Half chocolate, half vanilla, and somehow everybody still picks a side first.
That is the little ritual behind one of New York’s most recognizable cookies.
This bakery has been making its version since 1946, using a soft, cake-like vanilla base finished by hand with chocolate fondant and vanilla icing. Fresh batches still come out daily, which is exactly the kind of consistency a cookie with this much history deserves.
The classic is still the headline act, even with smaller versions and seasonal spins around it.
I would go full size.
Not because mini is wrong, but because choosing which half gets the first bite feels like part of the experience.
Chocolate first? Vanilla first?
Either way, somebody at the table is going to judge your answer.
Black-And-White Cookies Have Been Here Since 1946
William Greenberg opened his bakery on Manhattan’s Upper East Side in 1946, and black-and-white cookies have remained closely tied to the business ever since.
The cookie itself is easy to recognize. A pale, cake-like base sits beneath two finishes, one chocolate and one vanilla, divided across the top. The contrast gives you two flavors without requiring two separate desserts.
That long history does not mean the lineup has stayed frozen in place. The classic is still available, but the bakery also makes mini black-and-whites, red velvet versions, custom-colored cookies, and holiday editions.
A first visit can stay traditional. Start with the classic before moving into the variations, especially if you want the cookie that has been part of the bakery’s identity for decades.
The full-size version makes sense when one cookie is the plan. Minis are easier when you want to sample more than one dessert or build a box for several people.
Either way, the basic format stays familiar: soft cake underneath, two kinds of icing on top, and one small argument over which half deserves the first bite.
The Base Is Soft And More Cake-Like Than Crisp
Anyone expecting a crunchy cookie may need to adjust the picture. William Greenberg’s black-and-whites are built on a soft vanilla cake base rather than the crisp texture of a typical drop cookie.
That softer structure is part of what separates the style from a standard chocolate chip or sugar cookie. Break one open and the inside looks closer to tender cake than something meant to snap.
The vanilla base also gives the two icings a quieter foundation. Chocolate gets one half, vanilla gets the other, while the cake underneath keeps both flavors attached to the same bite.
Try the cookie straight down the middle if you want both sides at once. Start from one edge if you would rather move from vanilla to chocolate, or reverse the order and let the darker half lead.
The smaller cookies make that comparison especially easy because one or two bites can cover most of the surface.
That leaves more time for the important decision: whether tomorrow’s cookie still counts as leftovers if you planned on eating it all along.
Chocolate Fondant Meets Vanilla Icing Across The Top
The classic black-and-white gets its name from the split finish. One side is covered with chocolate fondant, while the other gets vanilla icing.
The dividing line gives the cookie its instantly recognizable look, but it also changes the eating rhythm. A bite from one side tastes different from a bite on the other, even though both sit on the same vanilla base.
For anyone who dislikes choosing, the center seam is the obvious target. One bite can catch chocolate, vanilla, and cake together without committing to either camp.
The bakery also uses the black-and-white format as a starting point for other versions. Red velvet cookies are part of the current lineup, while seasonal editions appear at different times of year. Custom-colored cookies can be ordered for celebrations and events.
That makes the classic useful as a baseline. Try it first, then branch out if a second box is calling your name.
For a mixed group, minis make sharing easier and leave more room for other bakery choices. A solo dessert mission can justify the larger version without much discussion.
Chocolate first or vanilla first remains entirely your problem. Fortunately, it is a fairly pleasant one to have.
Each Cookie Is Finished By Hand
Fresh baking is only part of the process. Each black-and-white is hand-frosted, with the chocolate and vanilla sides applied separately rather than stamped on by a machine.
That hand-finishing explains why the top matters as much as the cake underneath. Two icings have to meet across one surface while keeping the familiar split appearance intact.
The bakery continues that process across several sizes and versions, from the classic large cookie to minis and custom-colored designs.
For an everyday visit, none of that requires advance planning. Walk in, choose the size that fits your appetite, and decide whether the classic is enough.
Custom orders are different. If the cookies are headed to a birthday, wedding, office event, or another gathering, arranging the colors and quantity ahead of time makes more sense than improvising at the counter.
The same goes for a large gift order. Nationwide shipping is available, so the cookies do not have to stay in New York once they leave the bakery.
A single cookie, however, needs no ceremony. Hold the box flat, find somewhere nearby to sit, and make the chocolate-versus-vanilla decision before somebody else asks for a bite.
Fresh Batches Are Baked Daily
William Greenberg bakes its black-and-white cookies fresh daily, which suits a dessert built around a soft cake base rather than a crisp shell.
That daily schedule applies to the bakery’s regular production, while seasonal varieties come and go depending on the time of year. The classic remains the easiest place to begin because it does not depend on a holiday theme or special color.
The current lineup includes large and mini black-and-whites as well as red velvet and custom versions. Seasonal flavors can appear for holidays, giving repeat visits a reason to look beyond the familiar pair of chocolate and vanilla.
If the day already includes Central Park or the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Upper East Side location fits neatly into the same part of Manhattan. The bakery is at 1100 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10028, a few blocks east of both.
That makes the cookie an easy addition to a museum afternoon or a walk through the park without turning dessert into an all-day mission.
The shop opens at 8 a.m. Monday through Saturday and at 10 a.m. Sunday, so the first cookie of the day can arrive surprisingly early.
Morning dessert may not be everyone’s habit, but New York has certainly offered stranger breakfast decisions.
The Madison Avenue Shop Is The Original Location
The Madison Avenue bakery remains William Greenberg Desserts’ original location. The business now also has an Upper West Side shop on Amsterdam Avenue, but the Upper East Side address is where the story began.
The bakery’s broader menu gives you several reasons to leave with more than black-and-whites. Brownies and rugelach are long-running staples, and cakes add another route when the visit is tied to a birthday or gathering.
The bakery is fully kosher-certified, a practical detail for households planning around kosher dietary requirements. Some products are dairy while designated items are parve, so anyone shopping for a specific meal can check the appropriate designation before choosing.
Nationwide shipping extends the bakery beyond Manhattan as well. Freshly baked desserts are shipped on weekdays, giving former New Yorkers and curious cookie eaters elsewhere a way to order without visiting either shop.
For an in-person stop, though, keep the box manageable if you plan to walk afterward. Madison Avenue, Central Park, and Museum Mile give you plenty of reasons to stay outside rather than carrying a towering dessert order across town.
One classic black-and-white and one extra treat can be a perfectly sensible compromise between restraint and bakery-counter optimism.
Pick Your Timing Before You Pick Your Cookie Size
The Upper East Side shop currently opens Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
That makes weekday and Saturday mornings the widest window for fitting a stop around other Manhattan plans. Sunday starts later and ends earlier, so it pays to keep the shorter schedule in mind.
Once inside, size is the next decision. A large classic gives you the full black-and-white experience in one dessert, while minis make more sense for sharing, sampling, or building a mixed box.
Red velvet adds another option when you want a change from the vanilla base, and custom colors are available for planned celebrations. Seasonal versions may appear at different points in the year, so the case can look a little different from one visit to the next.
If you are ordering for an event, settle quantity and customization before pickup day. For a casual stop, skip the complicated strategy and choose whatever fits the afternoon.
Then find a bench, a park path, or simply a quiet minute before the next Manhattan stop. A black-and-white cookie is portable enough to travel, but there is no rule saying it has to travel very far.