Besides the times I hear Patsy sing the words "puppet on a string ", whenever I think of strings, particularly as they pertain to food, the first thing that comes to mind are bakery strings. There is something uniquely special about seeing that soft white cardboard box tied up with strings from a bakery. Ah, and when those strings are undone, what goody might be contained therein ? When it comes to bakery items, nothing thrilled me more as a child than traditional New York " Black and Whites ". These wonderfully soft cookie-cakes are a speciality here in New York, as well as in many other cities in the Northeast. In honor of Patsifans from the northeast, I present this delicious recipe, but I just know you're gonna love 'em no matter where you live. I must warn you though, don't leave them unattended, because these little black and white numbers, " just like night and day ", will " up and walk away " -- they'll be gone before you know it!!
Traditional New York Black and Whites
You'll need:
2. In large mixing bowl, combine sugar and butter. Mix by machine or hand until fluffy. Add eggs, milk and vanilla and lemon extracts, and mix until smooth.
3. In medium bowl, combine cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir until mixed. Add dry mixture to the wet in batches, stirring well after each addition. Using a soup spoon, place heaping spoonfuls of the dough 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake until edges begin to brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool completely.
4. Place confectioners' sugar in large mixing bowl. Gradually stir in enough boiling water to the sugar to make a thick, spreadable mixture.
5. Put half the frosting in the top half of a double-boiler. Add the chocolate and corn syrup, and set over simmering water. Warm the mixture, stirring, until chocolate is melted and frosting is smooth. Turn off the heat, but leave chocolate frosting over hot water to keep it spreadable. With a brush, coat half of the top of each cookie with chocolate frosting, and the other half with white frosting. Let dry, and store in an airtight container.
Yield: 2 dozen large cookies.
Reprinted from the New York Times Recipe ~ Spring '98