World Peace Cookies are a chocolate sable with pieces of bittersweet chocolate. These French shortbread cookies are buttery and flavorful. They are an egg free cookie.
I have wanted to make Dorie Greenspan's World Peace Cookies for so many years but have never gotten around to it. We love Dorie's other recipes like Almost Fudge Gateau and Espresso Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies, which are one of my favorite cookies ever.
This recipe can be found in the cookbook Dorie's Cookies and also on her website.
The original recipe was developed by Pierre Herme for a restaurant in Paris. He started with a chocolate sable (French shortbread) but, inspired by the American classic chocolate chip cookie, used some brown sugar for a chewier texture and included pieces of chocolate inside.
Although ubiquitous today, the addition of fleur de sel was a newer concept at the time.
For a recent party, my 13 year old asked to make Key Lime Bars. She is mostly independent in the kitchen, so I delegated that task to her and told my 11 year old she could make these cookies with my assistance.
There are two options for this dough: a slice and bake cookie or a rolled and cut cookie. We chose to do the slice and bake because it was easier for her, and we didn't mind not having a perfectly round shape.
We really loved these cookies and can't wait to make them again!
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Make the Dough
To make the dough, sift together the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
In a stand mixer, beat together the butter and both granulated and brown sugars. Add the salt and vanilla.
With the mixer off, carefully stir in the dry ingredients a bit and then place the mixer bowl back on the stand and mix with the paddle until the dough has formed. This method will prevent flour from flying all over.
Stir in the chocolate pieces.
Dorie warns that this dough varies from batch to batch. Sometimes the dough is drier or takes longer to come together. She recommends mixing the dough for as long as it takes to get it to stick together and also kneading as necessary to get the dough to stick together. This may depend on the warmth and humidity of your work space.
At this point, you have two options for baking the cookies: slice and bake or rolled and cut.
Slice and Bake Cookies
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured cutting board or mat. Knead it together if necessary until the dough sticks together.
Divide the dough into two equal portions. Form the dough into logs that are 2 inches in diameter. They will be about 11 inches long, but it's more important to focus on the diameter.
As you form the logs, make sure there are not holes and gaps in the dough. If there are, re-roll them to make sure they are solid.
Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or freeze for at least 2 hours.
While the dough chills, line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Once the dough is chilled, I like to make take a ruler and make cut marks in the dough every ½-inch.
This is especially helpful when having a child help cut the dough to ensure even thickness of all of the cookies.
Use a sharp knife to slice the cookies into ½-inch thick round slices.
The dough may crack as you are cutting.
Just press it back together.
Place the cut cookies 2 inches apart on the parchment lined baking sheets.
Rolled and Cut Cookies
If you want your cookies to have a perfectly round shape, you can roll the dough out and cut it using a circular cutter, just like with Cut Out Sugar Cookies. I use biscuit cutters when I need a perfect circle shape.
Immediately after mixing up the dough, roll it to a thickness of ½-inch. Refrigerate or freeze the rolled dough just like you would have for the logs.
After being chilled, cut the dough using a 2-inch or smaller circular cutter.
Place the dough on two parchment lined baking sheets, making sure to space them out by at least 2 inches.
Bake the Cookies
When you're ready to bake the cookies, center a rack in the oven and preheat to 325°F.
Keep the second tray of cut cookies in the refrigerator while you bake the first tray.
Bake the cookies for 12 minutes without opening the oven. At this point, the cookies will not look done or be firm. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and place it on a cooling rack to allow the cookies to cool on the pan.
Bake the second sheet of dough.
Once the cookies are just warm, you can transfer them from the baking sheet to a cooling rack and allow them to reach room temperature.
Storage
The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.
You can bake the cookies directly from the freezer; no need to thaw. Just add 1 minute onto the baking time.
Store the baked cookies at room temperature in an airtight container.
I think the cookies are best served the day they are baked or the next day.
Gluten Free Option
I haven't tried it myself, but you could substitute measure for measure gluten free flour blend, such as Bob's Red Mill brand, for all purpose flour in these cookies. The resulting cookies may be more fragile and sandier in texture than those made with all purpose flour.
📖 Recipe
World Peace Cookies
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups all purpose flour
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 11 tablespoons butter (cut into chunks, at room temperature)
- ⅔ cup dark brown sugar (packed)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon fleur de sel (or ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 5 ounces best-quality bittersweet chocolate (chopped into irregular sized bits)
Instructions
Make the Dough
- To make the dough, sift together the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl and set aside.1¼ cups all purpose flour, ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars together on medium speed until creamy, about 3 minutes.11 tablespoons butter, ⅔ cup dark brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar
- Add the salt and vanilla and beat until fully combined.½ teaspoon fleur de sel, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl and use a spatula to begin incorporating the flour mixture into the batter. Place the bowl back on the mixer and turn to low until the dry ingredients are combined. Add the chocolate pieces and mix until just incorporated.5 ounces best-quality bittersweet chocolate
- At this point, the dough can be formed into logs for slice and bake cookies or rolled and cut.
Slice and Bake Cookies
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough together, if necessary, and divide in half. Shape each portion into logs that are 2 inches in diameter. The logs will be about 11 inches long, but this may vary. It is more important to keep the diameter consistent than the length. When rolling the logs, keep checking to make sure they are solid and don't have gaps in the dough. Re-roll if needed.
- Wrap each log tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least 3 hours or freeze for at least 2 hours.
- Slice the logs with a sharp knife into ½-inch thick rounds. If the dough cracks when cutting, just push it back together.
- Place the cookies 2 inches apart on two parchment paper lined baking sheets. Keep one sheet in the refrigerator when you bake the first sheet.
Rolled and Cut Cookies
- For cookies with a perfectly circular shape, immediately after mixing the dough, roll it out on a lightly floured cutting board or mat to ½-inch thick. Refrigerate the rolled dough for at least 3 hours or freeze for at least 2 hours.
- Cut the dough with a 2-inch circular cutter, such as a biscuit cutter.
- Place the circles of dough 2 inches apart on two parchment lined baking sheets. Keep one sheet in the refrigerator when you bake the first sheet.
Bake the Cookies
- Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Bake the cookies for 12 minutes without opening the oven. They will not look done or be firm yet, but remove the sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet.
- Bake the second sheet of cookies the same way. Once the cookies are just warm, remove them to a cooling rack to allow them to cool to room temperature.
- Store the cookies at room temperature in an airtight container. These cookies are best served the day of baking or the day after.
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