Black and White Cookies and New York City

A recipe for Black and White Cookies inspired by our visit to New York City! These cake-like cookies are topped with a half vanilla, half chocolate glaze.

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I visited New York City for the first time last month with Chad to celebrate our anniversary. We have been married for seven years! We only had two days so I didn’t get to see everything on my list, but we still managed to fit in quite a lot.

Today, I am featuring a recipe for Black and White Cookies along with our experiences in Central Park and the Upper East Side.

I have since visited NYC a couple more times and updated this post to include the additional stops.

Check out the rest of our visits to NYC:

• Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies and New York City
• S’mores Macarons and New York City
• New York Style Bagels and New York City
• Xiao Long Bao (Chinese Soup Dumplings) and New York City
• Matcha Lava Cake and New York City
• Chocolate Hazelnut Babka and New York City
• New York Style Pizza and New York City

Café Sabarsky

We started our last morning with breakfast at Café Sabarsky. I bought a copy of Kurt Gutenbrunner’s cookbook, Neue Cuisine (recipes from Café Sabarsky, Wallsé, and Blaue Gans), a few years ago and was excited to see the cafe in person.

Café Sabarsky is located inside the Neue Galerie at the corner of 86th Street and Fifth Avenue, right next to Central Park. I really wish we had set aside enough time to tour the museum.

Unfortunately we had to catch a train back home early that afternoon and the museum doesn’t open until 11 am. I am definitely adding it to our itinerary sometime soon.

It features German and Austrian media (painting, sculpture, works on paper, decorative arts, and photographs) created between 1890 and 1940.

One of the most notable pieces is Gustav Klimt’s Adele Bloch-Bauer I, featured in the 2015 movie- Woman in Gold.

We enjoyed quite the breakfast in the elegant cafe beginning with Eiskaffee (chilled coffee with vanilla ice cream, topped with whipped cream and cocoa) for Chad and Wiener Heiße Schokolade (Viennese hot chocolate) for me.

I ordered the Marillenpalatschinken (crêpes with house-made apricot confiture) and a slice of Klimttorte (chocolate and hazelnut cake) while Chad had the Palatschinken mit Räucherforelle & Oberskren (chilled smoked trout crêpes and horseradish crème fraîche) and a slice of Linzertorte (hazelnut tart with fresh raspberry confiture).

Bigoi Venezia

We stopped by Bigoi Venezia at 1415 2nd Avenue for lunch before walking over to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Bigoi Venezia is open daily with a focus on bigoi/bigoli, a traditional pasta from the Veneto region in northern Italy. The dough is prepared each day and pressed through a bigolaro before pairing with a variety of sauce options.

We enjoyed the Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino (garlic, extra virgin olive oil, red pepper and parsley); Piselli e Prosciutto (peas, ham and cream); Bolognese Classica (ground beef, pork, and tomatoes); and Al Pomodoro (sun ripe tomatoes).

Oda House

We originally visited Oda House when it was in the East Village, but they have since moved to the Upper East Side at 406 E 73rd Street. They are open daily with a menu filled with Georgian food and drinks.

We started with a glass of Tvishi (semi-sweet wine from Marani), beer, and Khinkali (oversized hand-rolled juicy lamb and herb dumplings).

They have a variety of Khachapuri to choose from and I picked the Adjaruli (bread with homemade imeruli and sulguni cheese and a poached egg in the center).

Chad had the Oda House Special- salmon and mushrooms with mashed potatoes.

Central Park

After breakfast, we took a stroll across Central Park. Central Park is one of the most famous and visited urban parks in the United States.

This park in the center of Manhattan stretches from 59th Street to 110th Street. It was originally created in 1857 over 778 acres of land. In 1873, it was expanded to 843 acres.

In 1962, it was designated a National Historic Landmark.

We only went through a small portion due to time constraints, but there is so much to explore and it can be quite easy to get lost among all of the trails.

The park is home to dozens of activities and other forms of entertainment including 21 playgrounds, Central Park Carousel, Conservatory Garden, the Ravine, Shakespeare Garden, Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre, Central Park Zoo, restaurants, concerts, museums (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, American Museum of Natural History, The Guggenheim Museum, Neue Galerie), Belvedere Castle, and more.

Depending on the season, you can also row boats in the lake, ice skate, have a picnic, or just enjoy a leisurely walk/jog/run.

Belvedere Castle

Belvedere Castle is located along the path through Central Park between The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Museum of Natural History.

This miniature castle was designed by Calvert Vaux and Jacob Wrey Mould and completed in 1872. It rests on Vista Rock (the second highest natural point in Central Park, the highest is Summit Rock).

It became the site of the New York Meteorological Observatory in 1919 and now temperature and rainfall are still measured just south of the castle with wind on the main tower.

We happened to walk through on a day it was closed, so we only saw the outside. It also has a visitor center and gift shop. Hours are currently (in 2023) 10 am to 5 pm Wednesday-Sunday.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

During our latest trip to NYC, we finally got to The Metropolitan Museum of Art!

The Met at 1000 5th Avenue focuses on over 5,000 years of art from around the world. At the time of our visit (2023), the museum was open 10-5 Thursday-Tuesday with extended hours on Fri/Sat.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art was founded in 1870 and is the largest art museum in the United States (and one of the largest in the world).

We spent about 4 hours here and still only saw a small portion of the museum with a very relaxed pace and multiple drawing stops for the kids (they brought their notebooks and pencils).

We were able to see Egyptian Art, The African Origin of Civilization, Arms and Armor, The American Wing, European Sculpture and Decorative Arts, Medieval Arts, and Musical Instruments.

A few highlights located within the museum include Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Leutze (1851), Self-Portrait with Straw Hat by Vincent Van Gogh (1887), Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies by Claude Monet (1899), Venus and the Lute Player by Titian (1565-1570), The Death of Socrates by Jacques-Louis David (1787), Temple of Dendur (10 BC), the facade of the Branch Bank of the United States, the Sphinx of Hatshepsut, and more.

Check for specific gallery closures and special events prior to your visit.

Standard strollers and front-facing baby carriers are permitted in most exhibits. Small backpacks may be worn on the front and side.

We ate outside the museum, but saw a couple of cafes inside.

The museum also has a branch at 99 Margaret Corbin Drive called The Met Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park.

Zaro’s Family Bakery

As we were waiting for our train at Penn Station, I tried my first Black and White Cookie from Zaro’s Family Bakery. It was the perfect ending to the trip.

Black and White Cookies

I had heard of Black and White Cookies, but hadn’t actually tried one until waiting for our train in Penn Station. I was so excited to make them at home to help hold onto the memories from our trip.

These cookies are a New York staple with a similar version introduced to Germany during World War II and known as the Amerikaner (though these may sometimes be iced with only vanilla or chocolate).

I was surprised at how large they were, nearly the size of my hand, with a domed bottom and cake-like texture.

To recreate the cookies at home, I used this recipe from Karen’s Kitchen Stories as inspiration. They tasted just like the one I had in New York with the notes of lemon and vanilla. They are also just as sweet.

A Few Tips for Black and White Cookies

Place the scoops of dough about 3 inches (7.5 centimeters) apart on the prepared baking sheets. They will spread a decent amount in the oven.

Bake the cookies just until cooked through (the tops should spring back lightly when gently touched) and lightly golden on the bottom. Overbaking will cause them to lose that soft and light texture.

Be sure to decorate the flat “bottom” side of the cookies with the icing. When the cookies are glazed-side up, the bottoms should be domed.

I used dark cocoa powder to really show the contrast in the Black and White Cookies. It can be found in the specialty baking section of some grocery stores or on Amazon: Black Cocoa Powder.

Don’t spread the chocolate glaze over the cookies until after the vanilla glaze has set.

The Black and White Cookies are best the day they are made, but will last up to 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature after the glaze has set.

Black and White Cookies Recipe

Adapted from Karen’s Kitchen Stories

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5 from 4 votes

Black and White Cookies

Black and White Cookies recipe inspired by New York City! These cake-like cookies are topped with a half vanilla, half chocolate glaze.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cookie, dessert, New York City

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Resting Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings 22 Cookies

Ingredients

Cookies:

• 1 1/2 cups (190 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups (190 grams) cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 14 tablespoons (200 grams) unsalted butter softened
• 1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk
• 3/4 cup (177 milliliters) buttermilk divided
• 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest

Glaze:

• 4 cups (470 grams) powdered sugar
• 4-5 tablespoons (60-74 milliliters) milk
• 3 tablespoons (44 milliliters) heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) light corn syrup
• 2 teaspoons (10 milliliters) vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup (25 grams) dark cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) water

Instructions

To make the cookies:

• Preheat oven to 350˚F (180˚C). Line two baking sheets with parchment or lightly grease.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• In another large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, just until blended.
• Stir in 1/3rd of the flour mixture into the egg mixture, followed by 1/2 of the buttermilk. Add another 1/3rd of the flour mixture followed by the remaining buttermilk, and then the remaining flour, adding each just until blended with no streaks. Stir in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.
• Use a 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) ice cream scoop to place mounds of dough, in as even a circle as possible, on the prepared baking sheets, 3 inches (7.5 cm) apart (about 6 cookies per baking sheet).
• Bake, 1 sheet at a time, in preheated oven until cooked through and slightly golden, about 15-17 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing to wire rack.
• Repeat with remaining dough (make sure the baking sheet is completely cool before adding more dough). Allow the cookies to cool completely before topping with the glaze.

To make the glaze and assemble:

• In a bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, cream, corn syrup, and vanilla extract until smooth.
• If the glaze is too thick, add a little more milk. If it is too thin, add a little more powdered sugar. It should be spreadable, but just enough to coat the cookie in an even, smooth layer and not thick like a frosting.
• Transfer 1 cup (237 milliliters) of the icing to a separate bowl. Whisk in the dark cocoa powder along with 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) water if needed to create a smooth, chocolate glaze. Cover and set aside.
• Spread the white glaze over half of the flat side of each cookie with an offset spatula. Allow the glaze to set, about 20 minutes.
• Spread the dark chocolate glaze over the other half of each cookie. Allow to set for an hour before serving or storing in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.