Whether you call them Half Moon Cookies, as The Cookie Connection does, or Black & White’s (the term I grew up with), if you spent any time in NY state (before you went GF, of course), this is one cookie you’ve probably been missing.
I’ve tried numerous GF versions of this delicious cookie, but none of them really tasted the way I remembered. Risotteria, a pricey but tasty restaurant in Manhattan had the best tasting cookie . . . until I discovered The Cookie Connection at the Wegmans in Dickson City, PA.
They’re a bakery based in Syracuse, NY, but some of the products are, thankfully, available at Wegman’s.
We’d gone up to take a short vacation in the Poconos, and stopped at that Wegman’s on the way in, to find a quick option for dinner since it was late. On my way through the regular bakery section to the gluten free area, I spotted a 3-pack of these cookies. It was the only one. I didn’t even look at the price (which later turned out to be $6.99). That’s a lot for 3 cookies, even by gluten free standards, but let me just say, it was completely worth it. So much so that on our way home on the fourteenth, I picked up another pack. I was particularly lucky because there was only one package the first night, and only one the second night. I don’t know if this location simply doesn’t get many in or if they fly off of the shelf that quickly (but I’d bet it’s the latter!).
Although I can’t say for certain, one thing I’ve noticed is that most GF versions of this cookie have lemon juice in them. Not enough to really taste the lemon, but enough to give the cookie a decidedly odd flavor. TCC does not use lemon. They have very simple ingredients, no preservatives, and a resulting cookie which is soft, moist, just sweet enough, rich, and surprisingly not that crumbly (nice plus, especially when you’re devouring your newly discovered treat in the car!).
My only wish is that the chocolate side was larger than the vanilla one! These masterful bakers have managed to recreate (in my opinion, in any case), chocolate frosting that tastes exactly the way I remember the chocolate frosting at Dunkin Donuts tasting way back in the early/mid eighties! So delicious!!
Out of 6 cookies, I have one left. And I’m really tempted to eat it now, but I think I’ll save it for an after-work/second-breakfast treat. 😉 The Wegman’s I went to didn’t have any of TCC’s other products, but I sure would love to try them some day. If only Wegman’s existed where I live! 🙂
Update 9 October 2020: While I’m grateful to see that this bakery is still open, I’m incredibly disheartened to find this on their website: “We are a family owned business started by two sisters catering to the needs of people who suffer from Celiac Disease, Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, Gluten Intolerance/Allergies, Auto Immune Disorders or people just wishing to avoid the issues associated with ingesting gluten.”
I don’t suffer from autism. I’m autistic. I, like many autistics, suffer from non-autistics out-dated, stereotyped, and uneducated views on autism, usually formed by listening to hate groups like Autism $peaks. When I found this bakery was still open, I was really tempted to ask if they’d be willing to ship so I can do an updated review . . . but I can’t in good conscious support this bakery. I’m leaving this review up though to let other GF autistics know that this family sadly has very outdated views. At this time, I do not have the spoons to get into it with them, but if any of you do, I’d really like to hear the response(s) you get!
Non-autistics, for the most part, unfortunately, are still unable to entertain the fact that the only experts on autism are autistics. I don’t care how much schooling you have; if you aren’t autistic, you can never really know!
