World Peace Cookies are what cookie dreams are made of! Rich chocolate flavor with a salty touch and perfectly crumbly. These chocolate shortbread like cookies are what you need to add to your cookie repertoire.
Bake them this Christmas…I am telling you they are not your typical chocolate cookie and everyone will love them! Quickly pack them up in cookie tins to give to your dear neighbors or friends, as you may end up eating more than you save! They are fantastic and addictive cookies!
I baked these cookies in November with every intention to get them here for all of you. I got distracted with other recipes. So FINALLY the photos are edited (some by me some by my fabulous assistant/daughter so the color looks different). You may be wondering about the name. The cookies were created in Paris by the baker Pierre Herme. Dorie Greenspan included them in her Paris Sweets cookbook and called them Korova Cookies (Sablés Korova). A sable’ is basically a French shortbread cookie.
One of Dorie’s neighbors said that these cookies would bring world peace to everyone if they had a chance to try these cookies. Here is what Dorie says about these chocolatey delights: “If everyone had it, peace would reign o’er the planet.” So very true. Dorie loves these cookies so much she chose it to be featured on the cover of her gorgeous book “Dorie’s Cookies”.
What ingredients are needed to make World Peace Cookies?
Here is all you need to make these fabulous cookies:
- Flour: all-purpose flour
- Cocoa Powder: unsweetened
- Baking Soda: (make sure you don’t use baking powder)
- Butter: unsalted (or even margarine works perfectly, and using dairy-free butter makes them vegan)
- Oil: I have NEVER baked these with any sort of oil, so I cannot attest to how they would turn out.
- Brown Sugar: light brown sugar (I ran out of brown sugar and made my own with molasses and granulated sugar for this batch of the cookies)
- Sugar: granulated sugar (make sure vegan sugar-to stay truly vegan)
- Salt: fleur de sel or sea salt (even kosher salt is fine)
- Vanilla: pure vanilla extract
- Chocolate: best-quality bittersweet (I used my favorite dairy-free brand-this will make them vegan)
Can I make World Peace Cookies vegan?
YESSSS! So easy to make these cookies vegan (that's what I ended up doing for my dairy-free family members). Just sub butter for your favorite dairy-free margarine sticks. Also, sub the chocolate for totally dairy-free chocolate (I use my favorite vegan chips). AND make sure you use vegan granulated sugar (you can make your own brown sugar by using molasses mixed in with your sugar).
Is it easy to make World Peace Cookies?
Yes…and no. These cookies' texture is not going to turn out as you would expect like your regular cookies texture would. Here’s what Dorie herself says: “This dough can be different from batch to batch — it always seems to turn out well no matter what, but the inconsistency can be frustrating. I’ve found that it’s best to mix the dough for as long as it takes to get big, moist curds that hold together when pressed and then knead if necessary so it comes together.”
So basically, it will be crumbly, and that's totally expected. It may separate on its own in the mixing bowl when you mix into a portion or you may have to scrape it off the sides.
Dorie goes onto say that "the dough can be capricious…and that you may not roll it into a log on the first, second or even third try". And she mentions to have PATIENCE. That’s probably the best tip from Dorie for this cooke (and really, for every thing these days).
Dorie has raving comments about the cookie on her blog. And also, you’ll find these cookies everywhere online. I’ve even found a method where you use a biscuit cutter to cut out the rounds. I think that would be even messier than rolling it into a log and slicing it.
Tips to make the best World Peace Cookies:
- Butter: I have made these cookies with butter and also margarine (my favorite Earth Balance vegan butter sticks...which will make these VEGAN cookies).
- Cocoa Powder: I used regular cocoa powder, but in comments, Dorie mentions she’s even tried with Dutch Processed Cocoa and they turned out fine.
- Chocolate Chips: I used my favorite dairy-free chocolate chips (so they will be vegan). Go ahead and use whatever your favorite chips are. You could use a bittersweet chocolate bar (as Dorie suggests)and chop it into pieces. Or use the chips like I did. Either way, totally fine.
- Egg: These cookies are a sable’ (or shortbread) there are NO eggs…so do not think you’re missing an egg and add one in. The egg will change the texture of these cookies.
- Salt: You could use flour de sel or fine sea salt. I happened to have a fleur de sel and on some I added a few flakes. Not everyone here likes salty chocolate.
- Sift: I have sifted the dry ingredients and I have not sifted. Either way, they turned out same (I sometimes forget to sift or I’m rushing to get other cookies done).
- Logs: I roll the dough a little on my clean counter. Then I transfer it to the plastic wrap and use the wrap to help me still roll out (because it’s a bit sticky, this really helps to roll it along). You then wrap tightly and chill or freeze.
- Chill: You MUST chill in fridge or the freezer before slicing. No rushing here on this part. Sometimes I make the dough night before and bake in the morning. That way I know it’s rested all night and had time to chill in the fridge.
- Cut: A sharp knife is imperative. Also, keep in mind, it’s not a perfect slice. The dough is crumbly, plus you’re dealing with chocolate pieces that break up your slice that seems to be perfect when you’re slicing. So simply piece each cookie round together. Yes, you will be smooshing the dough together. It’s not a big deal if they’re not perfectly round.
- Salt: You could use flour de sel or fine sea salt. I happened to have a fleur de sel and on some I added a few flakes. Not everyone here likes salty chocolate.
- Bake: Dorie says to bake for 12 minutes and DO NOT open the oven to check on them. They will probably not be firm and they will not look “done” and she says that is exactly how they should be.
Just keep in mind, when you slice each cookie, you will be forming it into its shape. And they may not even look perfectly round because you have to smoosh the dough a little into a round cookie shape.
Can I bake these cookies straight from the freezer?
Yes! Simply slice the cookies and put them in plastic zipped lock bag and freeze. Keep the dough rounds in one layer so they don’t stick together and lay the bag flat in the freezer. Follow baking instructions below and remember to bake 13 instead of 12 minutes.
Everyone loves to eat these cookies, but if you read the comments on Dorie Greenspan’s post, you’ll find ample complaints about the dough being fussy to work with. The most challenging part: muscling a pile of dry crumbles into a tight cylinder to freeze. And then cutting the cylinder with a thin, sharp knife while frozen into thick rounds that invariably fall apart and have to be smooshed back together.
How to Make World Peace Cookies
First sift the dry ingredients into a bowl (flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda).
Using a mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter (or margarine )and sugars until fluffy and creamy, 3 minutes. Next, add in the salt and vanilla and mix to combine.
Turn the mixer off, and add in all the dry ingredients. Give a few pulses of your mixer (you don’t want the flour mixture to fly everywhere. Next, turn the mixture to low speed, begin to combine the ingredients. speed until just combined. The dough will begin to form large, moist pieces of dough. Finally, add the chocolate pieces and mix, again, just until combined. (I did not scrape the bowl, this was just what it did on its own while mixing).
Now turn the crumbly dough out onto a clean work surface (keep in mind, this will look like a very crumbly mixture…almost sandy!).
Divide the dough into two pieces. Press the first portion of dough into a ball then roll into a 1 1/2-inch in diameter (Dorie says doesn’t matter how long the dough roll is, just make sure you get the diameter right).
Wrap with plastic wrap and you could use the wrap to help you roll into your log.
Seal the plastic wrap tightly around dough logs and place in the refrigerator to chill for a full 3 hours or in the freezer for 2 hours (or keep overnight in the refrigerator).
Bake:
When ready to bake, heat the oven to 325F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or a silicon mat).
Remove the dough logs from the refrigerator and begin to cut the first log. Use a very sharp knife and slice circles 1/2-inch thick rounds. Piece them together if they break up while slicing (the chips do mess up the perfect slices you think you’ll be getting).
Arrange the cookies 2-inches apart on the baking sheet.
Repeat process with the other log. Add a little sprinkle of fleur de sel for sparkle and if you would like a little extra touch of salt. Omit if you're not into the salty flavor.
If you use two baking sheets to bake the cookies, keep one sheet in the fridge with the cookie slices on it while you wait to bake them. Bake one sheet of cookies at a time.
Bake for 12 minutes. If you chose to freeze the dough, bake for 13 minutes. Do not open the door to check on the cookies.
Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool down. Serve warm or at room temperature. They do firm up more while they cool down.
Baking from freezer:
You could slice the cookies and put them in plastic zipped lock bags and freeze. Keep the dough rounds in one layer so they don’t stick together and lay the bag flat in the freezer. Follow instructions above and remember to bake 13 instead of 12 minutes.
The best pro tip about these delightful cookies is that if you have cut up portions ready in your freezer, you're one step away from baking them whenever you're craving a little bit of chocolate. Perfect for a surprise visit from people in your bubble (your sweet brother or adorable next door neighbors). Pop them in the oven, and they're ready in 12 minutes!
Some other cookies to enjoy:
- Italian Rainbow Cookies
- Cuccidati-Sicilian Fig Cookies
- Italian Lemon Knot Cookies
- Sicilian S Cookies
World Peace Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 175g
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 30 grams
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 11 tablespoons unsalted butter* 156g, room temperature
- 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar 134g
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar 50g
- 1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel or 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate coarsely chopped*
Instructions
- Begin by sifting the dry ingredients into a bowl (flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda).
- Using a mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter (or margarine )and sugars until fluffy and creamy, 3 minutes. Next, add in the salt and vanilla and mix to combine.
- Turn the mixer off, and add in all the dry ingredients. Give a few pulses of your mixer (you don’t want the flour mixture to fly everywhere). Next, turn the mixture to low speed, begin to combine the ingredients. speed until just combined. The dough will begin to form large, moist pieces of dough.
- Finally, add the chocolate pieces and mix, again, just until combined.
- Turn the crumbly dough out onto a clean work surface (keep in mind, this will look like a very crumbly mixture…almost sandy!).
- Divide the dough into two pieces. Press the first portion of dough into a ball then roll into a 1 1/2-inch in diameter (Dorie says doesn’t matter how long the dough roll is, just make sure you get the diameter right). Wrap with plastic wrap and you could use the wrap to help you roll into your log.
- Seal the plastic wrap tightly around dough logs and place in the refrigerator to chill for a full 3 hours or in the freezer for 2 hours (or keep overnight in the refrigerator).
- Bake:
- When ready to bake, heat the oven to 325F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or a silicon mat).
- Remove the dough logs from the refrigerator and begin to cut the first log. Use a very sharp knife and slice circles 1/2-inch thick rounds. Piece them together if they break up while slicing (the chips do mess up the perfect slices you think you’ll be getting).
- Arrange the cookies 2-inches apart on the baking sheet.
- Add a little sprinkle of fleur de sel for sparkle and if you would like a little extra touch of salt. Omit if you're not into the salty flavor.
- Repeat process with the other log.
- If you use two baking sheets to bake the cookies, keep one sheet in the fridge with the cookie slices on it while you wait to bake them. Bake one sheet of cookies at a time.
- Bake for 12 minutes. If you chose to freeze the dough, bake for 13 minutes. Do not open the door to check on the cookies.
- Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool down. Serve warm or at room temperature. They do firm up more while they cool down.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information presented below is an approximation and may vary depending on the exact ingredients used.
Notes
- Butter: Use margarine in place of butter to make them vegan.
- Chocolate: use your favorite chocolate chips...dairy-free to keep them vegan.
- Sugar: Use vegan sugar to make sure they're totally vegan (IF you're making them vegan).
- You could slice the cookies and put them in plastic zipped lock bags and freeze. Keep the dough rounds in one layer so they don’t stick together and lay the bag flat in the freezer. Follow instructions above and remember to bake 13 instead of 12 minutes.
- Unbaked dough rounds (or the log) could stay in the refrigerator for a few days.
- Dough could stay in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Keep sliced rounds in freezer in zipped lock back (make sure they are stored flat and freeze in one layer, not on top of each other and stuck together). Bake for 13 minutes (instead of 12).
- SUPER Smart idea to prep this dough as soon as you begin holiday cookie baking. You’ll be loved by all if you have a tin ready to gift to your friends, family and neighbors.
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