World Peace Cookies



Adapted from: Pierre Hermé & Dorie Greenspan

Serves: 36

Prep time: 20 minutes
Rest time: 2-3 hours
Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
175 g (1.25 cups) flour (or GF)
30 g (1/3 cup) unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp bicarb / baking soda
150 g (11 tbsp) unsalted butter (or vegan alternative)
120 g (2/3 cup) packed light brown sugar
50 g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
1/2 tsp fleur de sel or 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
142 g (5 oz) bittersweet chocolate (or vegan option), chopped to chip size
Fleur de sel for garnishing

If everyone ate these cookies, there would be world peace, or so the reasoning goes behind the name of these life-pausing morsels. They have been circulating the globe for 20 years this year. Whilst not everyone has heard of them, they are well-known and loved to those who have. 

From the words of Dorie and Pierre, they are like a French sablé cookie, yet using brown sugar helps give a hint of chewiness like American cookies. In my words: they still hold a bit of crunch which is simultaneously slightly softened by the full chocolatey bite that follows it. Salt hits the tongue in micro pops which electrify the sweet richness. 

I love these cookies because they are far too decadent for the ease in which to make them. Pre-cooked dough logs can be pre-frozen and then chopped to bake at a later date. Or if you're familiar with freezing baked cookies, by all means! They are delicious just out of the freezer too. Oh, and mind the oven time. 12 minutes no more and no less--they will look slightly under-baked which is perfect.

What. Are. You. Waiting. For.

Ingredients:
175 g (1.25 cups) flour (or GF)
30 g (1/3 cup) unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp bicarb / baking soda
150 g (11 tbsp) unsalted butter (or vegan alternative)
120 g (2/3 cup) packed light brown sugar
50 g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
1/2 tsp fleur de sel or 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
142 g (5 oz) bittersweet chocolate (or vegan option), chopped to chip size
Fleur de sel for garnishing

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, sift flour, cocoa, and bicarb / baking soda together. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer (preferably with a paddle attachment), beat butter on medium speed until creamy.

3. To the butter, add both sugars, salt, and vanilla. Beat 2 minutes.

4. Turn off mixer and pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients.

5. Pulse mixer 5 times on low for 1 second each until just combined.

6. Continue mixing on low speed for 30 seconds until flour is just mixed in.

7. Fold in the chocolate chip pieces until just incorporated.

8. Divide dough in half, place them on plastic wrap, and shape each into a 4 cm (1.5”) diameter log. Wrap up and refrigerate for 3 hours.

9. Preheat the oven to 163 C / 325 F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

10. Using a sharp, thin knife, slice the dough logs into 1/2 inch rounds. If the dough cracks, squeeze together gently.

11. Place cookie dough rounds on baking sheet 1 inch apart. Bake 12 minutes, period.

12. Lightly sprinkle fleur de sel on the hot cookies and allow them to rest until warm to cool.

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