There are sweet snacks you should always have when entertaining people at home. These simple and easy Black and White Cookies (we call them Bunte Amerikaner) are prefect for any type of celebration. No matter whether it’s a birthday party (for kids), a carnival gathering or whatever. If you want some colorful snacks, make these little cakes and be generous with the rainbow sprinkles! ;P
I have to be honest – you will find these little cakes mostly on sweet tables for a party with kids here in Germany. Adults might prefer more »sophisticated« sweet treats. Well… not in our family. Even grandma wanted these colorful treats for her birthday parties. That’s the reason I think these little cakes work for all ages. You just have to like colorful food. Simple as that. ;P
It’s up to you to decide what you want to serve your guests, of course. But for us, it can always be a bit more colorful. After all, you eat with your eyes and if the food looks inviting, it will lift the mood of the whole party. Doesn’t it?
I struggle a bit with the English name for this treat. We call these small cakes with sugar glaze »Amerikaner«. I guess you know this means »Americans«. ;P There are similar treats in the US called »Black and White Cookies« even though they are not typical cookies. I would describe them as small, flat cakes that are upside down. ;P
Why do they have this name here in Germany? Dunno. The reason could be the leavening agent that was used in the past – ammonium hydrogen carbonate. So back in the days they were probably called »Ammonikaner« which changed to »Amerikaner«. At least that’s what Wikipedia thinks. ;P
Another theory says that American steel helmets (Brodie helmets) from WW1 could have been the inspiration for the name. I mean, those helmets look like flat bowls – similar to the little cakes if you turn them upside down. Who knows. Not me. ;P
We already got some Black ‘n’ White Cookies here on the blog – but those are regular chocolate cookies with white chocolate pieces. Some of my American readers told me quickly that this name is a bit misleading. Well. I wonder, how they will react to these Black and White Cookies here that are actually not black and white but colorful. ;P
Languages can be confusing, and some things might get lost in translation. ;P No matter what – if you like colorful treats, you might also want to take a look at our Funfetti Birthday Cake. I think that one has only one name wherever you are. Another colorful cake you can bake is our Lemonade Pound Cake – so good! Both are great celebration cakes!
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(about 12 cookies)
For the dough:
3.5 oz. (100g) butter, at room temperature
2.8 oz. (80g) sugar
2 medium eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups (260g) all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. cornstarch
3 tsp. baking powder
1 pinch of salt
1/3 cup (80ml) regular milk
For the decorations:
1 cup (130g) confectioners’ sugar
2-3 tbsp. lemon juice
some melted chocolate (optional)
sprinkles or other colorful decorations (optional)
(etwa 12 Amerikaner)
Für den Teig:
100g weiche Butter
80g Zucker
2 Eier (M)
1 TL Vanille Extrakt
260g Mehl (Type 405)
1 EL Speisestärke
3 TL Backpulver
1 Prise Salz
80ml Milch
Für die Dekoration:
etwa 130g Puderzucker
2-3 EL Zitronensaft
etwas geschmolzene Schokolade (optional)
bunte Streusel oder Schokolinsen (optional)
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and set aside.
2. Add the butter and sugar to a large bowl and mix until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition. Next, add the vanilla extract and mix in. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Add this mixture together with the milk to the large bowl and mix until just combined. Transfer the batter to a piping bag with a large round nozzle (approx. ⌀ 13 mm) and pipe small portions with enough space in between on the prepared baking sheet – the dough is spreading quite a bit. The dough portions should have a diameter of about 6 cm. Use a wet finger to smooth out the top of the dough portions, if necessary. Place remaining dough in the fridge. Bake the little cakes for about 12-14 minutes. The cakes should be firm, but better not getting too much color. Take them out of the oven and let cool down briefly on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool down completely. Repeat with unused dough.
3. Mix the confectioners’ sugar with a bit of the lemon juice, then add more to get a thick consistency. Brush the flat side of the cakes with the sugar glaze and let dry completely. Feel free to decorate the cakes further with melted chocolate and/or sprinkles.
1. Den Ofen auf 180°C (350°F) Ober-/Unterhitze vorheizen. Ein Backblech mit Backpapier auslegen und zur Seite stellen.
2. Butter und Zucker in einer großen Schüssel hell und luftig aufschlagen. Die Eier einzeln dazugeben und jeweils gut unterrühren. Den Vanille Extrakt dazugeben und unterrühren. Das Mehl separat mit Speisestärke, Backpulver und Salz vermischen, dann zusammen mit der Milch in die große Schüssel geben und alles zügig zu einem Teig verrühren. Den Teig in einen Spritzbeutel mit großer, runder Tülle (etwa ⌀ 13mm) einfüllen und dann mit genügend Abstand zueinander Teigportionen auf das vorbereitete Blech aufspritzen – der Teig läuft auseinander. Teigreste in den Kühlschrank legen. Die Teighäufchen sollten einen Durchmesser von etwa 6 cm haben. Kleine »Teigzipfel« kann man mit einem feuchten Finger glätten. Die Amerikaner für etwa 12-14 Minuten backen – die Amerikaner sollten nur wenig bis keine Farbe bekommen, aber natürlich durchgebacken sein. Aus dem Ofen holen, kurz auf dem Blech abkühlen lassen, dann auf ein Kuchengitter setzen und komplett auskühlen lassen. Den Vorgang mit verbliebenem Teig wiederholen.
3. Den Puderzucker nach und nach mit Zitronensaft verrühren, bis der Zuckerguss eine dickflüssige Konsistenz hat. Die abgekühlten Amerikaner auf der Unterseite mit dem Zuckerguss bestreichen und trocknen lassen. Wer mag, kann hier auch geschmolzene Schokolade für die Dekoration verwenden, oder die Amerikaner auch mit bunten Streusel und/oder Schokolinsen dekorieren.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Bunte Amerikaner aka. Black & White Cookies
- Prep Time: 00:20
- Cook Time: 00:14
- Total Time: 01:00
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Sweet Snacks
- Cuisine: Germany
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
The perfect sweet little (colorful) treat for parties and celebrations – Bunte Amerikaner aka. Black & White Cookies.
Ingredients
For the dough:
3.5 oz. (100g) butter, at room temperature
2.8 oz. (80g) sugar
2 medium eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups (260g) all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. cornstarch
3 tsp. baking powder
1 pinch of salt
1/3 cup (80ml) regular milk
For the decorations:
1 cup (130g) confectioners’ sugar
2–3 tbsp. lemon juice
some melted chocolate (optional)
sprinkles or other colorful decorations (optional)
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and set aside.
2. Add the butter and sugar to a large bowl and mix until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition. Next, add the vanilla extract and mix in. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Add this mixture together with the milk to the large bowl and mix until just combined. Transfer the batter to a piping bag with a large round nozzle (approx. ⌀ 13 mm) and pipe small portions with enough space in between on the prepared baking sheet – the dough is spreading quite a bit. The dough portions should have a diameter of about 6 cm. Use a wet finger to smooth out the top of the dough portions, if necessary. Place remaining dough in the fridge. Bake the little cakes for about 12-14 minutes. The cakes should be firm, but better not getting too much color. Take them out of the oven and let cool down briefly on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool down completely. Repeat with unused dough.
3. Mix the confectioners’ sugar with a bit of the lemon juice, then add more to get a thick consistency. Brush the flat side of the cakes with the sugar glaze and let dry completely. Feel free to decorate the cakes further with melted chocolate and/or sprinkles.
Notes
Let the baking begin!
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I love my job, but in between I love to bake and try new things in the kitchen. A lot of my friends and colleagues encourage me to bake - for a very simple reason: they get the leftovers - and it seems they like it most of the time ;) 
