These »cookies« are often baked for children’s birthday parties here in Germany – simple Black & White Cookies with chocolate and sugar glaze are quick to prepare and popular with kids. These »cookies« may not be the pinnacle of confectionery art, but they are certainly delicious. If you like, you can decorate them with more than just chocolate and sugar glaze… ;)
Here in Germany, we do not call these small treats »cookies«. They are called »Amerikaner« and are considered to be somewhat small cakes. No idea why in the US they got the name Black & White Cookies. The German name can be explained in different ways… one explanation refers to US Army helmets that have the same shape as the small cakes. We are not sure if that is the real story behind it all. Another explanation makes a little more sense for us. In that story, the name derives from the leavening agent that was once used to bake them: ammonium hydrogen carbonate. This led to the name »Ammonikaner« which turned into »Amerikaner« later on. Probably easier to pronounce. ;)
Well. No matter where the name originally came from, these cookies/cakes are always delicious. Even though, sodium bicarbonate is mainly used as a leavening agent today. Maybe we should call them »Sodium Bicarbonate Cookies« or »Sobikaner« for short? Well… better not. Sounds weird. ;P
Preparing these Black & White Cookies is very easy. You mix the dough, fill it into a piping bag, and then pipe small portions onto a baking sheet. If everything goes well, you’ll end up with small, domed cakes (or cookies if you want) with a fine and slightly crumbly texture.
When working with soft dough/batter, you should make sure to leave enough space in between the individual portions when placing on a baking sheet. Soft dough/batter often spreads quite a bit, and you don’t want to end up with one large cookie/cake instead of separated pieces. The chances of everything merging into one large cookie/cake are slim, but not completely unheard of. It’s better to be safe than sorry. ;P
Our Black & White Cookies are decorated with plain chocolate and sugar glaze. Simple and easy. If you like it a little more colorful, you can add sprinkles, colorful coated chocolate chips, or something similar, of course. Cookies with funny faces are also popular at children’s birthday parties. All quite easy to do…
Our »Not so black and white Black & White Cookies« with ricotta, for example, are a little more colorful than these fellas here and also suitable for celebrations. They are also easy to prepare and really delicious.
Same for our Sour Cream Raspberry Funfetti Cookies – they are colorful, sweet, and delicious. Unlike Black & White Cookies (whether the large or small ones), these cookies have a little surprise inside: juicy raspberries. This may not be a super unusual surprise, but it’s still something you might not expect. ;P
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. heavy cream
2.1-2.8 oz. (60-80g) chocolate, melted
(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 Sahne
60-80g Schokolade, geschmolzen
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 heavy cream, then add more to get a thick consistency. Chop the chocolate and melt it in the microwave. Decorate the flat side of the cakes with sugar glaze and chocolate to your liking – let dry completely.
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 Sahne verrühren, bis der Guss eine dickflüssige Konsistenz hat. Die Schokolade grob hacken und in der Mikrowelle schmelzen. Die abgekühlten Amerikaner nach Belieben auf der Unterseite mit dem Zuckerguss und geschmolzener Schokolade dekorieren und dann trocknen lassen.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Easy Peasy Black & White Cookies
- Prep Time: 00:20
- Cook Time: 00:14
- Total Time: 01:00
- Yield: 12
- Category: Sweet Snacks
- Cuisine: Germany
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A classic sweet treat – Black & White Cookies. More cake than cookie, but we did not name this delicious, sweet little treat! ;P
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. heavy cream
2.1-2.8 oz. (60-80g) chocolate, melted
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 heavy cream, then add more to get a thick consistency. Chop the chocolate and melt it in the microwave. Decorate the flat side of the cakes with sugar glaze and chocolate to your liking – let dry completely.
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 ;) 
