Black and White cookies are a NY classic. Also known as Amerikaner cookies or Half-Moon Cookies, they were originally a Brooklyn deli cookie made from leftover cake batter with a little flour tossed in to keep it from spreading all over.
Older New Yorkers hold fast by the observation that you can tell a lot about someone by the way they eat a Black and White. Dark or white side first? Do they lick the frosting off like an Oreo? Or, do they nibble from both and meet in the middle. In a famous Seinfeld episode, Jerry mused that people should look to the Black and White Cookie to solve all our problems as the black and white sides live harmoniously on top of the cookie (never mind that cookie "cannibals" eventually eat them). Click here to see a short cooking video.
Chef Michael Hutchings
Michael's Catering
Santa Barbara, CA