The "Black and White" cookies referred to were made by my Grandfather Pile's Hough Bakeries. However, they were not black and white, but rather brown (chocolate) and white. Their designation on our price list was "Modernistic Cookies," and modern they certainly were when he created them back in the 1930's.

Each time my mother visited the bakery to purchase her baked goods, my grandfather offered her children one cookie. From as early as 1937 Modernistics were one of my two favorite cookies of all time--still are. Often as not I chose the Jelly Center cookie because the very rich modernistics were too inclined to crumble in a child's hand.

Instructions are simple. Make a double batch of your favorite rich butter cookie dough. Divide in two and add to one half chocolate or equivalent in cocoa (do not try substituting chocolate drink powder). Place both doughs side by side, shaping each into a log.

Lightly dampen the two sides that will come together, and carefully seal the two logs together into one. Tidy up the single log to about 4 inches in diameter. Encase tightly as possible in plastic wrap or waxed paper and refrigerate (overnight is best). Slice as for any kind of icebox cookies and bake.

This dough can also be made into pretty pinwheels--recipes in most traditional recipe books.

NOTE: This is not an official Hough Bakeries recipe. Even I haven't got that! But it is the directions I devised for making these cookies myself, and with a little patience melding the two logs together, they do work.

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