What’s the story behind the Black and White Cookie?
The black and white cookie is one of the most famous in New York City. But how did this happen? And is it even a cookie? Read on for more.
4 MINUTE READ
An image of the famous black and white cookie at the Good Batch in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn.
The black and white cookie is an iconic New York City treat! You may think you know this sweet treat from popular culture, but there is another side to the black and white cookie lore that is glazed in secrets and surprises! This post will explain:
The black and white cookie origin story
Are black and white cookies a Jewish food?
The difference between half moon cookies vs black and white cookies
Is the black and white cookie a cookie or a cake?
1. The black and white cookie origin story
Who invented the black and white cookie? The black and white cookie was invented in 1902 by John and Justine Glaser at Glaser’s Baker Shop in Yorkville, an area of the Upper East Side in New York. Inspired by the German Amerikaner: a soft, tender cookie iced in contrasting dark and light colors, the couple decided to sell the cookie because of the large population of Jewish and German immigrants in the area.
2. Are black and white cookies a Jewish food?
For decades, New Yorkers were buying black and white cookies in Jewish bakeries for Rosh Hashanah, special occasions, or just for fun! While not directly traced back to any specific Jewish tradition, they became such a staple of Jewish culture that Tablet Magazine would rank it among the 100 Most Jewish Foods.
At the end of the twentieth century, a very famous New Yorker would cement the black and white cookie Jewish legend on the small screen for viewers worldwide. The Seinfeld black and white cookie episode is inarguably the biggest pop culture moment in black and white cookie history! Jerry Seinfeld instructs us to “look to the cookie!” as a symbol of racial harmony, cementing its place in Jewish culture and in pop culture with his smash hit TV show. Can a black and white cookie actually bring about world peace? You’ll have to try one for yourself to find out!
3. Well then, what is a half moon cookie?
The half moon cookie is similar in appearance to the black and white cookie, but has a completely different backstory: Hemstrought’s Bakery in Utica began baking "half moons" around 1925. Baker Harry B. Hemstrought topped his cookie’s cake-like base with a split vanilla and chocolate frosting. This is what distinguishes half moon cookies vs. black and white cookies, as the former uses a glaze for its iconic two-toned look. The half-moon cookies Utica made famous do not seem to have any link to the black and white cookie, despite their similar appearance and cake-like texture, which has, in fact, led many to wonder…
4.Is a black and white cookie a cookie or a cake?
Technically, a black and white cookie is a cake! It’s not crumbly, crunchy, or snappy like a regular cookie. Instead, the spongy, unctuous texture was defined in the New York Times by William Grimes as “drop cakes.” In comparison to traditional cookies, these are more cake-like: the round discs have a light rise to them, making them thicker in the middle and thinner to the edges.
We liken the experience of eating a black and white cookie to eating a flat cupcake: the moist base giving the dominant flavor of a yellow cake, while the thin glaze accents the cake with bitter chocolate and sugary sweet vanilla. Much like our oversized pizza slices and piled-high pastrami sandwiches, your typical black and white cookie is oversized, grand, and huge! A full dessert in one cookie, the Big Apple demands a BIG cookie!
While the Glasers invented the black and white cookie over 100 years ago, innovations in New York City cookies continue to make a lasting impact on the city.
