….or as I think of them, Air-Conditioning-Peace Cookies.
We were sitting on our couch with as little clothing on as possible but still appropriate with all the windows open, the one fan we had just bought at Walmart on high, when my boyfriends boss knocked on our door.
Slightly embarrassed but way too hot to actually care, we jumped up in surprise and answered the door.
“Would you two like to come over to our air conditioning and maybe have a drink?”
YES!
We quickly got dressed, walked over to her beautifully freezing house and sat down at her dinging room table. With drinks poured and our body temperatures finally cooling, she walked into the kitchen and came back out with a half a dozen of dark chocolate cookies, still warm and filling the room with a heavenly smell.
She warned us to let them cool a bit. The four of us sat around pretending to have a conversation but really just eyed the cookies to see who would make the first move.
My boyfriend broke down first and once I saw his hand reach towards the cookies I immediately did too.
Decadently chocolatey , melty, tender- a perfect chocolate sablé. The conversation disappeared in the background and even the air conditioning didn’t matter.
The cookie was so balanced and delicate and so…. “Do you know why these cookies are SO good?”, I blurted out in the middle of whatever conversation was going around me. “They are perfectly salted!”
My boyfriend’s boss humored my outburst and asked if I had ever heard of theses cookies, they were quite renowned. She said she always keeps a roll of dough in the freezer.
“They are called World Peace Cookies, you should look them up.”
I did. I saw her yesterday and I told her I was keeping a roll of the dough in my freezer for the rest of my life. She laughed and said she was happy to share.
After researching theses cookies, I apparently was living under a rock when it came to this recipe. Thankfully the best part of baking is sharing. In case you were also slightly ignorant to this cookie let me share this recipe with you and offer a peace-offering of whatever kind you need today.
World Peace Cookies
A sablé is essentially a french shortbread. This one is converted with cocoa powder and chopped-up bittersweet chocolate. Invented by Pierre Hermé and spread around the world by famed chef and writer Dorie Greenspan, follow their lead and embrace the salt here. Also remember with most shortbread dough, a gentle touch when forming the dough is best!
Makes approximately 30 cookies.
1 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
11 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into chunks
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 fine sea salt, plus extra for sprinkling
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into bits
Instructions
- Sift flour, cocoa powder and baking soda together.
- Beat butter and sugars together with a standing mixer or hand mixer until creamed together, about three minutes. Beat in salt and vanilla.
- Beat in flour on low until the dough is moist and has formed large clumps.
- Add chocolate chunks and loosely mix in.
- Turn dough onto work surface and bring together, knead slightly if necessary. Divide dough in half.
- Form into logs that are 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill. Refrigerate for at least three hours or freeze for two hours.You can throw these in the freezer for up to 2 months and bake when needed.
- Preheat oven to 325 F.
- Slice cookies into 1/2 inch thick rounds. ( Put dough you aren’t baking back in fridge to keep chilled).
- Place cookies on parchment or silicone pad lined cookie tray. (Optional: sprinkle an extra bit of fine sea salt on top as well.)
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. When you take them out they won’t look done or firm! Let them sit till they are cool enough handle and eat!
Dough can be refrigerated for 3 days and kept frozen for 2 months. No need to defrost the dough when you decide to bake them from the freezer!
flour dusted 