I’ve always loved black and white cookies. Since I was a kid they’ve been one of my favorite desserts. The time has finally come that I realized, I, as well as all the black and white cookie lovers at NYU, need to know where to get my fix. So I set off to find the best black and whites around NYU. Most of the best black and whites that I’ve eaten have been uptown, and a trek to Barney Greengrass isn’t always convenient (though their cookies are the best you will ever have). After trying 9 different cookies around NYU—from markets to delis to bagel shops—here are the definitive top 5 black and white cookies around NYU.
1. Amy’s Bread
Amy’s Bread offers some of the best baked goods in the city. This cookie had the best overall texture and taste out of all the cookies I tasted. It isn’t too sweet, a problem I had with many of the others. The vanilla frosting is perfectly sweetened and vanilla flavored, while the chocolate frosting is darker and more flavorful than most. Overall this is an incredible cookie that pairs perfectly with a cup of coffee.
#SpoonTip: The cherry chocolate chip mini muffin is also incredible.
2. Russ & Daughters
Russ & Daughters is known to be one of the best delicatessens in the city, and their black and white cookies are no exception. The frosting is more like chocolate ganache, but it works well, creating a mouth watering pairing with the soft cookie. The flavor of the chocolate vaguely reminded me of a chocolate-covered fortune cookie—how lucky!.
3. Moishe’s Bakeshop
Moishe’s black and white cookie tastes like a glazed donut. The cookie was a tad bit dry, but paired with the thicker frosting it had an overall great taste. The white frosting especially makes the cookie taste like a glazed donut and makes you want nothing more than a cup of hot coffee .
4. Katz’s Delicatessen
While people line up for the famous pastrami from Katz’s Deli, their black and white cookies should definitely be the way to finish off the meal. Whether you’re getting a pastrami sandwich, latkes, or matzo ball soup, their black and white cookies are the perfect complement to them all. The frosting is pretty sweet, and there is quite a lot of it, but overall the cookie is fab and a sweet end to an incredible meal.
5. Westside Market
The cookie offered at Westside may come in plastic wrap, but it offers that distinctive grocery store flavor that plays to your sweet tooth. The moist yellow cake cookie paired with the thick, rich frosting create a truly decadent dessert—or late night snack. While it may be reminiscent of a yellow cake with Duncan Hines frosting, something about that makes for a great, and nostalgic, black and white cookie.
After finding the 5 best black and whites around NYU, the most interesting part of the journey was realizing just how different each cookie was. From icing to thick frosting, and notes of yellow cake to fortune cookie, each cookie was very much its own, but all able to fulfill one’s black and white cookie needs.