Dear Santa Starbucks or Howard Schultz or Big Starbucks Food Executive Vice President,
Once upon a time there was a lovely cookie called the Black and White cookie which was commonly found at Starbucks. The cookie is still around, it’s just gone from common to rare. It’s so good. The bottom of it is sort of a soft vanilla spongy cookie, and it is covered in two icings: One half chocolate and the other half vanilla.
I have been good this year. Honestly. In big Sharpie pen at the top of my Christmas wishlist I told Santa that I want Black and White cookies at my local Starbucks. It’s only a small little treat. Not too much to ask for. They come in packages of two, and the packaging has been carefully designed to tell you to pair it with Sumatra. I got a slightly flattened package of the Black and White Cookies from someone in New Jersey. The mail carrier wasn’t too careful with it from New Jersey to Seattle. That is a very long trip for a cookie to make! Surely the elves at the North Pole will be more gentle with them. I followed the instructions and shared the little package of cookies from New Jersey with partners in downtown Seattle, and had a mini tasting of cookies with Sumatra from the Clover. Wonderful, and it does work as a pairing!
Is there some reason why these cookies are only found in New York, New Jersey, parts of Virginia and a few other East Coast locations? Does Santa eat them all up as he flies east to west, and so none ever reach the West Coast?
Also, one more thing Santa Starbucks … Would you please ask your coffee experts on the 8th floor WHY it works so well to pair Black and White cookies with Sumatra?
Looking forward to your prompt reply. Santa, if you need to email me, you can reach me at Melody@StarbucksMelody.com. Also, please tell all your elves to read my blog and “like” my Facebook fanpage.
Sincerely yours,
“StarbucksMelody”
PS: Santa if you have forgotten what these cookies look like, just check out the photos that I have enclosed in this letter.
((This is an open thread! Feel free in the comments to write out your own Dear Santa Starbucks wish list!))
54 Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Socialize
We have tons of them in Northern VA. They just don’t sell well. The Madeline cookies sell like mad, but we keep them both stocked.
Melody love the post! So sorry the cookies got smashed. I thought I did a good job of protecting them. They certainly sell at my SB. Always seem them restocking them everyday! Hope SB listens!
@Rob and Purple1
@purple1 – You did a GREAT job of wrapping the cookies. (Feel free to send some anytime. I’ll even pay you.( They were slightly flattened by the mailman but totally edible. I took some literary license with the blog entry and on top of it, I would still expect elves to be more gentle with them than the US postal service. 😉
@Rob – Thanks for coming by! I am little saddened to hear they don’t sell so well at your store. I think Seattleites would eat these up!
These are the cookies you are talking about! Yes we have them at lots of stores here.
And you are right I have not seen them when i was visiting Starbucks in Las Vegas, Seattle, California….
Dear Starbucks Santa, dear coffee god Howard,
could you please have a closer look at Germany…build more store, more LEED stores, more cities. More food options, more offers…
My wishlist is too long…I don’t want to be greedy…:D
Sebastian
Hey @Purple1 I wonder how many east coast onyl things there are? and how many west coast only…we could start a starbucks black market…. 😉
AmazonV what a great idea- LOL especially since the Seattle stores seem to get stuff and events we on the east coast don’t have. I know from going to Northern CA SB that there are pastries there that are not on the east coast.
Melody as an extension a bit of this post – why not open it up to have a Dear Santa/Howard this is what I want from SB for the holidays besides the bw cookies? So many thoughts of what we can ask for! Are you listening SB?????
@Sebastian – Hahaha! Yes I want more LEED stores too! I love it. We have to compare wish lists sometime.
@purple1 – Great idea!
Dear Starbucks Santa,
Pretty please bring back the mint chocolate (dark chocolate, that is!) covered Graham cracker cookie things! They were AMAZING. They came in packs of four. Delicious squares of joy.
I will love you forever.
Oh, and one more thing—I want more DARK CHERRY SYRUP at my local Starbucks!
Oh, and, okay, another thing. This summer, revive the coconut mocha Frappuccino?
Oh! And, one more, why oh why did you do away with your Signature hot chocolate?! The regular just pales in comparison. I miss good ol’ Siggy.
Okay, I guess that’s it.
Thanks in advance!
—Sarah
P.S. I still have plenty of coal left over from last year, so please don’t trouble yourself with bringing me more!
That is a product that I have not seen at all. The closet I’ve seen at my store that has any black and white to it, is a polar bear cookie. Would love to try these out though. Still need your addy so i can send you something.
@Pencil to Paper – Mint chocolate graham crackers? How long ago were these sold at Starbucks? they sound delicious!
@AmazonV – I jut read your Starbucks black market comment and laughed! LOL. I can see a black and white cookie black market forming out here in Seattle. 😉
Love the post Melody-
Sorry I couldn’t find you any in Boston 🙁 also if we are talking about bringing something to the east coast, please release pike place reserve for a limited time in all or select stores. That would my Christmast very complete 🙂
@pencil_to_paper, Sarah I agree with the Coconut Mocha Frappuccino! That was a good one! (The mint grahams were good too!) It’s sad that we can’t carry all of these things but most stores have real limited space so as new things come out, old things have to drop off. (I hate it when my store starts looking like a 7-11! 😀 The last 4 bottles of our dark cherry syrup expired last Friday so they got discarded 🙁
On a side note, I hope that everyone’s Holiday Wishes come true this Christmas! Happy Holidays everyone! 😀
@Wongster – I think I was the only one who liked the malted mocha Frappuccino. I can’t believe how many of those I drank! Yikes.
@Amy – These cookies appear to be just for very limited markets. I sent you some coffee in the mail but it looks like the holiday mail has really slowed things down getting to people. You’ll have some Pike Place Special Reserve soon!
Hopefully I’ll get a reply from the SSC about my wishlist request. 😉
Melody- you are so awesome. Actually awesome isn’t the word. Thank you very much 🙂 You are truly a kind person and it’s appreciated. I look forward to drinking it. The last time I went to Starbucks to get it ground for my french press, I had three different baristas, ask me about it and they said,”Where did you get this from. It certainly doesn’t smell like the regular pike place.?
The only other thing I would like is for the maple macchiato to come back 🙂
@Wongster: I think you would have made a lot of people over here totally happy with that expired dark cherry syrup. 😉
Dear Santa Starbucks, I could totally do with a Starbucks close to where I live. I now have to travel 30 miles to even get close to my favorite slurpy. So, when you’re looking at Germany, could you please also take a peek at Holland? We’re neighbours anyways. I’ll take any cookie or tazo tea or coffee you’ve got to offer 😉
We had the black and white cookies here ….forever….almost, I think. and fairly recently, altho not right now. I am thinkiing at least last spring and then maybe not summer? But usually we have had them….. altho I think they do come and go a bit. (maybe seasonal) I was under the impression they sell well at my store. I thought they were a perfect treat, a good bang for one’s buck.
@mirjam – I think they should build more Starbucks in Holland! 🙂 Afterall, you’ve got a roasting plant nearby. And I really liked Dark Cherry Syrup too. It went well in iced teas.
@AmyB – Love that you’ve got your baristas curious. Tell them to come visit here! I would just say that it is a special bold Latin American coffee blend made by Starbucks but ONLY available for purchase at 1912 Pike Place Starbucks.
Melody- Wed- More BW cookies on their way and hopefully not too ruined by postal service. Wrapped in more bubble wrap. Enjoy!
My wish list for SB- not really related to food or coffee although there are items I would put on my wish list. My main wish is for SB to really see the customer as someone special and for baristas to acknowledge regulars in their stores. Some days they do, some days they don’t. I would hope SB reviews their customer service and training policies not just corporate wide, but perhaps they have to look at each store and district and acknowledge the customer in a special way. Certainly, customers are different in different parts of the USA.
myStarbucksidea Vote the Black and White cookie in … http://sbux.co/e7FYOY
All of our Dark Cherry syrup finally expired and we can’t reorder it. Guess it’s done. And yeah, I’m sitting on 3 boxes of the B&W cookies in the back and a box already out on the floor. Just can’t move ’em. Weird because I like them as well.
Yet another wish for dark cherry syrup! I always liked the chocolate-covered grahams as well.
(And -never- get rid of the pumpkin loaf!)
Dear Starbucks Santa,
Please bring the minis to Tucson, AZ (since it sounds like the test was a success). Also, I just every drink/ store experience to be consistent like I know it can be! 🙂
@Hayley Oh THAT is a great wish!! Yes I want the minis too! 🙂 Santa Starbucks please grant some of these wishes in this thread!
@Hayley oh yes, bring minis back and spread them everywhere!
My wish is for training and coffee to become important again.
@Melody yes we’ll smuggle B&W cookies in exchange for other goodies, muhaha! I’ll see you two strawberry popcorns for 3 B&W cookies, do i hear 2 strawberry popcorns and a chocolate croissant, SOLD to the lady with the chocolate croissant!
Good lord, those mint chocolate grahms were deadly. I could down a whole package in eh, ten seconds. Also, the caramel wafer cookies we had briefly in Fall were AWESOME with Guatemala and/or Cafe Estima, or straight shot of espresso.
Melody, you’ll be excited to know that in the next promo phase (Winter) we’ll be carrying chocolate-dipped Madeleines (different from the chocolate version of the same ones we carry now). Dipped in dark chocolate. Look pretty tasty….
What a cute little post, Melody! I hope the Starbucks Santa listens up! I’m not sure how they would sell over all down here, but it would at least be fun to offer seasonally, maybe? But hopefully they wont make us wait until next Christmas! I want to try these yummy little things!
We actually have tons of those here in Miami, I will try to take some pictures tomorrow.
One of my clients know the people who distribute and make some of the Starbucks products so I’ll ask them tomorrow…maybe they know something about this cookie mistery…
Nice blog btw!!!
hye there!
few weeks ago i hv rcvd VIA sample from melody.what can i say? taste good and same..i was told it was exactly the same as we ordered at their counter :p
VIA Mocha already being one of my fav and i just can’t wait until it’s available here for sale
To be frankly, IMO starbucks is more than a cup of coffee..its a combination of the environment and taste.VIA does make my day, but preferably to order at the counter for the fresh ones.
I was told that their will launch VIA here in Malaysia somewhere around June/July next year.
As per promised, i already hand over few remaining VIA to partners at my fav starbucks place.I am sure they will come and comment something about it.
sorry for my belated comments
/bad English too :p
I do find it odd that the black and white cookies aren’t in Seattle. We have them here in Florida and have had them for quite sometime. Having read this post, I feel a little ashamed having not even tried these cookies when I can get them so easily.
I have to add the request for the minis to be added to the line of pastries. Am looking forward to trying them. Also, SB how about the introduction of vegetarian breakfast options without cheese and using egg whites? I thought something was coming up soon?
also, no B & W cookies here in AZ either…further supporting the east coast hypothesis.
Hayley- Curious what is the east coast hypothesis? Missed something? I always am amazed at how Seattle SB seem to get so much more than the SB stores on the east coast. And the number of tests done here seem few and far between other SB stores and locations.
@Rob @26Life @Hayley @CoffeeVanilla @Javier @BCCav @CD
@Rob – Dark cherry is nearly gone from downtown Seattle. That was a good one! Though I get that old syrups go and then they make room for new ones. If it didn’t work like that, syrups would take over the countertop space. 😉
@26life – Your English is FINE! I love it when you comment here. You bring a great perspective that we don’t have much of. I think you are the only regular or semi regular commenter from Malaysia. Please join in more often. I am genuinely interested in your thoughts, and I loved the way you described Via and its relationship to Starbucks. And it is “preferable” to have a real hand-crafted drink in the stores. Well said. I hope you got to try the Christmas Blend Via – That was the best one in my humble opinion.
@CoffeeVanilla and Javier – You have them in Florida!!! Strange that they’re found in NY, NJ, and parts of VA, and then Florida too?
@Hayley – East coast hypothesis?
@BCCav – Thank you! Funny how the little post spark the most conversation sometimes! 😉
@CD -Where are you? Probably out Christmas shopping! 🙂
My one and only Starbucks wish is for the return of the Black Bottom Cupcake. The only cupcake I’ve had where the bottom was as good as the top!
But alas, they are no more. At least in my part of the world.
@purple1 @melody – the east coast hypothesis was justt what you had mentioned earlier….that the black and white cookies can be found on the east coast in certain areas, but not in the west. I haven’t seen any in AZ.
@Providence – Welcome to the blog. Funny you should say that! I was just chatting the other day with a partner at a Starbucks on Pike Street about the missing black bottom cupcake! (Pike Street and Pike Place are two different streets). We don’t have them in this neck of the woods either. Yes, that is another favorite treat from an era gone by.
Come back again soon and join the little tiny community here. 🙂
Melody
I remember that cupcake as well and it was so good. I think when they changed cupcake bakers they no longer had these cupcakes and actually I think the newer cupcakes are not as good.
I would sometimes see these cookies at the Starbucks near my old job and even the one located at Miami’s Dolphin Mall…but these are pretty rare as well!
@French Bean These cookies are not rare at all in the Miami area… I actually saw them the other day in two Miami Beach locations, they had plenty this morning at the Cocowalk location and also the two locations in the Brickell area..same goes for South Miami (Sunset Dr), UM, and Pinecrest… even Target has them… =)
Quoting Melody: “Strange that they’re found in NY, NJ, and parts of VA, and then Florida too?”
Not really…black & white cookies are New York to the core, and think about where a lot of New Yorkers move to — Jersey and Philadelphia, the DC area, and Florida.
Dear Santa Howard- The barista at my local SB this morning told me she thought the black bean wrap was being discontinued. Is that so? What a shame. So few vegetarian choices for breakfast and even though it has cheese on it I like it the best. They have not been able to get it for awhile.
re: the balck & white cookies: I thought it was kind of ..common…knowledge that they are known as a New York thing. ? so, much as I hate to ever acknowledge that (being a native Chciagoan), they really are a New Yok item, originally. (it does say that on the label, I think) I say, lazily, not scoling back up to look……. 😉
@deniseR – They may be a NY thing but I think Seattleites would enjoy them too! 😉 I thought that at one time they were more widespread than just the East Coast.
I have never seen those Black/White cookies before this blog post.
Dear Santa Starbucks – please bring back the Dark Cherry Mocha. My calorie/fat level is dying down and I need to satisfy my sweet tooth.
Here’s a recipe for Black and White cookies:
http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/holidays/christmas/christmascookiesminiblackandwhites/recipes/food/views/MINI-BLACK-AND-WHITE-COOKIES-233293
I have not tried it yet, but I will eventually 🙂 I’m from NY but now live in England and these are one of the things I have to have everytime I go back to NY!