Every city has its own flavors and distinct regional tastes, but Baltimore often doesn’t get a lot of credit in the culinary department despite a long history of many different types of immigrants settling there. These locally-known Berger cookies have hit a sweet spot (so to speak) in the area and when you taste them you will understand why. They are known all over Maryland where they are sold not only in the Berger’s bakery, but also in small shops up and down the state.
The first Berger (or Berger’s) cookies originated with German brothers and bakers George and Henry Berger in the 1830s. We’d have to have a time machine to taste what they were making and selling in Baltimore’s open air markets back then. But, today many recipes for this treat feature a cake-y cookie topped with a thick layer of fudge-like frosting on top.
You want to let the cookies bake only until the bottoms of these vanilla cookies turn golden- no longer. This is so that the cookies are nice and tender.
The frosting relies on melted chocolate so that it can set later on, so you’ll start making this part of the recipe by using a double boiler or ban Marie. This ensures that you can get all the cocoa processed smoothly. I had to beat my frosting with an electric mixer for quite a time before it evened out, so don’t give up if it looks lumpy at first.
After the cookies and frosting have both cooled then you frost the flat side, leaving a black-and-white appearance to these cookies. You can eat them right away, but the frosting becomes even more fudgey if you refrigerate the cookies for a bit before enjoying them. And, they freeze well, too, so you can enjoy these little drops of heaven weeks later, too.
Baltimore Berger Cookies
Diet: Vegetarian
For the cookies:
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/3 cup whole milk
For the icing:
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup Dutch cocoa powder, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup heavy cream, plus more as needed
- 1 cup confectioners sugar, plus more as needed
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
For the cookies:
- Combine butter, salt, vanilla, and sugar in a large bowl. Add egg and combine well. In another bowl combine flour and baking powder. Add dry ingredients to wet a little at a time, then slowly stir in milk.
- Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes. When ready to bake preheat oven to 400˚F. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto lined baking sheet. Flatten slightly with a flat bottom mug or measuring cup so that each one is 1 1/2" across. Leave 2" between cookies.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms are golden while tops remain white. Allow cookies to cool completely before icing.
For the frosting:
- Melt chocolate chips using a double boiler or ban Marie. Using an electric mixer combine chocolate with cocoa and vanilla extract, then blend in remaining frosting ingredients.
- Remove from heat while frosting is still warm (not hot) to finish blending out any remaining lumps. If frosting is too loose add more powdered sugar. If it's too stiff add 1 teaspoon of cream at a time and blend until you have a thick, fudgey frosting.
- Frost the flat side of the each cookie for a black-and-white effect. Refrigerate any uneaten cookies.
Recipe adapted from King Arthur Baking .