If you’re from the tristate
area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, and let’s throw Philadelphia, PA
in for good measure, you don’t even have to think twice about what the answer
to this riddle is…Black and White Cookies.
While it was debated whether it is a cookie or a cake; in 1998,
columnist William Grimes, of the New York Times, finally defined it as a
“drop cake”. In his article, “Look to
the Cookie: An Ode in Black and White”, Grimes tells the tale of its origin, Glaser
Bake Shop on First Avenue near 87th Street where they’ve been making black and
whites since 1902.
Growing up, and working,
in New York City, every bakery worth its flour made them; they’re as popular
for breakfast as bagels with cream cheese and lox. Moving out to Utah, well like I keep telling
folks, the only thing I truly miss from the east coast is the food! I tried ordering some online, but the
shipping costs were just too high; so who came to the rescue, but my mother. She was able to find a supply of them at her
local supermarket (small ones in a plastic container; large ones individually
wrapped), and send them via priority mail.
Receiving the box, opening it and discovering these treats; it was like
hitting the lottery big time! I ripped
open one of the containers of small black and whites, and ate three; oh the
pleasure was indescribable.
Now what the heck is a
Black and White Cookie you are asking, if you’ve never had one. Well, it’s a large round vanilla, as Grimes
describes, drop cake made from a thickened cupcake batter; one side is white
(vanilla) fondant, the other is black (chocolate). If you’ve seen cakes that have those
perfectly smooth sides, when cut the frosting barely moves away from the cake;
yes, that’s fondant. Fondant is a thick
frosting that can be softened up enough to spread like frosting; then firms up
to remain on the item it has covered. Or it is rolled out into a thin sheet,
placed on a cake and pressed to form a seamless covering. The fondant frosting, once dried and firm, will
have the same shiny consistency that rolled out fondant has; it’s just easier
to get on the cookie when spread as a frosting.
That’s the best way I can describe black and whites; you’ll just have to
eat one to truly understand.
I know many readers are bakers, so here’s the recipe to try. Fondant powder and fondant sheets can be
found in larger supermarkets, in stores
that supply cake decorating supplies or ordered online, if not inclined to make
it totally from scratch.
Black and White Cookies
To Make the Cookie
Ingredients:
1 cup granulated sugar
1 and ½ cups plus 1 Tbsp.
vegetable shortening
1 tsp. melted butter
½ tsp. salt
½ cup plus 2 Tbsp. nonfat
dry milk
1 tsp. light corn syrup
3 eggs
4 cups plus 2 Tbsp. cake
flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
2/3 cup cold water
1 ½ tsp vanilla
Preparation:
Pre-heat the oven for 350
degrees.
In a large mixing bowl,
medium-high speed; beat together the sugar, shortening, butter, and salt; add
in nonfat dry milk and corn syrup; cream together. Gradually add in one egg at a time until
mixture becomes fluffy.
In a large bowl, combine
the cake flour and the baking powder in a separate bowl. Add 1/3 of dry ingredients plus 1/3 cup of
water to creamed batter. When well
incorporated, add 1/3 of dry plus other 1/3 of water; when well mixed, add last
of dry ingredients and mix well.
Using two cookie sheets,
nest one cookie sheet inside the other to make a double-thick cookie sheet;
line the top cookie sheet with baker’s parchment paper. Hint: For a guide, draw 3” circles on one
side of the parchment paper with a pencil; place pencil side down on cookie
sheet. Spread batter over the 3”
circles; make sure thickness is even (1/4” will puff up to ½” thickness).
Bake for 18 minutes;
remove cookies to wire rack to cool.
Makes 18 cookies.
To Make the Frostings
Vanilla Fondant
2 ½ cups fondant powder
¼ cup cold water
2 tsp vanilla
Put tap water in the
bottom of a double boiler and bring to a simmer. To the upper part of the double boiler, add
the fondant powder, ¼ cup cold water and vanilla Keep extra cold water nearby as fondant
tends to be a dry frosting; without sufficient water the frosting will dry too
fast, harden, and crack on the cookie. When the ingredients are well blended
and thin (it should run slowly off of a spoon), frost one half of the cooled
cookies; set aside to allow the frosting to harden.
Chocolate Fondant
2 ½ cups fondant powder
¼ cup cold water
2 tsp vanilla
½ cup semisweet chocolate
chips
Follow the directions for the
vanilla fondant, but include the chocolate chips. When the frosting is melted
and well mixed, frost the other half of the cookies. Make sure the vanilla
frosting has set before starting to frost them with the chocolate frosting.
Let the cookies continue
to set on a wire rack. When the frosting is no longer warm and pliable, you can
store the cookies individually in food storage bags or wrapped in wax
paper.
Mary Cokenour
