32.163.227.16 (talk) →History and difference from half-moons: Added "slightly" |
32.163.36.163 (talk) →History and difference from half-moons: Removed HUGE link and advertisement for some bakery in NY claiming to have "invented" a cookie that's been in NY for over 100 years now. WTF with the upstate folks and claiming they created everything? |
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There is some confusion as to the origin of the black-and-white cookie. The half-moon common in New England is sometimes confused with the black and white cookie but is made with a slightly different recipe. In New York City, however, one will find only black-and-whites. None-the-less, while the two names are often used interchangeably, there are considerable differences between the two; most notably in the textures of the base and the icing, with black-and-whites having a drier, cookie-like base and fondant frosting. And with the cookie also being bigger than most half-moons.<ref>http://inwithskin.com/half-moon-cookies-easter-style</ref><ref>[http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2013/01/best-black-and-white-cookie-nyc-nussbaum-wu.html What Makes a Good New York Black & White Cookie? Thoughts on the Best | Serious Eats : New York<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>http://www.originalhalfmooncookie.com/spot-the-fakes.html</ref> |
There is some confusion as to the origin of the black-and-white cookie. The half-moon common in New England is sometimes confused with the black and white cookie but is made with a slightly different recipe. In New York City, however, one will find only black-and-whites. None-the-less, while the two names are often used interchangeably, there are considerable differences between the two; most notably in the textures of the base and the icing, with black-and-whites having a drier, cookie-like base and fondant frosting. And with the cookie also being bigger than most half-moons.<ref>http://inwithskin.com/half-moon-cookies-easter-style</ref><ref>[http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2013/01/best-black-and-white-cookie-nyc-nussbaum-wu.html What Makes a Good New York Black & White Cookie? Thoughts on the Best | Serious Eats : New York<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>http://www.originalhalfmooncookie.com/spot-the-fakes.html</ref> |
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Half-moons most often come with a chocolate cake base, dark fudge icing on one side and sugary white frosting for the "half moon" side. Hemstrought's also made a vanilla cake base with fudge and white frosting, as well as full 'vanilla moons' and 'coconut moons,' with either a chocolate or vanilla cake base. |
Half-moons most often come with a chocolate cake base, dark fudge icing on one side and sugary white frosting for the "half moon" side. Hemstrought's also made a vanilla cake base with fudge and white frosting, as well as full 'vanilla moons' and 'coconut moons,' with either a chocolate or vanilla cake base. |
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The typical [[New York City]] and Long Island black-and-whites have a vanilla cake base with fudge and white frosting. |
The typical [[New York City]] and Long Island black-and-whites have a vanilla cake base with fudge and white frosting. |
Revision as of 10:48, 11 April 2015
Alternative names | Half and half cookie |
---|---|
Type | Biscuit |
Course | Dessert |
Place of origin | United States |
Region or state | Northeastern states |
Main ingredients | Shortbread, fondant |
A black and white cookie, or half and half cookie, is a soft, sponge-cake-like shortbread which is iced on one half with vanilla fondant, and on the other half by chocolate fondant. It is similar to a neenish tart, although neenish tarts are filled with a cream center, whereas a black and white cookie is not.
Notably, this style cookie is often seen as a particularly "New York" snack.
Although bearing a superficial resemblance to black and white cookies, halfmoon cookies, popular in Central New York, are made with a significantly different recipe. The traditional halfmoon cookie is a devil's food cake cookie with buttercream frosting, resulting in a cookie that is richer and moister than the black and white cookie. Halfmoon cookies are now also available with a vanilla cookie base.
Names
Cookies of this style are collectively known as "Black and White cookies" or "half-and-halfs". In Germany they are called "Amerikaner" (American).[1] On October 19, 2008, Barack Obama dubbed them Unity Cookies at a deli in Hollywood, Florida.[2][3]
History and difference from half-moons
There is some confusion as to the origin of the black-and-white cookie. The half-moon common in New England is sometimes confused with the black and white cookie but is made with a slightly different recipe. In New York City, however, one will find only black-and-whites. None-the-less, while the two names are often used interchangeably, there are considerable differences between the two; most notably in the textures of the base and the icing, with black-and-whites having a drier, cookie-like base and fondant frosting. And with the cookie also being bigger than most half-moons.[4][5][6]
Half-moons most often come with a chocolate cake base, dark fudge icing on one side and sugary white frosting for the "half moon" side. Hemstrought's also made a vanilla cake base with fudge and white frosting, as well as full 'vanilla moons' and 'coconut moons,' with either a chocolate or vanilla cake base.
The typical New York City and Long Island black-and-whites have a vanilla cake base with fudge and white frosting.
In popular culture
In the Seinfeld episode "The Dinner Party", Jerry eats a black-and-white cookie while waiting in a bakery with Elaine. He compares the cookie to a metaphor for racial harmony and that people should "Look to the cookie!"[7]
See also
References
- ^ The Black and White Cookie Meets the Amerikaner | Beyond Burgers and Bratwurst
- ^ Clark, Lesley (21 October 2008). "Barack Obama and the black and white cookie". The Miami Herald. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
- ^ Johnson, Sasha (21 October 2008). "Obama: McCain is 'running out of time' and 'making stuff up'". CNN. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
- ^ http://inwithskin.com/half-moon-cookies-easter-style
- ^ What Makes a Good New York Black & White Cookie? Thoughts on the Best | Serious Eats : New York
- ^ http://www.originalhalfmooncookie.com/spot-the-fakes.html
- ^ The Best Black and White Cookies? Half-Moons? Amerikaners? | Serious Eats : New York