World Peace Cookies Recipe

It occurred to me that this would be the perfect recipe for a week devoted to the subject of salt. These tantalizingly salty chocolate cookies are a type of sablé (“sandy”) cookie originally created by Pierre Hermé. The recipe was translated to English by Dorie Greenspan, and appeared in her book Paris Sweets. There, Greenspan called them “Korova Cookies.” She’s since changed the name at the urging of a neighbor who posited that these cookies were so good, daily consumption of them could put an end to global strife. The ingredients are:

6.25 ounces (1 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour
1 ounce (1/3 cup) unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
5.5 ounces (11 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
5 ounces (2/3 cup) light brown sugar
1.75 ounces (1/4 cup) sugar
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel OR 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate cut into pieces or 3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda together and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attached, beat the butter and sugars briefly until creamy, then add the salt and vanilla. Beat until fluffy and light in color, about 2 minutes. With the machine off, pour in the dry ingredients, then turn the mixer on low so as not to cause a flour cloud in the kitchen. As the flour begins to get saturated with butter, turn the mixer up slightly and mix only until you can’t see any patches of white. Add the chocolate pieces and mix on low only until they’re incorporated.

Turn out the dough onto a pastry board and divide in two. Roll each piece into a log about 1 1/2″ in diameter and refrigerate at least 3 hours (up to 3 days), or freeze if you wish (up to 2 months).

When ready to bake, arrange a center rack in your oven and preheat it to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a sharp knife (I find a serrated knife also works very well), slice the cold or frozen logs into 1/2″ inch slices. Arrange on the sheet pans and bake for 12 minutes. They cookies will spread, but won’t brown or crisp (that’s intentional). Cool the cookies and eat.

UPDATE: Reader Shell adds:

While I heartily agree that Dorie’s Korova Cookies will bring about World Peace – there is one ingredient that will render them capable of inducing peace across the Galaxy – and that is 1 to 2 chopped Jalapeno Chili peppers – adding beautiful red bits of colour and a smoky spicy edge 😀