World Peace Cookies for everyone

We had a mini vacation for the holidays. It was planned with some friends. She is Filipino, he Indian. I've known her for many years (by the way of the husband) and have become close friends with her.  She is a thoughtful woman.  At their wedding, the husband was the best man and I a bridesmaid. When their trip as a married couple was planned to the Philippines, both the husband and I invited ourselves to tag-along. Good friends almost always say yes. Thankfully they are good friends. 

Her kind family offered us to stay with them in their home while visiting.  The least we could do was bring a gift or two.  We bought gifts for a young child and few German foods (Lebkuchen, bratwurst, etc) for the family.   The simplest gift was these cookies.  I know my strengths and weaknesses; baked cookies wrapped in a bow as a gift is a strength.

They’re called World Peace Cookies by Dorie Greenspan. She explains why but I just like the name of these chocolatey goodness associated with world peace. If we ate these all the time, would we live in a more peaceful world? I’d like to think yes.

Here’s to eating food, sharing laughs with friends and having peace.

World Peace Cookies
Recipe from here
Originally from Dorie Greenspan

1 1/4 cups or 175 grams all-purpose flour
1/3 cup or 30 grams unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
11 tablespoons or 150 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup or 120 grams (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 cup or 50 grams sugar
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel or 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 ounces or 150 grams bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or a generous 3/4 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips

Whisk flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda into medium bowl.

Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth and creamy. Add both sugars, vanilla, and sea salt; beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add flour mixture; beat gently just until blended (mixture may be crumbly).

Add chopped chocolate; mix just to distribute (if dough doesn’t come together, knead lightly in bowl to form ball). 

Divide dough in half. Place each half on a sheet of plastic wrap or parchment. Form each piece into 1 1/2-inch-diameter log. Wrap each tightly and chill until firm, about 3 hours. (Note: this can be done in advance – logs can be stored in the fridge up to three days before slicing and baking).

Preheat oven to 325°F or 165°C. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a sharp knife, cut logs crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Space cookies 1 inch apart on prepared sheets.

Bake 1 sheet at a time until cookies appear dry (cookies will not be firm or golden at edges), exactly 12 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool.

We both enjoyed these, especially with the sea salt. You can omit the sea salt if sweet/salty together isn’t something you fancy. I hope her family liked them as much as we did.