Imagine you walk into a deli–anywhere, not just New York City—and look at the display. Among the many arresting things that greet your eyes are those classic black and white cookies. Sticking out like some sort of sugary street sign with their contrasty ying-and-yang message: eat me and experience the duality of man!

What are they?

Black and white cookies are technically a cake. That’s probably not the hardest truth for you to swallow—literally—if you’ve ever bitten into one. The combination of a springy, spongy interior crumb with thick fondant frosting is decidedly cake-y. You may also be aware that cakes have come in many sizes over the years (um, cupcakes?) and to categorize baked goods of this diameter and thickness as cookies is strictly modern parlance. Black and white cookies are also known as half-and-half cookies, half-moon cookies, or unity cookies. Their batter is akin to a lemon cupcake, moist and somewhat dense. The frosting is thick and alternating vanilla and chocolate flavored.

The lineage of the black-and-white cookie

This deli treat originates at the turn of the century. In the late 1800’s and 1900’s, there were scores of bakeries in America’s bustling metropoli, all with bright, eye-catching displays of the latest in patisserie and bread. Contrasty designs marked many cakes, pies, and other sweets. These particular mini-cakes are thought to have been the invention of German immigrants in Glaser’s Bake Shop in Manhattan. They sold well and spread. By the mid 1900’s, the many Jewish bakeries had also begun to peddle these pastries. Today, they’re absolutely essential—if you don’t have black-and-white cookies, you can’t be called a deli.

Other variations

While the classic recipe is key here, the Italian version with a thin layer of apricot preserves under the frosting is also acceptable. Versions of the black-and-white that are explicitly labeled as half-moon cookies are often larger, domed, and have more fondant on the white side. There’s also Amerikaners, which funnily enough are Germany’s answer to the German-American invention. This is an entirely vanilla-flavored version, sometimes with sprinkles. When Germany was split up, the Soviet-aligned East renamed Amerikaners to Ammonplätzchen, aka “ammonia cookies.” Well… which would you rather eat?

Delicious and distinguished

Classics become classics because they strike a deep. Black and white cookies are an essential part of the American tradition. We need to hold onto baking traditions like this. Here is a poem about them we just wrote: