New York Black and Whites

These huge, dramatic-looking chocolate- and vanilla-iced cookies have enticed New Yorkers for the past 40 years!  A mainstay of deli bakery cases across New York City, they were once spotlighted on the Seinfeld television show.  Black and whites have a huge following and evoke fond memories, particularly among those who ate them as children.  I had personally never heard of them, living in the Midwest my whole life, but when I saw them featured in Nancy Baggett's All- American Cookie Book, I had to try them.  They were instantly named The Mister's favorite, so I  baked them for Valentine's Day.

If you'd like to bake them yourself, here's the recipe:

Cookies

3 c all purpose flour

3/4 t salt

1/4 t baking soda

1 1/3 c sugar

2/3 c butter, softened

1/2 c vegetable shortening

2 eggs

2 t vanilla

2 t light corn syrup

3/4 t lemon extract (I omitted)

1/3 c sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cover cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Mix dry ingredients and set aside.

With an electric mixer, blend butter, shortening and sugar until fluffy.  Add eggs, corn syrup, flavorings and mix well.  Alternate sour cream with dry ingredients and mix just until combined.

Let dough set 5 minutes to set up. ( I added 1/2 c more flour as mine was very wet)

Using 1/4 measure of dough, shape into balls (I used small ice cream scoop).  Place on baking sheets, spacing about 3.5" apart.  Using floured hands, press balls into 3.25" circles. Dough is very sticky. Bake 10-14 minutes until barely golden on the edges. (Mine took 8 minutes)

Fondants

1/4 c light corn syrup

5 c powdered sugar

3/4 t vanilla

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

In medium sized saucepan, bring 1/2 c water and the corn syrup just to boil.  Remove from heat and pour over powdered sugar which has been placed in microwave safe bowl.  Stir with vanilla until completely smooth.  Place the chocolate in a small microwave safe bowl and pour 2/3 c of the hot fondant over the chocolate.  Stir until partially melted.  Add another 1/2 of the vanilla fondant and stir until completely incorporated.  (I had to microwave each to reheat and thin out with a little water to get to a fluid but not runny consistency, which you need to spread on the cookies).

Set cookies on wire racks which have been placed over wax paper to catch drips.  Place a small amount of the chocolate fondant in a pastry bag and using a #2 tip, pipe a straight line down the center of each cookie.  This is optional, but makes for a clean divide between the 2 different fondants.

Spread the sides with white and black, working quickly so the fondant retains it's shiny appearance.  I did all the white sides, then the chocolate, so I only had to keep one fondant the right consistency at a time.  Let sit several hours until firm.

♥