Friday, May 11, 2012

World Peace Cookies


The name of these cookies is so promising that one does not really know what to expect. It turns out that they are a sort of chocolate shortbread cookie. They are buttery, have a crumbly/sandy (“short”) texture, are a bit salty and certainly intensely chocolatey. Briefly speaking, they are delicious and I will definitely make them again.



I had been wanting to prepare these cookies for quite some time now. For my birthday a few years ago I received a copy of Dorie Greenspan's fantastic book "Baking - From my Home to Yours” (published by Houghton Mifflin in November 2006) and found the recipe for the World Peace Cookies on pages 138-139. This recipe was originally published in Dorie´s book “Paris Sweets” published by Clarkson Potter (November 2002) and the cookies were then called “Korova Cookies/Sablés Korova”(pages 6-8), the recipe being adapted from Pierre Hermé. Both books are available at www.amazon.com. But you can also find the recipe on www.epicurious.com.






Recipe for World Peace Cookies 
(Recipe by Dorie Greenspan)

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups AP flour
1/3 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
11 tablespoons (1 stick plus 3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/4 cup superfine sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
5 ounces extra-bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 85% cacao)


Preparation

1. Sift flour, cocoa, and baking soda into medium bowl.

2. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth but not fluffy.

3. Add both sugars, vanilla, and sea salt; beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes.

4. Add flour mixture; beat just until blended (mixture may be crumbly).

5. Add chopped chocolate; mix just to distribute (if dough doesn't come together, knead lightly in bowl to form ball).

6. Divide dough in half. Place each half on sheet of plastic wrap. Form each into 1 1/2-inch-diameter log. Wrap each in plastic; chill until firm, about 3 hours. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep chilled.)

7. Preheat your oven to 325°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Using thin sharp knife, cut logs crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Space 1 inch apart on prepared sheets.

8. Bake one sheet at a time until cookies appear dry (cookies will not be firm or golden at edges), 11 to 12 minutes.

9. Transfer to rack and cool.

10. Enjoy!




My entire family, adults and kids, loved the cookies.





8 comments:

  1. Beautifully delicious! Shortbread and chocolate what could be better! I love your VW bus and tablecloth…so very retro and adorable!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Kathy! When I saw this fabric in the store I immediately fell in love with it and thought it would make a nice tablecloth to present Dorie´s World Peace Cookies in the way they deserve to be presented, love that recipe.

      Delete
  2. I have also been wanting to make these for the longest time since I have seen and heard to much about them. Seeing your photos of your beautiful world peace cookies has me putting these on my list to make soon!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Elaine, try to make them soon (if you have the time) - I am sure your family will enjoy them! I did not find them overly sweet and was a bit surprised that the kids liked them so much but they were all gone by the end of the day.

      Delete
  3. Andrea, Thank you sooooo much for publishing the recipe for World Peace Cookies. I don't have either of those books. Like elaine, I've heard so much about them and will definitely make them now. Do you know WHY they are called World Peace Cookies?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mary, here is the answer. Dorie writes in her "Baking - From my Home to Yours" book the following."...they (the cookies) instantly won fans, among them my neighbor Richard Gold, who gave them their new name. Richard is convinced that a daily dose of Pierre´s (Pierre Hermé) cookies is all that is needed to ensure planetary peace and happiness".

      And I tend to agree with that statement.

      Delete
  4. These are one of my most favorite cookies, Andrea. I'm glad to hear you and your family enjoyed them. Mary, if everyone ate these cookies, they would be extremely happy, and we could have World Peace!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for you nice comment, Betsy - you (and Richard Gold) are absolutely right - these cookies could probably play an important role in bringing about World Peace!

      Delete