The amount of chocolate I've been consuming as of late seems to be directly correlated to the amount of stress and anxiety I've been under. Some people are fortunate that when faced with stressful situations they loose their appetite, for them stress is a diet (maybe not the healthiest diet out there but a diet none the less). I fall firmly into the opposite camp. I crave comfort foods (which may explain how I ended up consuming grilled cheese and french bread pizza for dinner this week). I also crave chocolate. Rich, dark chocolate (My personal favorite is the Theo Salted Almond Dark Chocolate. Heavenly.) that I stock up on and then keep stashed in my work drawers so when the the afternoon gets the best of me I have something to reward myself with. For last weekends baking project, I knew nothing short of the best chocolate cookie would make me satisfied which is how I found myself reacquainting myself with Dorie Greenspan's cookbook. These World Peace Cookies are oh so dreamy. They don't look like much but after a single bite you will look at them in a completely different light. These pack a big salted chocolate punch - the flavor is so pronounced that you will find it hard to imagine a silver dollar sized cookie could be so flavorful but they are which is why they are so satisfying and so rewarding.
World Peace Cookies
Recipe via Baking From My Home to Yours by the amazing Dorie Greenspan (seriously her cookies are the bomb if you are in NYC go visit Buerre and Sel)
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel or 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt plus extra for sprinkling
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or a generous 3/4 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel or 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt plus extra for sprinkling
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or a generous 3/4 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips
Sift the flour, cocoa and
baking soda together.
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.
Turn off the mixer. Pour in
the flour mixture, 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 pieces and mix only to
incorporate.
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:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Line two
baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.
Working with 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 one inch between them. Sprinkle with sea salt.
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.
Packed airtight, cookies will
keep at room temperature for up to 3 days; they can be frozen for up to 2
months. They can also be frozen in log form for months, and can be sliced and
baked directly from the freezer, adding a couple minutes to the baking time.
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