I volunteered to make a dessert to bring to book club last week and I wanted to make an iconic New York dessert because the book that we read was set in New York City in the 1930′s. Cheesecake came to mind, but that has never been a top dessert choice for me so I decided to go a different direction with Black and White Cookies.

The history of “Black and Whites” as they are called in New York, is a bit murky but it is well-known that the cookies have been present in my favorite city for nearly 100 years!  You can find some version of these Black and White Cookies at most delis, grocery stores and bakeries in the city.

The dough for these famous Black and White Cookies is more cake-like than your typical cookie dough.  The cookies puff up so much when you bake them that you actually flip them over and frost the bottom because the flat surface is easier to decorate.  These Black and White Cookies are so soft and thick, they will remind you of a muffin top, but they are more dense than that and not as crumbly.  The tender cookies provide a perfect base for the chocolate and vanilla of frosting flavors.  I absolutely loved working with this frosting!  It was perfectly gooey and soft, yet it hardens just enough so that you can stack the cookies or even package them individually.

this is what my frosting setup looked like:

melted chocolate and water mixed with honey

this is the final consistency of my frosting

use spoon and offset spatula to apply frosting

You may also like:

I hesitate to say that I have “mastered the art of French macarons”, but I have certainly found a method that works well for me.  I have enough confidence in my basic recipe and technique for making the shells that I felt brave enought to mix it up a little.  Generally, I use all almond flour for my shells, but for these Peanut Macarons with Honey Cinnamon Buttercream, I used half almond flour and half peanut flour.

The peanut flour did not make any difference in the form or texture of the macaron shells but just lended a subtle peanut flavor.  This peanut flavor paired delightfully well with the honey cinnamon buttercream that was sandwiched between the shells.  The flavor is reminiscent of a peanut butter and honey sandwich.

When making these Peanut Macarons with Honey Cinnamon Buttercream, or any macaron shells for that matter, I have a few tips that should help you learn how to make macarons easily.

• Plan ahead.  Aged egg whites whip into stiff peaks more reliably for me.  All that means is that you should separate your egg whites at least 2 days before you plan to make the macaron shells.  Store the egg whites in a covered container in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them.  This step seems to dry out the egg whites slightly which makes them perform better upon whipping.  I love to use my OXO egg separator to make sure I don’t get any yolks in my whites.
• DO NOT use egg whites from a carton.  They don’t seem to hold stiff peaks as well.
• Be organized.  Before you begin whipping your egg whites, have all of your other ingredients measured out in bowls and ready to go.  Then when you are ready to incorporate them into the egg whites, they are all ready.
• Parchment paper is a must when making macarons.  Your macarons will be very easy to peel off the paper if cooked properly.

mix egg whites on medium speed until frothy and mixer begins to leave marks, then slowly add granulated sugar

increase mixer speed to high and mix until stiff peaks form (you can turn the bowl upside down and the mixture does not move)

fold in dry ingredients in three increments

mix until no flour streaks remain

pipe onto parchment lined baking sheets and bake

bake

DID YOU KNOW?  Peanuts are a great snack because they can help keep you full and feeling satisfied.  Protein and fiber provide you with a feeling of being full longer and they also provide long-lasting energy because they have a low glycemic index which helps to maintain a stable blood sugar.

I hope you have enjoyed the peanut recipes that I have brought to you this week and that you have learned something new about how peanuts and peanut butter can contribute to a healthy, balanced diet.

*The Peanut Institute sponsored my trip to California, but all opinions expressed are, as always, my own.

You may also like:

Last weekend I was fortunate to travel to Napa, California courtesy of The Peanut Institute.  The Peanut Institute “is a non-profit organization that supports nutrition research and develops educational programs to encourage healthful lifestyles that include peanuts and peanut products.”  The trip was incredible and I learned wonderful facts about the nutritional benefits of peanuts, got to spend time with one of my great friends Emily,

and we even got to cook at the Culinary Institute of America!  Check that one off my bucket list!

The trip inspired me in so many ways.  When I returned home, I was excited to share some fantastic peanutty recipes with you.  So sweet teeth, I am declaring it Peanut Week!  I will be sharing one fact that I learned about peanuts with each of these satisfying recipes.

What better way to kick of Peanut Week than with these Flourless Peanut Butter Snickers Cookies?

These Flourless Peanut Butter Snickers Cookies are so light and soft, you would never guess that a key ingredient like flour is missing!  With only six ingredients, these cookies are a great gluten-free treat option and you will be shocked how only SIX ingredients can create a cookie that tastes so delicious.

I was so happy when I calculated the nutrition facts for these Flourless Peanut Butter Snickers Cookies and found out that each cookie only has 13 grams of carbs!  That is pretty remarkable for a cookie that has chopped up candy bars in it!

DID YOU KNOW??  Eating 1 ounce of peanuts daily can cut your risk of heart disease in half.  The oil in peanuts is mostly monounsaturated which offers the same health benefits as other healthy fats such as olive oil.

You may also like:

I’m back!  It has been a crazy couple of weeks adjusting to our new lifestyle change, traveling to Hawaii for a week,

 and getting used to having a full-time job!  Thank you for being patient with me as I took a small hiatus from baking and blogging.

I will say, I have missed it and you so much!  I baked today and it was like visiting with an old friend!  I felt so good and complete!  And I cannot believe that I almost did not share these Toffee Brownie Cookies with you because I thought they weren’t pretty enough!

My brother tasted one of these Toffee Brownie Cookies and said that it was the best thing he had ever put in his mouth!  And he is my regular taste tester, so that means a lot coming from him!  These cookies are like a gooey, slightly under-baked brownie and they stay that way for days!  The soft and melty chocolate cookie center is contrasted perfectly with the crunchy and slightly salty toffee that is inside and that I sprinkled over the top of the cookies.

When you bake these Toffee Brownie Cookies, you may be tempted to bake them longer than you should.  You will know they are done when the tops are cracked, the edges feel slightly firm, but the middle still feels very soft.  If you can resist baking them longer, and let them cool completely before removing them from the pan, your patience will be rewarded with an incredibly rich, tender and ooey gooey brownie-like cookie!

You may also like:

I’m sure you can guess by looking at these Funfetti Cake Batter Cookies how long I have waited to share them with you.  Yes, those are Christmas sprinkles!

But I do think that these Funfetti Cake Batter Cookies would be absolutely adorable with pastel sprinkles for springtime!  These Funfetti Cake Batter Cookies are made using yellow cakes mix so that they have a familiar buttery cake flavor but have a crispy edge like a good cookie.  And of course there are some chocolate chips mixed in for a little extra something special.

I would love to make another batch of these with pastel sprinkles and white chocolate chips, wrap them in spring cellophane bags tied with colorful ribbon and deliver them to friends as an official welcome to spring!

This recipe was adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction which is one of my all-time favorite dessert blogs.  I am continually inspired by Sally’s creativity and her photos make my mouth water with each recipe.

You may also like: