Black and White Cookie Popsicles recipe

(The Nosher via JTA)-In thinking about "Jewish" desserts, certain dishes immediately come to mind: Babka.

Rugelach.

Hamantaschen.

And, if you ask me, the black and white cookie. I don't think I'm alone here, but I didn't actually know why. So I did some research and discovered that the iconic cookie has ties to Glaser's Bake Shop on Manhattan's Upper East Side, which opened in 1902.

Now I don't date back quite that far, but I can unequivocally claim a lifelong love affair with the black and white. (In case you're interested, I eat the black side first and save the preferred white side for last.)

So when asked to create a popsicle with a Jewish twist, I knew I wanted a black and white cookie pop.

But how to execute? That took some time. I played with a few ideas-from doing a half chocolate/half vanilla ice cream pop to an all vanilla half dunked in chocolate shell. All with chunks of cookies scattered throughout.

But I really wanted to get that cookie taste-icing and all-into the pops themselves.

The answer? A cookie milkshake base-half chocolate, half vanilla-with little pieces of cookie (half chocolate, half vanilla) running through. And not only were these so super easy-requiring a blender and just 5 ingredients-they were super delicious, too.

Black and White Cookie Popsicles

Yield: 8 to 10 popsicles

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups whole milk, divided

1/2 cup heavy cream, divided

2 tablespoons sugar, divided

1-2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

8 ounces black and white cookies (I used an 8-ounce package of small cookies-about 2 inches in diameter. If you can't find them, just use a similar amount of any size cookie and follow the directions accordingly.)

Directions

Divide the cookies in half-place the chocolate halves aside.

Place 3/4 cup of milk, 1/4 cup heavy cream, 1 tablespoon sugar and half the vanilla cookie halves into a blender. Chop the remaining vanilla halves into small pieces. Blend the mixture for 30 seconds. Pour into popsicle molds, going only halfway up. Place a few chopped cookie pieces in each mold. Add popsicle sticks and freeze till frozen.

Clean out your blender and add the remaining 3/4 cup milk, 1/4 cup heavy cream, 1 tablespoon sugar and the cocoa powder, along with half the chocolate cookie halves. Chop the remaining chocolate halves into small pieces. Blend the mixture for 30 seconds. Keep refrigerated till ready to use.

When the pops are frozen, remove from freezer and add the chocolate mixture and a few chocolate cookie pieces to each mold. Freeze overnight.

To release the pops, hold molds briefly under hot water.

Sheri Silver is writer of the blog Donuts, Dresses and Dirt (http://sherisilver.com/)-where she shares all of her passions, including baking and cooking, gardening and shopping.

The Nosher food blog offers a dazzling array of new and classic Jewish recipes and food news, from Europe to Yemen, from challah to shakshuka and beyond. Check it out at www.TheNosher.com.