World Peace Cookies-Let’s Do the Cookie Wrap Now
Christmas is over, but that doesn’t mean the cookie baking has stopped.
After all, we still need to ring in the new year and what better way than with delicious sweet or salty nibbles? Need a savory bite to go with cocktails, try Parmesan Shortbread or Bouchon’s Gourgeres. Didn’t finish that bottle of bubbly Rose’, the perfect answer, Christina Tosi’s Champagne Shortbread.
To usher in 2020, I looked for the perfect bite-sized treat when you have a cocktail or a glass of the bubbly in your grasp. I kept in mind my slice and bake theme and decided the perfect cookie to have for New Year’s Eve or Day, DRUM ROLL PLEASE…
Dorie Greenspan’s World Peace Cookies
A fitting cookie to celebrate the end of a decade and bring in a new one.
This cookie, a Pierre Herme creation, was originally called the Korova cookie and was published in Dorie’s Paris Sweets. It was the first book of Dorie’s I purchased. This cookie “made me buy it”. My reaction the first time I popped one in my mouth was, “WOW, this is REALLY, I mean REALLY, GOOD.”
I’m not a big fan of chocolate cookies so it took me by surprise. So delicious, Dorie’s friend renamed this chocolate wonder, World Peace Cookie. If everyone shared these we could achieve global peace. The cookies are chocolatey and sweet with bits of Fleur de Sel providing a surprising hit of saltiness. The chunks of bittersweet chocolate temper the sweetness and give the cookies a 1-2 chocolate punch. Yep, like a champ.
Ok. This cookie does pop up on a zillion feeds. So why am I re-posting? Well, you can never post the perfect chocolate cookie too many times and more importantly, on the off chance YOU haven’t made these, how could I not? I would be remiss if I didn’t, a dereliction of blogger duty.
There is another reason. I came across Dorie’s updated version of the World Peace Cookie in her book, Dorie’s Cookies (of course I own a copy, silly). Bakers often commented on the original recipe about the crumbly dough and how difficult it was to form a log. Her updated version has a little more butter, a little more sugar, and a smidge less flour. I noticed the updated dough was softer than the original recipe and came together easily. Perhaps her changes came about from baking them in ring molds for their cookie pop-up or maybe to address the crumble rumble.
I think the original recipe is much more like a sable’, a little drier and shortbread-like while the updated version is softer and a tad moister (wow, this was an auto-correct). I fully intend to bake the original soon for comparison. The bottom line is both versions are DELICIOUS.
The dough comes together in a snap. Butter is beaten with sugar, flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda. Then chopped dark chocolate is folded into the dough. Natural or Dutch-process cocoa can be used. I used King Arthur’s Triple Cocoa Blend (all-purpose cocoa) but use your favorite. For the chocolate, I like Trader Joe’s Pound Plus Dark Chocolate that comes in a big honking bar. You can use fancy designer chocolate to up the wow factor or you can use chips when you are in a hurry. I like the jagged, rough pieces you get chopping the chocolate. Use bittersweet chocolate, especially with the updated version which is a little sweeter than the original.
Roll the dough into logs, wrap in parchment or wax paper and chill. Use a serrated or sharp knife to cut 1/2 inch pieces. The dough will crumble but it is an easy fix, just smoosh it back together. No sweat. See?
Bake the cookies for twelve minutes. Don’t check them and don’t open the oven door. Just relax until the buzzer goes off. “Bake and take” them out-Dorie’s rules. Let them cool to set. They’re delicious slightly warm or at room temperature. Get out the milk or get out the bubbly and ENJOY.
Happy New Year! Wishing for World Peace in 2020!
Dorie Greenspan's World Peace Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 170gm
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder Dutch-processed or natural 30gm
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 8 tablespoons plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, (1 stick + 3 T) at room temperature
- 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar 134gm
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar 50gm
- 1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel or 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small bits 142gm or 5 ounces
- Fleur de Sel optional, to sprinkle on cookies before baking
Instructions
- Sift the flour, cocoa, and baking soda together and keep the bowl close. Put the butter in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until the butter is soft and creamy. Add both sugars, the salt, and vanilla extract and beat for another minute or two. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the sifted dry ingredients. Mix only until the dry ingredients are incorporated — the dough will look crumbly, and that’s just right. For the best texture, work the dough as little as possible once the flour is added. Toss in the chocolate pieces and mix only to incorporate.
- Turn the dough out onto a smooth work surface and squeeze it so that it sticks together in large clumps, don't be afraid to smoosh it together. Gather the dough into a ball, divide it in half, and working with one half at a time, shape the dough into logs that are 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) in diameter. (Cookie-dough logs can end up with hollow centers, so as you’re shaping each log, flatten it once or twice and roll it up from one long side to the other to get the air out)
- Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and chill them for at least 1 hour. (Wrapped airtight, the logs can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for 1 month.)
- Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Working with a sharp thin-bladed knife, slice the logs into rounds that are 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) thick. (Don’t worry if the rounds break; just squeeze the broken-off bit back onto the cookie.) Place the cookies on the parchment-lined sheets, leaving about 1 inch (2.5 cm) spread space between them.
- If you want to up your salt game, sprinkle a tiny bit of Fleur de Sel on each cookie before baking. It adds a tiny wow factor to the look of the cookie too.
- Bake one sheet of cookies at a time, and bake each sheet for 12 minutes. The cookies will not 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 stand until they are only just warm or until they reach room temperature.
4 Replies to “World Peace Cookies-Let’s Do the Cookie Wrap Now”
This looks SO good…yeh, gonna make these! Is there a particular reason the butter is written as “8 tablespoons plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter” (rather than 11 tablespoons)?
I looked at the original recipe and the amount was written as 1 stick plus 3 Tablespoons. I’m guessing she decided to make it consistent so converted the 1 stick to tablespoons when she updated the recipe. Hope this helps! Enjoy!
Yikes! I was done with sugar. The world peace cookies look too good to pass on.
I think you will love them! Easy to make and so so yummy!