Black & White Cookies?

[nbermas]

Where to get the best and why?

[tinybubbles]

LOL, I askied the same question a few weeks ago here... I didn't receive many replies. In Grand Central, I happen to think the best are at Zaro's. I found the ones at Hot&Crusty to be dry and stale. A true Black&White should be almost cake-like in texture (the cookie part), and the icing -- the chocolate side should be soft enough that you leave a fingerprtin in it, very thick and fudgy. The white side should be a hard icing, just as thick, with an orange essence. The replies I received oft-listed Glasers on the UES. I have yet to try one.

[hongry_hippo]

Had a very good black & white at the Naked City cafe in Hell's Kitchen (on 9th avenue, around 53rd I think). It's a pretty small cafe that serves some baked goods and some items from Balthazar, but the black & whites are made in house. Good cakey texture and firm, tasty frosting. Not sure if I'd say they're the best in the city, as I haven't done a comprehensive survey (eg, never tried Pick a Bagels, etc), but it's worth trying if you're in the area. Also had a black & white from the Bread Company further down 9th (around 43rd), and that one was terrible.

[bosox]

i can't believe nobody has mentioned CRUMBS bakery yet! they have the best black-and-white cookies i've ever had. they make them with 'white' cookie and 'black' cookie, too.
YUM.

[lilnugget]

i still love moishes for their citrusy white frosting, but i just did a side by side comparison of the chains, which i haven't had in a long time: pick-a-bagel, pax's, and hot & crusty.

pick-a-bagel's was fantastic. very moist and cakey. cookie was so delicate to the point it was crumbly and messy to eat. the frosting was very fresh and soft, it kept sticking to the parchment paper.

pax's - good, all-around solid choice. big moist pound-cake like cookie with heavy icing.

hot & crusty - i found the cookie too dry for my taste - verging on stale.

[BronxBoy]

For the best black and white, go to Glaser's on 87th and 1st Avenue. They make a remarkable crumb cake as well.

[addictedtolunch]

Bumping the thread to report that Junior's Black and White is awful. Tastes like one big preservative. The hunt continues.

[dewdropin]

I think which type of B/W cookie you like depends on where you grew up in NYC. I grew up in Brooklyn with all the local bakeries making the cakey like cookie, with hard frosting.
(IMO Junior's only does one thing well, plain Cheese Cake if it is fresh). I ate a Fairway Plain cheese cake recenly and it was magical and puts Juniors to shame.

We do not have many old-fashioned Jewish style bakeries in Manhattan so it has been ages since I have eaten a decent fresh B/W. They all taste stale!

[emcarm]

Oh no, I just tried the black and whites at Junior's last night for the first time and thought they were fantastic! I like Moishe's too, but Junior's was better, I think.

[akk]

Yura and Co. on 93rd and 3rd -- chocolate actually tastes like chocolate.
Glaser's on 87th and 1st -- when they are fresh, the icing is nice and soft.

[Blumie]

In the Boston area, a black and white (oftentimes called a "half moon" in Boston) is frosted, whereas I have found that they're typically glazed in NY. Do any of these places have frosted, as opposed to glazed, half moons?

[lvecch]

Funny you should mention that - I lived in Boston for years before coming to NYC, and I thought some of the frosted ones I had there were the best ever (my favorite were from a place in Somerville, in Davis Sq. - La Contessa?). I haven't seen anything like those "half moons" - cakey AND frosted - in Manhattan.

[marlie202]

has anyone tried the B&W cookies from Meridith's sold at Thompkins' Sq. Market on Sundays?

[lvecch]

These may not be the best, but I recently tried a black & white from the Zaro's in Grand Central Market. Cakey cookie, delicious frosting.

[chompchomp]

I gotta say...Pax wholesome foods has some pretty decent ones, some of the best in my limited sampling. Nice sponge to the cookie and the icing is quite lovely. An unexpected surprise for me.

[vicvicvictoria]

Veniero's, the bakery on 11th Street and 1st Avenue has some excellent ones. Cakey and light.

[TheWinechick]

Pick a bagel has the best.

[mae]

Agree...I LOVE pick-a-bagel's!

[Jean_Suton]

Another vote for Pick-a-Bagel, but I haven't tried many of the others listed here. I'll have to get to work...

[Pan]

Where is the place? And also, how are their bagels?

[TheWinechick]

There are a bunch of Pick a bagels. Bagels are great. One is on 2nd ave in the 80's. There is another I think on the UWS.

[Michele4466]

And, they actually have white only B & W's (if you will, LOL) at Pick a Bagel . I LOVE these since I am not a big fan of chocolate. I will eat some of the chocolate part if it is exceptional but LOVE, LOVE, LOVE all white. I also like the taste and texture of the ones here.

[cbw]

The Donut Pub also has all white cookies sometimes. Very tasty especially since I can't eat chocolate.

[jinet12]

We LOVE Black and Whites, and have made a point everytime we are in NY to try to find the best, and so far, the very best, we feel, can be found at Rocco's Bakery...Why, you ask? Because, they actually add a thin layer of Apricot Jam under the frosting, and the black and white frosting is absolutely delicious to begin with...You simply cannot go wrong with these gems....

[goldie]

Recently went to Rocco's specifically for black and whites based on some chowhounders testimonials and they were awful. Inedible with almost a weird, fruity taste. My wife and I were very disappinted.

[Crepe Suzette]

I have never found anything at Rocco's that I liked - everything seems to have this dry, stale quality. And I have given it plenty of chances. Not sure why it is always so highly recommended.

[addictedtolunch]

Got around to trying Roccos Black and White. It has this thin jelly coating under the frosting which makes it very sweet but overwhelms any other taste in the cookie (if there is any). So the bottom line is: if you can't taste the Black, and you can't taste the White, this ain't no Black and White- it just is made to look like one.

[cbw]

The Donut Pub is supposed to have great black and white cookies.

[ballulah]

That's what I hear as well, and I keep forgetting to drop in after work! Maybe tonight!

[NAtiveNewYorker]

Hot and Crusty in Grand Central, the Goldilocks of B&W cookies.

The cake part is not too dry but not too wet. The icing is not too weak (i.e. just sugar) and not too strong (i.e. overwhelming the cake taste).

Turnover there is high enough to ensure freshness.

[lvecch]

I tried the black & whites at Hot and Crusty, and I'm afraid I must disagree. I found the cookie part dry, the frosting tasteless. Maybe I hit them on a bad day.

[NAtiveNewYorker]

Sorry for the bad rec. I like them that way: drier cookie (not stale, though) and subtle icing flavor. That's how I remember tham from the school coffee shops of old New York.

[lvecch]

Oh, no worries. Different strokes, and all that!

[CorgiLover]

Hot & Crusty vs. Zaros (both in Grand Central) is a matter of personal taste. IMO, they are totally different styles. H&C is more "cookie" whereas Zaro's is more "cake." A traditionalist would like the Zaro's style, more moist, whereas someone who is more of a cookie enthusiast, would like the firmer style of H&C.

[lvecch]

Yes, absolutely; for me, a black & white must be cakey, so that was a huge part of the appeal of the Zaro's cookie. But I found it much more flavorful as well.

[big o]

I agree with the Moishe's recommendation. They're very good.

The black & whites at Rocco's, on Bleecker, are terribly hit-or-miss, but when you catch them on a hit, they're fantastic.

[lilnugget]

I LOVE black and white cookies. There was a time in my life when i ate one every day. my favorite ones are from Moishe's Bakery on Second Ave around 6th or 7th Street. They are moist, a little cakey, the black icing is genuinely chocolatey and the white icing actually has flavor (not just "sugar" flavored) - it has a delicious orangy/citrus aroma.

[marlie202]

I love these cookies and will try one at Moishe's Bakery very soon.

[addictedtolunch]

Been doing an actual tasting survey of these (I need a life), and find the only way to test fairly against each other is to try them at the same time of day. Moishe's, in the morning=so so; Hot and Crusty=better (I would rather be voting for Moishe's, but that's how the quasi-cookie crumbles).

[jsgjewels]

Not an expert on these in the least, but William J. Greenberg's on the UES has award-winning ones.

[rolise]

My husband loves the ones at Juniors. I get them at Grand Central outlet.