HARMONY & June's Give-Away

The first time I had a Black & White was when I visited our daughter, Erin, in Manhattan when she was living there in the 90s.  I had heard of them on an episode of Seinfeld and I was intrigued by the cake-like cookie with it's harmonious glaze of both vanilla and chocolate.

Today, it reminds me of a Halloween when Kelly and her best friend, Kandyce, created their costumes for a school contest.  They were Salt and Pepper!  With the help of Kandyce's Aunt Dot, the costumes were made of a clear plastic in the form of a "bubble" that they filled with black or white balloons.

I needed a happy memory today as I sewed June's Give-Away.  I first made this pattern for a "Weekend Bag" for Kelly in March to hold her quilting supplies.  (I've since passed that first bag to Kandyce as a keepsake of her best friend.)  The bag is also the perfect size to hold a knitting or crochet project, but whatever you decide, as the Winner, know that it was sewed with love.  Remember, you have to post to be chosen.  Oh, have a Black and White Cookie and know the harmony in your life!

Black and Whites
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/3 cups cake flour
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 extra large egg
2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup buttermilk
Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.  In the KitchenAid, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and vanilla.  Sift together the flours and baking powder.  Add the flour and buttermilk alternatively, ending with the flour.  Beat until well incorporated.

Use a one-third cup sized scoop to drop the batter on the baking sheet.  Making sure you leave plenty of room in between because these cookies spread.

 Bake 8 minutes, then turn the baking sheet and continue baking another 8 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.

 Remove to a cookie rack and let cool completely before applying the glazes.
GLAZE
3 cups confectioners' sugar
4-5 T boiling water
1-2 T corn syrup
1 oz. Bittersweet Chocolate (at least 64% cocoa)
2 T Cocoa
Mix the first three ingredients in a bowl.  Divide the vanilla glaze in half, placing the other half in another bowl.  Melt the bittersweet chocolate in the microwave according to your model.  It took 35 to 40 seconds for mine.  Add the cocoa to the melted chocolate.  Then, add it to one of the bowls.  Add additional hot water to each bowl, as needed to create a glaze.  Additionally, add another 1 T of corn syrup to the chocolate glaze.  Use an off-set small spatula to spread the cookies, first with the vanilla, then spread the chocolate glaze to the other half of the cookie.  Enjoy!