Treat of the Week: Black and White Cookies

See, the key to eating a Black and White cookie, Elaine, is you want to get some black and some white in each bite. Nothing mixes better than, vanilla and chocolate.

--Jerry Seinfeld, Seinfeld Episode 77, “The Dinner Party”

They’re iconic. They’re symbolic. They’re famous. They’re delicious. The Black and White cookie is as much of a symbol of New York as the apple. Just the sight of one of these cookies immediately puts one in mind of the fantastic bakeries of the Eastern United States.

A spongy yellow cake is the foundation of these delectable cookies which are iced in halves—vanilla and chocolate. Also known as “Half Moons” and “Half-and-Halfs,” Germans refer to these cookies as “Amerikaners.” These beauties are hard to find in the Central and Western United States. Imagine how thrilled I was when my mother told me she was baking some!

Almost five inches wide, the decadent cookies have been neatly iced in their traditional colors and flavors. The chocolate side is rich and exciting, the vanilla side has the perfect amount of sweet counterpoint. They are, truly, a work of modern art.

Jerry Seinfeld famously spoke of the Black and White cookie stating that the cookie could be a metaphor for racial harmony. His plaintiff cry of “Look to the cookie!” has become associated with the East Coast treats. I say, “Look to the cookie,” indeed. Look to it, and then, eat it. Then, repeat.