Black and White Cookie

As I write this I am munching on a Black & White from Nadine's Bakery. And as much as I adore Nadine's, it's not a real B&W.

I had never heard of a Black & White cookie before living in New York. The more I became acquainted with the deli's, the more I spotted these sweet treats. The exact origin of the B&W is a little hazy. The explanation I first heard, and like the most, is that a bakery in Brooklyn started using it's excess cake batter to make cookies. This explains the traditional texture of the B&W, which is more cake-like than cookie-like. (And alas, this is where Nadine's got it wrong.) I've also noticed that traditional B&W's have a chocolate icing that is more bitter than sweet, therefore accentuating the taste difference between both sides.

Last time I went to New York I noticed that even Starbucks started marketing these treats. They were little mini versions of the real thing but tasted surprisingly similar.

I could go on and on about B&W's but I think Smitten Kitchen has already said it all:

http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/09/black-and-white-cookies/