May 13th, 2011

World Peace Cookies

On Monday I attempted to bake for the first time this summer.

It was different.  Being in a new house, I don’t yet know where everything is kept. So I’d start making things then I’d think ‘oh I need a spatual’ then I’d have to search for ten minutes. But I got through it.
With pretty successful results I might add.

What I made were delicious chocolate cookies. I originally saw the recipe on Smitten Kitchen months ago, around November or December. And I immediately wanted to make them. Unfortunately, I didn’t get around to it till now.

Anyways, these cookies are nicknamed World Peace Cookies. As I said, I got the recipe from here, but due to some constraints I made some small changes.
First of all, I didn’t have a handmixer or standmixer so everything was done by hand. Therefore I didn’t follow the “pulse five times”or “mix for two minutes” type guidelines. I just mixed till things felt right. Also I didn’t “sift dry ingredients” cause I didn’t have a sifter. I just used my fall back method of whisking them to get rid of lumps. Others I will explain as I go along.

So here’s all the ingredients you need, simple things found in the pantry.

First you “sift” dry ingredients so they go from this

to this.

I didn’t quite get out all the lumps, but it was a very light powder when I was done with it - similar to the dusting powder I made in my lab last semester!

In a separate bowl soften butter, then cream sugars and vanilla which turns this

to this.

Add dry to wet. I mixed initially with a spoon then used my hands a bit, to prevent over mixing. It got very messy, which is why there are no pictures for this steps.  You want to make sure the dry ingredients are JUST incorporated, nothing more. You don’t want to over mix. The dough will remain somewhat crumbly.

Incorporate chocolate/mini chocolate chips. I didn’t have mini chocolate chips so instead I chopped up some chocolate chips I had.

If I had left them as is they would have been too big for the cookies.

Next divide the dough in half and form logs.

I know, not exactly the prettiest things.

Cover and refrigerate for min 3 hours as recipe says.(I did for 2, no harm done)
Cut into cookies and bake.

Voila!

My first attempt, I just baked one log. I baked them about five minutes too long. They were hard, but still REALLY good. J.Lows brother in law actually said he preferred them hard as compared to gooey cookies. I then baked the second log on Tuesday for the proper amount of time. They were still harder than I expected but still very good. My recipe yielded about 56 bite sized cookies. The original recipe called for them to be made larger. But I wanted many small cookies compared to fewer larger ones.

I think one thing I loved about these cookies was the dough. I am a big fan on eating dough and this one was delicious. Do you remember school fundraisers where kids would sell cookie dough? Did anyone ever get the triple chocolate chunk dough? I would get my parents to buy that stuff just so I could eat the dough. These World Peace Cookies have a very similar dough. Delicious.

World Peace/Korova Cookies
Smitten Kitchen

Makes about 36 cookies

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

Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda together.

Working with a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add both sugars, the salt and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes more.

Turn off the mixer. Pour in the flour, drape a kitchen towel over the stand mixer to protect yourself and your kitchen from flying flour and pulse the mixer at low speed about 5 times, a second or two each time. If there is still a lot of flour on the surface of the dough, pulse a couple of times more; if not, remove the towel. Continuing at low speed, mix for about 30 seconds more, just until the flour disappears into the dough — for the best texture, work the dough as little as possible once the flour is added, and don’t be concerned if the dough looks a little crumbly. Toss in the chocolate pieces and mix only to incorporate.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather it together and divide it in half. Working with one half at a time, shape the dough into logs that are 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 3 hours. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. If you’ve frozen the dough, you needn’t defrost it before baking — just slice the logs into cookies and bake the cookies 1 minute longer.)

Getting ready to bake: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Working with a sharp thin knife, slice the logs into rounds that are 1/2 inch thick. (The rounds are likely to crack as you’re cutting them — don’t be concerned, just squeeze the bits back onto each cookie.) Arrange the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving about one inch between them.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12 minutes — they won’t look done, nor will they be firm, but that’s just the way they should be. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the cookies rest until they are only just warm, at which point you can serve them or let them reach room temperature.