World Peace Cookies 2.0
We must confess that when we first saw this recipe, published in Baking with Dorie, we had our doubts about whether we’d love it — really because of the freeze-dried raspberries included among its ingredients. Raspberries and chocolate? Not our favorite combo. But it’s a Dorie Greenspan recipe, after all, and Dorie has never steered us wrong flavor-wise. Also, a cookie named for world peace — how Cooks Without Borders can you get?
Greenspan wrote in her headnote that the cookie evolved from a recipe given to her by famed French pastry chef Pierre Hermé — a more classic chocolate sablé; Greenspan developed this version when asked to rethink the classic for Charlotte Drucker’s 2019 anthology Women on Food. She added ingredients that stood for qualities she admires in women: “rye flour for groundedness; cocoa nibs to represent strength,” Espelette pepper “for a touch of unpredictability; and raspberries for sharpness and verve.” Besides the dried raspberries, so many of our favorite things! And so we went for it — even as we wondered whether we’d really prefer the classic.
But you know what? We were blown away by how spectacular these turned out! The texture is somewhere between classic sandy-sablé and a moist, chewy brownie. Chopped dark chocolate adds glossy, ganache-like glamour, the Espelette pepper and cocoa nibs add zippy interest and pleasantly bitter crunch. And the freeze-dried raspberries? They melted and mellowed in the baking and added a delightful zippy brightness. Verve! We’ll definitely be making these again and again.
Because there’s quite a bit of fleur de sel in the recipe (1/2 teaspoon), we skipped the optional suggestion to add a few more flakes on top of each cookie before baking. That was probably the right move, as they were salty enough. Not that we’d use less total salt next time, but we might hold back part of the 1/2 teaspoon to use for sprinkling.
Notes on chocolate: Greenspan mentions that she prefers Valrhôna Dutch-processed cocoa, and that’s what we used. We were thrown for a moment because the package does not identify the product as Dutch-processed, but a quick check on the Valrhôna website confirmed that it is. It was expensive, but it made a really good cookie. For the chopped chocolate, we used 3 ounces of 71% cacao chocolate and 2 ounces of 85% cacao chocolate.
Finally, Greenspan gives instructions for both a stand mixer and a hand mixer (which we appreciate!). We tested it using a hand mixer; if you choose to use a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment.
Makes about 30 cookies.
Ingredients
1 cup (136 g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (60 g) rye flour
1/3 cup (30 g) Dutch-processed cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick plus 3 tablespoons (11 tablespoons; 5 1/2 ounces; 155 g) unsalted butter, cut into chunks, at cool (still firm) room temperature
2/3 cup (135 g) packed brown sugar (light or dark; we used light)
1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel or 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Pinch of piment d’Espelette or a smaller pinch of cayenne
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 ounces (140 g) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped (chip-sized pieces)
1/3 cup (45 g) cocoa nibs
1/2 cup (15 g) freeze-dried raspberries, coarsely chopped or broken
Instructions
1. Sift the all-purpose flour, rye flour, cocoa and baking soda together into a bowl; whisk to blend.
2. Put the butter, brown sugar and white sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Beat in the salt, piment d’Espelette or cayenne and vanilla. Turn off the mixer, add the dry ingredients all at once, and use a rubber spatula to stir them in so there won’t be a “flour storm.” When the risk has passed, beat on low speed until the dough forms big, moist curds — this can take a couple of minutes, so don’t be afraid to keep mixing. [Greenspan writes in an auxiliary headnote that the time can vary a lot depending on the butter and cocoa used.] Toss in the chocolate pieces, cocoa nibs and raspberries, and mix to incorporate. Sometimes the dough comes together and cleans the bowl and sometimes it crumbles—it’ll be fine no matter what.
3. Turn the dough out, gather it together and, if necessary, knead it a bit to bring it together. Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a log that is 1 1/2 inches in diameter. The length will be between 7 and 8 inches, but don’t worry about it — it’s the diameter that counts here. If you get a hollow in either log, just put it back in a ball and reshape it. Wrap the logs and freeze them for at least 2 hours, or refrigerate for at least 3 hours. (If you’d like, you can freeze the logs for up to 2 months, let stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes before slicing and baking.)
4. When you’re ready to bake, center a rack in the oven and heat it to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a chef’s knife, slice one log of dough into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. (Don’t worry if they crack; just pinch and squeeze the bits back into the cookie.) Arrange the rounds on the baking sheet, leaving about an inch and a half between them.
5. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes — don’t open the oven door to check or rotate; just let them bake. They won’t look fully baked and they won’t be firm, but that’s the way they’re supposed to be. Place the baking sheet on a rack and let the cookies cool until they’re only just warm or at room temperature. Repeat with the remaining log of dough, using a cool baking sheet.
Note: Packed airtight, the cookies will keep for 5 days at room temperature. They will get a little drier, writes Greenspan, “but they’re still good.” Or keep them for up to 2 months in the freezer.
If you like this recipe, you may like:
RECIPE: Roxana Jullapat’s Chocolate Dynamite Cookies
RECIPE: The Mexican-Chocolate ‘Situation’
World Peace Cookies 2.0
Ingredients
- 1 cup (136 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup (30 g) Dutch-processed cocoa
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 stick plus 3 tablespoons (11 tablespoons; 5 1/2 ounces; 155 g) unsalted butter, cut into chunks, at cool (still firm) room temperature
- 2/3 cup (135 g) packed brown sugar (light or dark; we used light)
- 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel or 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Pinch of piment d’Espelette or a smaller pinch of cayenne
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 5 ounces (140 g) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped (chip-sized pieces)
- 1/3 cup (45 g) cocoa nibs
- 1/2 cup (15 g) freeze-dried raspberries, coarsely chopped or broken
Instructions
- Sift the all-purpose flour, rye flour, cocoa and baking soda together into a bowl; whisk to blend.
- Put the butter, brown sugar and white sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Beat in the salt, piment d’Espelette or cayenne and vanilla. Turn off the mixer, add the dry ingredients all at once, and use a rubber spatula to stir them in so there won’t be a “flour storm.” When the risk has passed, beat on low speed until the dough forms big, moist curds — this can take a couple of minutes, so don’t be afraid to keep mixing. [Greenspan writes in an auxiliary headnote that the time can vary a lot depending on the butter and cocoa used.] Toss in the chocolate pieces, cocoa nibs and raspberries, and mix to incorporate. Sometimes the dough comes together and cleans the bowl and sometimes it crumbles—it’ll be fine no matter what.
- Turn the dough out, gather it together and, if necessary, knead it a bit to bring it together. Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a log that is 1 1/2 inches in diameter. The length will be between 7 and 8 inches, but don’t worry about it — it’s the diameter that counts here. If you get a hollow in either log, just put it back in a ball and reshape it. Wrap the logs and freeze them for at least 2 hours, or refrigerate for at least 3 hours. (If you’d like, you can freeze the logs for up to 2 months, let stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes before slicing and baking.)
- When you’re ready to bake, center a rack in the oven and heat it to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a chef’s knife, slice one log of dough into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. (Don’t worry if they crack; just pinch and squeeze the bits back into the cookie.) Arrange the rounds on the baking sheet, leaving about an inch and a half between them.
- Bake the cookies for 12 minutes — don’t open the oven door to check or rotate; just let them bake. They won’t look fully baked and they won’t be firm, but that’s the way they’re supposed to be. Place the baking sheet on a rack and let the cookies cool until they’re only just warm or at room temperature. Repeat with the remaining log of dough, using a cool baking sheet.
- Note: Packed airtight, the cookies will keep for 5 days at room temperature. They will get a little drier, writes Greenspan, “but they’re still good.” Or keep them for up to 2 months in the freezer.
