Apr 7, 2009

World Peace Cookies

Ingredients:
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 stick plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
2/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips

Directions:
Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda together.
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on a medium speed until soft and creamy. Add both sugars, the salt and vanilla extract and beat for 2 more minutes. Turn off the mixer. Pour in the dry ingredients, 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 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 four 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 ½ 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, there's no need to defrost it before baking – just slice the logs into cookies and bake the cookies 1 minute longer).