world peace cookies {bwd}

Happy New Year, everyone!

I have the pick for the Baking with Dorie baking group this week, and what better cookie to ring in the New Year than one that, if distributed, could contribute to a better place to live? (That is, only if you don't eat the batch yourself.  They really are rather addictive.)  Chocolate dough, chocolate chunks, and butter. Need I say more?

These cookies are related to the sablé — a buttery shortbread, with a slightly sandy texture. The difference is that they are packed with chocolate.  The recipe comes via Dorie Greenspan from renowned pastry chef, Pierre Hermé, who can do no wrong.  He uses fleur de sel, which "surprises, delights and makes the chocolate flavors in the cookies seem preternaturally profound."  

With its tastiness and profundity (hehe, I've never encountered this word in conjuction with a cookie,) the world peace cookie is wonderfully simple to prepare.  The most time is spent cutting the bittersweet chocolate into chunks, then waiting for dough to sit in the refrigerator. Because of the needed refrigeration time, it can be made ahead a day or two (or frozen— which makes it great for unexpected company).  This is a convenient, delicious and easy cookie to make.

World Peace = World Class

World Peace Cookies
from Baking from My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan


Printable Recipe


1¼ cups all-purpose flour
⅓ cups unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 stick plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
⅔ cup (packed) light brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon fleur de sel or ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips or a generous ¾ cup store-bought mini chocolate chips

Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda together.

Working with a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy.  Add both sugars, salt and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes more.

Turn off the mixer.  Pour in the dry ingredients.  On low speed, mix for about a minute, just until the flour disappears into the dough— for the best texture, work the dough as little as possible once the flour is added, and don't be concerned if the dough looks a little crumbly.  Toss in the chocolate pieces, and mix only to incorporate.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather it together and divid it in half.  Working with one half at a time, shape the dough into logs that are 1½ inches in diameter.  Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 3 hours.  (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.  If you've frozen the dough, you needn't defrost it before baking— just slice the logs into cookies and bake the cookies 1 minute longer.)

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325ºF.  Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Using a sharp thin knife, slice the logs into rounds that are ½-inch thick.  (The rounds are likely to crack as you're cutting them— don't be concerned, just squeeze the bits back onto each cookie.)  Arrange the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between them.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12 minutes — they won't look done, nor will they be firm, but that's just the way they should be.  Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the cookies rest until they are only just warm, at which point you can serve them or let them reach room temperature.

This post is linked to Ultimate Swap Recipe, Skip To My Lou, Melt in Your Mouth Mondays