The black and white is a soft cakey disc, half lemon-vanilla fondant and half chocolate, sold by the deli register. A bakery-counter staple across New York City since the 1900s.

Glaser's Bake Shop on Yorkville's First Avenue claimed the cookie's American origin in 1902, though Hutch's in Utica argued for earlier dates. The form (a cakey domed disc finished with two contrasting fondant glazes) became a New York-borough delicatessen standard by the 1950s, sold from the same glass-front case as charlotte russe and rugelach. Jerry Seinfeld's 1994 stand-up routine, the 'look to the cookie' bit, sealed its national identity. Glaser's closed in 2018 after 116 years; William Greenberg Desserts on Madison Avenue (since 1946) remains the canonical bake. The cookie name in Boston is 'half-moon'; in New York it stays black and white.

4 editor picks for Black and white cookie in New York City, ranked by editorial score. All New York City signature dishes · Black and white cookie across every city.