World Peace Cookies

World Peace Cookies - made dough October 31, 2019 from Dorie's Cookies by Dorie Greenspan

When I first took a bite of this cookie, I thought "oh" somewhat in disappointment as the texture was crisp rather than chewy and I'd come to prefer my chocolate cookies to be chunky, chubby and chewy. When I took the second bite of this cookie, I thought "OH...." and immediately took a third bite.

This ended up being one of the best chocolate cookies I think I've ever made. It defies my usual norm of what I prefer in a chocolate cookie in terms of texture as I normally don't like crisp cookies. But it worked really well in this cookie. It isn't hard like a biscotti and it doesn't have the snap of a shortbread cookie but it was a perfect crisp-chewy texture.

But I have to say it was probably the flavor that won me over the most. This was just good. The texture works well with it but it's the rich chocolate flavor that dazzles. And it'll only dazzle if you use a high quality cocoa powder (I used Valrhona) and fresh, real butter (no margarine, ever).

Because it's a slice and bake cookie, it also is ideal for holiday baking since you can make the dough at your leisure, form into logs, wrap and tuck away in the freezer for whenever you need to make cookies. I love make-ahead doughs since it lets me determine my own baking schedule and gives me a lot of flexibility in my holiday baking. This also ships well since it isn't soft-fragile, can be packaged easily and wedged firmly in a shipping box to avoid breakage. So it was a good candidate to include in the care package I sent for my "Baker Angel" soldier.

1 1/4 cups (170 grams) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (28 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick plus 3 tablespoons (11 tablespoons, 5 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into chunks, at room temperature
2/3 cup (134 grams) packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel or 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 ounces best quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1. Sift the flour, cocoa powder and baking soda together.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar on medium speed until soft and creamy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the salt and vanilla.
3. Add the dry ingredients and pulse a few times to start blending. Beat on low speed until combined. Fold in chocolate. Turn the dough onto a work surface and gather it together, kneading if necessary to bring it together. Divide in half and shape into logs 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and freeze for at least 2 hours or refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
5. Slice dough into 1/2-inch thick rounds. Arrange on baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between cookies. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to wire cooling racks.