERIN MCDOWELL

In our riff on the classic cookie, each one has half vanilla dough with chocolate chips and half chocolate dough with vanilla chips. So you get a little of both flavors in every bite.

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checkerboardcake
ERIN MCDOWELL

Checkerboard Cake

Two boxes of cake mix go a long way. We’ll even show you how to assemble this masterpiece.

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cupcakes
ERIN MCDOWELL

Chocolate Cupcakes With Vanilla Frosting

Finally, cupcakes that everyone can agree upon. Plus, this recipe makes the perfect amount--four cupcakes total.

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icecreamcupcakes
PHOTO: ERIC MORAN/STYLING: ERIN MCDOWELL

Ice-cream Cupcakes

Umm, excuse us, but these cupcakes are frozen. (And part vanilla, part chocolate.)

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nutella
ERIN MCDOWELL

Nutella Sandwich Cookies

What do you get when you pair meringue cookies and chocolate-hazelnut spread? These little bites of heaven.

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erin jeanne mcdowell

Freelance Food Editor

Erin Jeanne McDowell is a recipe developer, food stylist and author of multiple cookbooks, including The Fearless Baker, which was named one of the Best Baking Books of 2017 by the New York Times. She studied baking and pastry at The Culinary Institute of America in New York, and in addition to developing recipes for PureWow, her work has appeared in Better Homes and Gardens, Food Network Magazine, Food52, The Kitchn and more.