Best Zabars Black And Whites Recipes
ZABAR'S BLACK-AND-WHITE COOKIES RECIPE
It is a cookie with its own cult. Called a black-and-white, it's a 6-inch-wide, cake-like cookie iced with equal amounts of thick chocolate and vanilla frosting.New York bakeries, delis and grocery stores sell loads of them. In Southern California they're harder to find, but that only seems to make them sweeter. When a bakery sells black-and-whites, expatriate New Yorkers flock in, just like at Dodger Stadium when the Mets are in town.Mickey Jacobs, the 82-year-old owner of J&T Bread Bin in the Farmers Market, pumps out 15 dozen black-and-whites a day. The Beverlywood Bakery has its own followers. And actor Henry Winkler has been known to place orders for 14-inch custom birthday versions of the cookie at Bea's Bakery in Tarzana. One employee at West Hollywood's Dialogue Cafe insists that there are Hollywood agents who buy them a dozen at a time and freeze them to keep clients such as actor Paul Reubens in constant supply.A Santa Monica couple, professional organizer Ruth Kennison and magazine writer David Hochman, carried their adoration even further. Kennison, who was introduced to them as "half-moon cookies" as a child in Boston, and Hochman, who discovered them as an adult in New York's Grand Central Station, served them at their wedding. Together, they're now united in their ongoing search for the ultimate cookie.What is it about the black-and-white?No one seems to know where they came from. Jacobs claims the cookie was invented by the kitchen of Austrian Emperor Franz Josef in 1867. Perhaps. One baker at the Beverlywood claimed to know of its origin but grumbled, "I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you."There isn't even a single standard recipe. The most frequently printed one comes from New York icon Zabar's, but some black-and-white aficionados find it wanting. It seems that a common problem with black-and-whites is dryness. An impartial taste test of a few Southern California black-and-whites was won by Bea's Bakery. Bea's cookie was incredibly moist, just a hint drier than a pound cake, and generously swathed in thick icing. (It is made from a recipe from Cleveland.)Part of the appeal of the black-and-white is the graphic division between chocolate and vanilla frosting. To some fans, the pleasure is deciding where to take the first bite--a grave philosophical quandary. Some simply divide the cookie in half and take alternate bites from each side. Some munch straight down the center, then sandwich the two halves together to ensure an equal mix of chocolate and vanilla in the last bite.A writer named Gavin on the foodie Web site Chowhound.com says he and his sister break the cookie in half perpendicular to the dividing line, so each person has half the white and half the black. Together, they then decide where to bite first, making sure each balances the other's choice with yin-yang precision."The key to eating a black-and-white cookie, Elaine, is you want to get some black and some white in each bite," Jerry Seinfeld once philosophized on his sitcom. "Nothing mixes better than vanilla and chocolate. And yet, still, somehow racial harmony eludes us. If people would only look to the cookie, all our problems would be solved."As with any item that develops a following, the black-and-white has its detractors. "Sawdust cakes" is one nickname. And there is the prospect of commercialism. Black-and-white lovers resort to cellophane-wrapped versions only in emergencies (cellophane throws off the cookie's moisture balance). And under no circumstances should one entertain the thought of eating a cellophane-wrapped black-and-white that has a commercial label.In fact, Hochman expressed anxiety that interest in the black-and-white could result in its crossing over to trendiness. He admitted worrying that his treasured cookie could become a mass-market item, going the way of the Krispy Kreme doughnut, diluting its multilayered symbolism.Nothing ruins a cult item like popularity.Nahmias is a screenwriter.
Provided by Rick Nahmias
Categories DESSERTS
Yield Makes about 26 cookies
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat 2 baking sheets with nonstick spray and set aside.
- Beat together the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each. Add the milk and vanilla and lemon extracts and mix until smooth.
- In a medium bowl, combine the cake and all-purpose flours, the baking powder and the salt and stir until mixed. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in batches, mixing well to combine. For each cookie, place 1/4 cup of batter on a baking sheet. Use a knife or offset spatula to shape each cookie into a circle; do not flatten. Space the cookies 2 inches apart.
- Bake the cookies until the edges begin to brown, 15 to 17 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Place the powdered sugar in a large bowl. Gradually add enough of the boiling water, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick and spreadable.
- Remove half of the frosting to a double boiler set over, but not touching, simmering water and add the chocolate. Warm the mixture, stirring, until the chocolate is melted and the frosting is smooth. Remove from the heat.
- Turn the cookies to frost the bottoms. Using a knife or offset spatula, coat half of each cookie with chocolate frosting and the other half with white frosting. Repeat until all cookies are done.
PERFECT BLACK AND WHITE COOKIES
Tender, moist and scented with vanilla, almond and lemon, these classic confections popular all over the Midwest and the state of New York are more cake than cookie, with a fine crumb and velvet texture from the sour cream in the batter. Even better, they are glazed with both vanilla and chocolate, so you don't have to pick favorites. These are best eaten within 24 hours of baking, when the cake is at its softest and the glaze at its snappiest. But if you store them in an airtight container at room temperature, they'll be good for a few days longer.
Provided by Melissa Clark
Categories cookies and bars, dessert
Time 1h
Yield 12 to 14 cookies
Number Of Ingredients 19
Steps:
- Heat oven to 375 degrees. Arrange racks in top and bottom thirds, and line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sea salt and baking soda. In a medium bowl, whisk together sour cream, milk, vanilla, lemon zest and almond extract.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Reduce speed to low and beat in 1/3 of the flour mixture, then 1/3 of the sour cream mixture. Repeat until both mixtures are incorporated, scraping sides of bowl as necessary. (Mixture will be the consistency of thick poundcake batter.)
- Dollop heaping 1/4-cup scoops of batter onto prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. (You should have 12 to 14 cookies.) Bake for 6 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets. Continue to bake until the cookies have firmed up and spring back when lightly pressed in the center, 6 to 9 minutes. (They'll brown only on the bottoms.) Take care not to overbake, or they will dry out.
- Transfer baking sheets to wire racks and let cool for 15 minutes, then transfer cookies directly to racks to cool completely.
- While the cookies cool, make the glaze: Place the confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl and whisk in 3 tablespoons boiling water, the corn syrup, vanilla and salt. Continue to whisk, adding more boiling water as needed, until you have a thick yet spreadable frosting that is the texture of hot fudge sauce. (Too thick is preferable to too thin.) Flip each cookie over and spoon glaze over half of its flat side, spreading to edges with the back of the spoon. Place on wire rack to set. You will have vanilla frosting left over.
- Whisk melted chocolate into vanilla frosting, then whisk in cocoa and enough room temperature water to make a thick yet spreadable glaze. Glaze the bare half of each cookie. Let glaze set for at least 1 to 2 hours before serving.
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