The black and white cookie, that is.
In honor of a new Flatiron location opening in Manhattan earlier this year, Levain Bakery released their now signature take on the classic New York treat.
And while it’s true, the newly opened bakery is a good 100 or so miles away from us here on the East End, Levain’s Wainscott location will be carrying the cookie for the remainder of the summer. Beloved for creating memorably mountainous, crispy-on-the-outside, soft-and-pillowy-on-the-inside iterations of classic cookies since 1995, the bakery’s version is a chocolate chip black and white cookie made from extra dark cocoa cookie batter with chocolate and white chocolate chips throughout.
“A quintessential New York treat, Levain will pay homage to its NYC roots with their iteration of the delicatessen delicacy,” says a statement from the bakery. “Crafted with extra dark cocoa, semi-sweet chocolate chips and white chocolate chunks, the cookie offers a visually striking and delicious experience. Levain’s black and white chocolate chip is sure to be beloved by New Yorkers and tourists alike.”
The origin story of how the black and white cookie came to be isn’t crystal clear. Some claim it was created by Glaser’s Bake Shop, which was opened in 1902 by Bavarian immigrants, in Manhattan. Others say the half-moon crumbly confections originated at Hemstrought’s Bakery in Utica, some 230 miles north of the city.
According to New York Times food columnist Melissa Clark, in addition to the black and white being a New York staple, they’re also a major part of Jewish culture, particularly in the American Ashkenazi Jewish culinary repertoire, but were ultimately made popular during and after World War II, when American GI’s brought them to their military bases in Germany.
“The thing about eating the black and white cookie,” says Jerry to Elaine in that memorable ‘Dinner Party’ episode from his iconic “Seinfeld” series, “is you want to get some black and some white in each bite. Nothing mixes better than vanilla and chocolate. And yet somehow racial harmony eludes us. If people would only look to the cookie all our problems would be solved.”
Well, maybe solving all of our problems is a bit of a stretch, but if you’ve got a little summertime sadness you can’t shake, or if you just want to have a really killer cookie, hit up Levain Bakery in Wainscott (located at 354 Montauk Highway, 631-604-4123) or get ’em delivered here. They may not bring us world peace, but they’ll sure make your day a little bit sweeter.
