By Amy Zimmer
DNAinfo News Editor
UPPER EAST SIDE — William Greenberg Jr. Desserts takes its black-and-white cookies very seriously.
It's been churning out handmade versions of the iconic New York treat on a daily basis since opening on Madison Avenue in 1946.
But having mastered the perfect balance, with its half moons of thinly frosted dark chocolate and vanilla icing atop a flat cake (it's not actually a cookie), Carol Becker — who took over the shop three years ago — started experimenting with variations on the tradition.
Her brightly-hued cookies for sports teams or in school colors have become hits on the Upper East Side, but she decided give some extra heft to her pink-and-white cookies that have become a favorite for Valentine's Day.
Starting in 2009, Becker decided to donate 50 cents from her pink-and-white cookie sales ($1.50 to $3.50 each) to raise $5,000 annually for the Greater New York affiliate of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure as a way to honor "all the women we love," she explained.
She will announce her re-commitment for this year's $5,000 pledge to promote breast cancer awareness on Wednesday afternoon.
"I thought it was important for any opportunity to do something," Becker said. "It's something every woman has got to be aware of and do what they can."
Becker did not change the recipe for the original black-and-white cookie at the renowned kosher bakery, between 82nd and 83rd streets, which has won the sweet "Best of" status in New York Magazine.
But her variations with colored vanilla frosting might not necessarily win over Jerry Seinfeld, who rhapsodized about the cookie in "The Dinner Party" episode as a metaphor for racial harmony.
"Nothing mixes better than vanilla and chocolate," Seinfeld said on the show.
There were some non-traditionalists out there, Becker noted.
"The truth of the matter," she said, "it started because my daughter doesn't like chocolate. So, I decided to make pink-and-white or blue-and-white, and it grew from there."
