Dorie's World Peace Cookies

I've been wanting to try these cookies ever since I saw the TWD (Tuesday's with Dorie) posts fly through the blogroll of Foodgawker.  TWD is a group of bakers that bake selected recipes from Dorie Greenspan each week.  In due time, I will purchase her cookbook.  In the meantime, I've decided I need to make my own cookbook.  Every month, I go through my cooking magazines and jot down recipes that I plan to make.  I never include recipes that I will never make.  Yet, I save the entire magazine instead of putting it out for recycling.  This will be my summer project!  It is time to pull out those recipes, organize them and create my own cookbook with recipes that I like.  I'm looking forward to having a clean closet again.

Anyway, these cookies are excellent.  Apparently, there is a back story to these cookies.  Dorie's neighbor began referring to the World Peace Cookies (originally called Korovas) because he was convinced that all you needed to ensure planetary peace and happiness was a daily dose of these cookies.  Dorie subsequently changed the name and I whole-heartedly agree with her neighbor!

These cookies are chocolate sables.  They taste like a chocolate shortbread and have just enough salt to make them insanely addictive.  There's a little bit of prep involved for them, but they will be enjoyed in our kitchen for years to come.  Ron wasn't a huge fan (I'm not so sure if he liked the texture) but they are made with more brown sugar to have that shortbread taste.  I think he's more of a cakey-cookie type person.  Regardless of your preference, these cookies are fantastic and should be baked.

World Peace Cookies
adapted from Cookbook Habit who adapted from Dorie Greenspan
Yield:  I halved the recipe so I only had one log that yielded about 16 cookies.  The recipe below reflects the full measurements that makes about 36 cookies.
Ingredients

• 1 1/4 c AP flour (remove 1 tbsp)
• 1/3 c unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 stick + 3 tbsp (11 tbsp total) unsalted butter, at room temp.
• 2/3 c (packed) light brown sugar
• 1/4 c sugar
• 1/2 tsp fleur de sel or 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 5 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or a generous 3/4 c mini chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda together
2. With a mixer (preferably a stand fitted w/ a paddle attachment or a hand mixer in a large bowl), beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy.
3. Add both sugars, the salt and vanilla extract and beat for 2 more minutes.
4. Turn off the mixer and pour in the flour.  (You may want to drape a kitchen towel over the mixer to shield yourself from flying flour.)
5. Pulse the mixer at low speed about 5 times, a second or two each time.  If there is still flour on the surface of the dough, pulse a couple of times more.
6. 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 do not be concerned if the dough looks a little crumbly.)
7. Toss in the chocolate pieces and mix only to incorporate.
8. Turn the dough onto a a work surface, gather it together and divide it in half.
9. Working with one half at a time, shape the dough into logs that are 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
10. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 3 hours.  (Dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.  If you freeze the dough, you do not need to defrost it before baking - just slice the logs into cookies and bake them 1 minute longer.)
11. GETTING READY TO BAKE:  Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.
12. 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 cookies.)
13. Arrange the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between them.
14. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12 minutes - the cookies will not look done, nor will they be firm, but that's just the way they should be.  
15. 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.