Monday, November 22, 2010

TWD: World Peace Cookies (Rewind)



This week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe was a "Rewind". I knew immediately which recipe I was going to make: World Peace Cookies.

The book says, These butter-rich, sandy-textured slice-and-bake cookies are members of the sablé family. But, unlike classic sablés, they are midnight dark — there's cocoa in the dough — and packed with chunks of hand-chopped bittersweet chocolate. Perhaps most memorably, they're salty. Not just a little salty, but remarkably and sensationally salty. It's the salt — Pierre uses fleur de sel, a moist, off-white sea salt — that surprises, delights and makes the chocolate flavors in the cookies seem preternaturally profound.

I made one small addition: mixing in some finely chopped almonds along with the chocolate chips. These were pleasantly easy to make and kinda reminded me of chocolate shortbread. I also love how well the dough freezes for "emergencies" when you need cookies at a moment's notice.





World Peace Cookies
Makes 36 | adapted from Baking: From my Home to Yours

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, at room temperature
2/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped or 3/4 cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup chopped almonds
Milk or cream as needed (1 tbsp)

1. Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda together.
2. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add both sugars, the salt and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes more.
3. Turn off the mixer. Pour in the dry ingredients, drape a kitchen towel over the stand mixer to protect yourself and your kitchen from flying flour and pulse the mixer at low speed about 5 times, a second or two each time. Take a peek — if there is still a lot of flour on the surface of the dough, pulse a couple of times more; if not, remove the towel. Continuing at low speed, mix for about 30 seconds more, 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 and almonds and mix only to incorporate. If it is too crumbly to form a dough, add a little milk or cream as needed.
4. Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather it together and divide it in half. Working with one half at a time, shape the dough into logs that are 1 1/2 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.)

Getting Ready to Bake:
5. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.
6. Using a sharp thin knife, slice the logs into rounds that are 1/2 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.
7. 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.

15 comments:

Bella Baker said...

I actually made these a while back but took terrible photos of them so I didnt put them on my blog...funny, I know these cookies have a huge following, but I found them to be a bit too salty for my liking. Clearly I am in the minority on that though!! Happy thanksgiving!

Flourchild said...

Wow they look really good! Im glad you got to chow down on some good cookies!:)

Unknown said...

These look fantastic! I have read so much about them, but never tried them. I think your addition of almonds makes them sound irresistible, and I am going to put them on my Christmas baking list.
:)

Danielle said...

They look delicious! I like how you put a pattern with the almonds on top. Cute!

Jessica of My Baking Heart said...

I remember mine not turning out so well. Yours are so beautiful, they're making me want to try them again! :)

Hindy said...

Your cookies look lovely with their little almond tops. This is one of my favourite - and most used - recipes.

Welcome to our crazy blessed life said...

Oh yum!! I loved these cookies! They look fantastic!

Anne said...

Your cookies look perfect, I will have to try them again (haven't frozen the dough before, what a great cookie to have on hand!)

Kayte said...

For someone who does not like chocolate, I have made these a ton of times...lol...because my guys absolutely love them! Yours look great, you get them so evenly shaped! Oh, and letting them reach room temperature is only an option if you don't have hungry teenage boys standing around ready to scoop them up and eat them asap! ;-)

GratefulPrayerThankfulHeart said...

These cookies look perfect! I have not made them and I think I will have to correct that! :) Yum!

TeaLady said...

LOVE the almonds added in. What a great way to make these lovely cookies even better.

Anonymous said...

They look pretty with the nuts on top! These are really awesome cookies!

Piggy said...

Your cookies look good with almonds!

Chats the Comfy Cook said...

I have never made these. I have to do so after seeing yours. They sound great.

Jules Someone said...

I never did warm to these, but yours look so good I may have to try again.