Chinese Marble Cookies
When I was a kid, one of my favorite treats were the giant Chinese Marble Cookies at our local bakery in Northeast Philly. It was such a treat when we were allowed to go to the bakery and select a giant bakery cookie!
Growing up as one of five kids, I vividly remember certain things that got me really excited!
Many of those memories were simple pleasures and since food is one of my favorite things you know a bunch of them are food memories!!
Going in the bakery with my mom and being told to go ahead and pick something out was a big one. I almost always went for one of the giant Chinese Marble Cookies at Arthur's Bakery on Red Lion Road in Philly:)
Later in life, I moved on to Arthur's chocolate éclair's. To this day I can not find anyone who makes them as good as my childhood bakery did. I swear each éclair was 1 pound in weight.
I made these Chinese Marble Cookies from my memory of their taste, texture and appearance. However when I searched for images of them I found some with big blobs of chocolate/fudge in the center.
My bakery had jimmies around the perimeter of the cookie instead. Did you have these cookies as a kid or do you have them where you are now? If so how do they differ? I am so curious!
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- butter
- sugar
- brown sugar
- vanilla
- eggs
- flour
- salt
- baking soda
- cocoa powder
- chocolate jimmies
Oh and for you non-Philly folks, Jimmies are what many across the country call sprinkles, lol!
I asked on my Soufflé Bombay Facebook Page a couple of years ago what people call them (sprinkles/jimmies) and was astounded by the number of responses!
It was pretty much split down the middle...And let me tell you people were rather territorial over their answer and I loved that! What do you call them?
Tips
- Read instructions through before making this cookie recipe, so you understand when to split the dough in half.
- When pressing on the jimmies, be firm.
- Use parchment paper for easy clean up and best results.
Making these Chinese Marble Cookies is pretty easy, and the result is a fun and different cookie to enjoy! I made a big batch and donated them to the middle school to sell during the play dates this year, they sold out in 1 day 🙂
Cookie recipes you may enjoy
- Easy Eggnog Biscotti - A holiday season favorite!
- Brownie Cookies - When you can't decide between the two!
- Family favorite Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Enjoy!! - Colleen
Chinese Marble Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 sticks of butter room temp
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 1 ¼ cups flour plus another ½ cup flour reserved
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 6 TBS cocoa powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a mixing bowl, combine butter and sugars and mix until smooth.
- Add in vanilla and eggs and mix until blended.
- Add in 1 ¼ cups flour, sprinkle salt and baking soda over-top and mix until smooth.
- Divide dough in half. add remaining ½ cup of flour to one half and mix until blended.
- Add the cocoa powder to the other half and mix until blended.
- Scoop the "vanilla" dough into balls using a small cookie scoop (fill scoop a little less than full) and place on a piece of parchment paper.
- Do the same with the chocolate dough.
- Take one of each, press them together, flatten them down into a fat disk and roll edges liberally in the chocolate jimmies.
- Place onto a parchment paper lined lined baking sheet, one inch apart (I usually fit 7 per sheet).
- Bake 11 minutes or so or until done to your liking. You don't want edges to brown.
- Allow them to cool on tray for a couple minutes and then using a cookie spatula, transfer them to a cooling rack until completely cool.
- Store in a cookie jar or airtight container and enjoy!
How tasty do these look? I never knew sprinkles were also known as Jimmies, and I'm right down the road in Baltimore. Learn something new everyday!
I have never heard of jimmies...only sprinkles. I live in Tennessee so Jessica, I suppose it isn't just a Southern "thing"! lol
I will enjoy making these cookies, and Colleen, thank you for sharing your childhood memories!
I grew up in Oxford Circle. We'd buy them from Lipton's Bakery on Castor Ave. We LOVED these!
My sister asked me to find if there was a recipe online. Found yours, going to try them this weekend.
I dated a boy from Oxford Circle area! I hope you guys love these! I was just thinking about making a batch yesterday...Soon!! (Trying to sugar detox for a few weeks, lol).
What a small world! Haven't made them yet & I'm not allowed a lot of sugar or butter (gastric bypass surgery from several years ago).
I know Splenda would work well but I'm wondering what a good substitute for butter would be.
Going to test it out once I figure out what will work best.
I grew up in Illinois where we called them jimmies. I now live in Southern CA and they call them sprinkles here. I still call them jimmies.
Ha! I grew up in NE Philly as well and totally remember Arthur's Bakery! 🙂
I still dream of their eclairs!
The bakeries in north jersey where I grew up had giant sugar cookies with sprinkles (not jimmies...haha). But I love these with chocolate too!
SO funny the difference, its like pop and soda or taffy and lollipop!
YUM! Marble cookies! The best of both worlds!
I remember them from Lipkin and Hesh's bakeries. I make something similar, using a box of chocolate cake mix and yellow cake mix, mixed with some butter and an egg, so they are cookie consistency. Here's my method: I take a 1/4 of the vanilla mix, then 1/4 of the chocolate,and roll them out, with the chocolate on top. Then, I roll it up, and roll the entire log in jimmies. I refrigerate if for a bit, then slice it and bake them. They come out swirled, and may be a quicker, easier method.
SOunds delicious! I will have to try it! I just looked that bakery up, on Castor Ave right?? I can see the cookies in one of their pics! Love it! They did a swirl whereas my bakery (Arthur's) in Morrell park did half and half. I still miss that bakery!
How much butter do you use for each 1/4 cake mix. Do you split the egg or use a whole one for both the choc and vanilla
I don't remember the bakery where my Grandmother use to get these but they also had jimmies on them. I have been searching for them since the bakery near my grandmother closed. She lived in West Philly and the bakery was only about 5 minutes away from her house. They also had a deli where we got the best corned beef specials.
I will have to try your recipe.
ARen't food memories from our childhood the BEST Sara?? Hope you enjoy these!
OMG! I just found this site and saw this comment. I’m originally from the LowerMerion area and visited a bakery on Haverford Ave. I moved to Ohio when I was 15 but have been visiting Philly often recently and have gotten the cookies at Best Cake Kosher Bakery. I am thinking that it used to be Greenberg’s as you describe the cookie as I remember it. Now they look different but still taste the same. I always bring them back and freeze them but am looking to make my own.
Thanks!
Esther
Greenberg's now exists in Oreland, PA with these cookies! Still delicious! https://www.greenbergsbakery.com/
Wow - I grew up in Overbrook and remember Greenberg's - they were the best! That's the bakery that sent me looking for this recipe!
I grew up in Morrell Park (Philly) and these were my favorite from Arthurs Bakery 🙂 Such a treat!
Liss BAKERY on 54th Street in Wynnegield sold these as well as Hymie's Jewish Deli in Bala Cynwd sell a small version. i remember a larger cookie when I waa younger.
Yes! If only we could go back for a day!! 🙂
I remember swirled marble cookies, about five inches in diameter, three quarters of an inch thick, with chocolate jimmies around the edge. They had a dry, cake-like consistency, and have disappeared with Greenberg’s Bakery, west of Philadelphia. I am dying to have those again! Does this sound like your cookies?
Hi Jamie and yes. I did my best to replicate my memory of those cookies. Let me know if you give them a try.
Greenberg's exists now in Oreland, PA! https://www.greenbergsbakery.com/
I remember these cookies from Don's Bakery on Bustelton Ave. In the early 1960s. With jimmies around the edges.
Yes!!
I’ve been looking for a recipe for these for years!!! The ones at my local bakery in Overbrook were a little different - a little drier - but these are the closest that I’ve found yet. Thank you so much for putting this out there!
My first attempt at this recipe. I only eyeballed the division of the dough for black and white--and I didn't get it right! Didn't have enough flour in my chocolate half. Thus the dough was sticky and harder to work with (even after an overnight in the fridge...maybe should have frozen them??) Also, DOUBLE UP when dipping in the jimmies/sprinkles if you want a good covered edge after baking. Aim to get the sprinkles on the top edge of the cookie, rather than the "edge-edge.") And after that, enjoy one FABULOUS, BUTTERY, SOFT cookie!
p.s.- I'm from Maryland originally, and we called the chocolate one jimmies and the rainbow ones sprinkles!
I would totally say that you have to play with the dough when splitting it to get the right texture since we will all most likely pull it apart differently. Jimmies! Yes, I have heard a few say that. Us Philly people just say jimmies to them all, or used to anyway! Thanks for the feedback!
I am all in on this. I too, have been looking to find a replica of those cookies. My father’s cousins owned the Castor Deli and I believe one of the aforementioned bakeries baked them for their resale. Thank you for your endeavor and providing a little nostalgia trip in these trying times. I have been away from the east coast for 30yrs and have had to explain the “jimmies” vs “sprinkles” ID countless times. Two other missed familiarities are OTC crackers with white horseradish sauce on seafood restaurant tables and orange duck sauce with fried won ton noodles at Chinese restaurants. I have never seen those since I left Philadelphia but will happy to tear through a batch of “Chinese Cookies.”
Thanks again,
Stephanie
Haha, you are welcome! You just have to love food that is full of nostalgia!
I am about to try out this recipe so I left the out my rating. I also grew up with these cookies from Greenberg’s bakery in Overbrook Park. I have had no success finding the cookies here in Southern California or anywhere else in the past few years. love cookies but these are my absolute favorite!!!
Oh! I hope you enjoyed them! I need to make these soon, its been a year or so since I did. I was just thinking of them the other day.
I grew up on these I’m from Northeast CT our local Chinese restaurant always had them. Only difference is instead of being 50-50 chocolate/vanilla they made them look like Yin-Yang ☯️ symbol. Even on menu they called them Yin-Yang Cookies. I missed these… Thanks for memory I can’t wait to bake them!… and yes we called them jimmies too!
Aren't food memories the BEST! And I have spent a lot of time in CT (Sharon, Kent and now Sharon)...literally since I was born, so beautiful there One of my parents best friends is there (Navy buddy)
Hi I just made these and they are delicious. But I wanted to point out your ingredients say baking powder but your instructions say soda. I wasn’t sure which one to use so I did a half teaspoon of each.
Hi Leslie a 1/4 cup of water. Adjusted Instructions, TY!
We used to call them shots. Colored shots or chocolate shots on a Mr. Softee vanilla cone! Yum!
I never heard that one before! What state are you from?
Hello, thanks for this - Will definitely try them. I grew up in Philly and for those still in the area Hymies Deli in Narberth still sells them and they are heavenly! One ingredient I believe they usually have is almond extract. I found Landolakes has a recipe for these too and they are sliced to make a swirl. Thanks again!
Thanks Margie! I will definitely take a trip that way soon to try one! My kids are allergic to tree and peanuts so I never can use that.
I worked for Moishe’s Addison Bakery on bustleton ave in the early 70’s & we sold these Chinese cookies YUM!
We recently found them at Loshel’s bakery in Hatboro & they are delish!
Hi Ann! I am not far from Hatboro, I will TOTALLY check those out in the very near future...Yum! and...Philly in the house, lol!!
I am a Philly girl as well originally (always a Philly girl at heart) and have been looking for these cookies for many many years. I remember them being in a pinwheel pattern of chocolate and vanilla dough. The cookie was 5 inches wide or so, and an inch thick and covered in chocolate jimmies around the outside edge. I can't wait to make these! Thanks everyone for sharing similar memories. We got ours in China town, although thanks for the tip on finding them at Hymie's. I still go there occasionally when back in town.
Food has a way of taking us back which I love! Enjoy!!
I grew up in Northeast Philly and they live in Havertown. We used to get the Chinese cookies at the kosher bakery on Haverford Avenue but the woman sold the bakery and they haven’t been the same since. I will try to make your cookies so that my children can continue to enjoy them. I do not think the ones at Hymie’s are not as good as the ones from the kosher bakery on Haverford Avenue but I could be wrong so I will try them again. The new owners at the Best Cake kosher bakery on Haverford now make the Lipkins knishes and have the cookies but they just don’t taste the same.Thank you for your recipe.
I've never had those back in the day. Hope you enjoy!!
Do you use Baking Powder or Soda in this recipe? It says one thing in the ingredient list and another in the directions.
Thanks!
Meredith
Soda, I will adjust. Thanks for the catch!
I'm going to try your recipe again, but I recall being disappointed the first time I tried it. This was also the favorite cookie of mine and many of my cousins. Though also from the Northeast, Lipkins and Bogoslavsky's come to mind as our go to when we lived in Oxford circle. When we moved near Alberger and Veree, I think there might have been a bakery on Krewstown Rd, where my mom patronize
d. The major difference between your recipe and my memory is the taste of almond. I don't know if adding any almond flour or paste might help. The last time I tried to buy these at Lipkins on Haverford Ave., they were $2.75 for each cookie and did not taste the same.
Maybe it IS the almond extract, My kids have life-threatening allergies to tree and peanuts. Good luck adjusting it to your childhood memory. Sometimes around Philly they also had a "puddle" of chocolate in the middle, mmm!
Your ingredient list says to use baking powder; however, your instructions say baking soda.
Baking soda, corrected TY!
Delicious and just like the ones I grew up with! Thank you for the great recipe.
Yay!!! 🙂