World Peace Cookies

 

 

I remember hearing about these "World Peace Cookies" many years ago, but I have never made them.  To be honest, I am not all that crazy about chocolate...yes, I know, I am unusual.  I mean I like a nice Lindt truffle once in a while but I don't usually eat much chocolate, especially in baked good.  But I had a sweet tooth a few nights ago and had all the ingredients on hand and it sounded fairly simple, so I decided...we all need some peace in the World right now so these cookies might be a good thing.

The cookie has a long history, starting sometime before the turn of the millennium, when Chef  Pierre Hermé, created it for a now closed Parisian restaurant called Korova (which was new at the time he created this cookie).

The cookie because well known or shall I say world-wide famous, when culinary guru, Dorie Greenspan renamed them World Peace Cookies and published it in her cookbook.  The story is that her New York neighbor took a taste and said if everyone ate this cookie, it would cause World Peace.  Wouldn't that be wonderful if a cookie had that power?

World Peace Cookies
(from Dorie Greenspan)
Makes about 36 cookies

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick plus 3 tablespoons (11 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into chunks, at room temperature
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel or 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into irregular sized bits ( I used semi-sweet mini chocolate chips since that is what I had on hand)

In a large bowl, beat the butter and both sugars together until soft, creamy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the salt and vanilla. Add all the dry ingredients and blend. Add the chocolate pieces and mix to incorporate. 

Turn the dough out onto a work surface and gather it together, kneading it if necessary to bring it together. Divide the dough in half. Shape the dough into logs that are 11/2 inches in diameter. Don’t worry about the length — get the diameter right, and the length will follow. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 3 hours.

When you’re ready to bake: Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 325 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

 

Working with one log at a time and using a long, sharp knife, slice the dough into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. (The rounds might 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 2 inches between them. (If you’ve cut both logs, keep one baking sheet in the fridge while you bake the other.)

My note:  I sprinkled half of the cookies with flaky salt and I sprinkled the other half with white sugar before baking - I ended up liking the salted ones the best.

Bake the cookies for 12 minutes — don’t open the oven, just let them bake. When the timer rings, they won’t look done, nor will they be firm, and 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 munch them, or let them reach room temperature.

Bake the remaining dough.

NOTE: 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 bake the cookies 1 minute long.