Black + White Creamsicles

Whitney Fisch

Easy

Difficulty

Aside from the smell of tuna fish, nothing can really transport me to a New York Jewish deli like a black and white cookie. Just the mere sight of of the cookie transports me to a Shabbat luncheon in which I’m elbow-ing the person to the left and right of me (and sometimes behind me) in an attempt to get my hands on the last black and white cookie.

If you’ve ever been to a Yom Kippur break-the-fast or a Shabbat lunch, you KNOW what I’m talking about. The dessert table is the first table everyone goes for and most certainly, if there is a black and white cookie to be had, it’s the first cookie taken. (Fun fact: Did you know that the black and white cookie isn’t actually a cookie? It’s considered a drop cake. Whatever it is, it’s delicious.) Though folklore tells us that it was quite possibly not invented in NYC, but actually upstate in Ithaca, it’s still been wholly embraced by deli culture.

For me, the black and white cookie represents one of the greatest parts about being Jewish—that Jewish food can be loved and accepted by all, regardless of Jewish affiliation and/or observance level. And while there’s nothing especially “Jewish” about the black and white cookie, one can’t help but think of Jewish culture when eating it (just like brisket or kugel, in my opinion). And so, in this age of increased aggression and polarization toward the other, shouldn’t we all take Jerry Seinfeld’s lead and “look to the cook” … or in this case, the popsicle?! This recipe takes inspiration from a black and white cookie and transforms it with a fun summery twist to create a delicious Creamsicle.

 

Ingredients for roughly 12 popsicles

Chocolate layer

  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened natural or Dutch process cocoa powder
  • 1/2 shot of espresso
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract (optional)

Vanilla layer

  • 1/4 cup superfine sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 cup whole milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

Chocolate layer

1. Combine the sugar, espresso, cocoa, cornstarch and salt in a heavy medium saucepan. Whisk in just enough of the milk to make a smooth paste. Whisk in the remaining whipping cream.

2. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring with the whisk—constantly scraping the bottom, sides and corners of the pot—until the mixture begins to bubble a little at the edges. Continue whisking and cooking for two more minutes.

3. Off heat, whisk in the vanilla and scrape the mixture into a glass or silicone pitcher (for immediate filling) or into the bowl to cool. Next, fill your popsicle molds halfway with your chocolate mixture and freeze for at least six hours.

Vanilla layer

1. In a bowl, stir together the sugar and water until the sugar dissolves. Whisk in the sour cream, milk, cream and vanilla.

2. Take your chocolate popsicles out of the freezer and fill the remaining half with your vanilla side. If your mold has a cover with openings for sticks, cover and insert sticks. Otherwise, freeze until the mixture is thick enough to hold a stick upright and then insert sticks. Freeze until hard, about 4 hours if the mixture was cool, 6 or more hours if hot.

3. Line a tray with wax paper. Fill a container with warm water deep enough to dip the full height of your molds. Dip the mold long enough to release the popsicles when you pull on the stick. Remove and set popsicles on wax paper. Wrap each in a piece of wax paper and/or put them in a resealable plastic freezer bag and return them to the freezer until serving.

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Whitney Fisch

Whitney Fisch received her Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Michigan and is currently working as The Director of Counseling at Milken Community Schools’ Upper School Campus in Los Angeles, CA. When not dealing with the trials and tribulations of roughly 600 high schoolers, she is at home dealing with the trials and tribulations of her preschooler and 6-month-old baby as well as cooking… a lot. She blogs about all things food and life on her blog, Jewhungry was a Top 5 finalist in The Kitchn’s Homie Awards for Best Health & Diet blog in 2014 and also co-authored a Passover e-cookbook that same year with fellow Jewish food bloggers, Amy Kritzer, Sarah Lasry and Liz Reuven called, “4 Bloggers Dish: Passover – Modern Twists on Traditional Recipes.” You can follow Whitney’s adventures in parenting and life on her blog as well as in other media outlets such as The Huffington Post, Kveller.com and The Times of Israel, all of which Whitney is a contributor for. Instagram: @jewhungry Facebook: www.facebook.com/Jewhungry Twitter: @jewhungry Blog: www.jewhungrytheblog.com