Tuesday, February 3, 2009

TWD: World Peace Cookies


I first made the World Peace Cookies right before Christmas. I was mailing off cookie packages to relatives and wanted to include them in the assortment. I had read numerous rave reviews about these cookies around the food blogosphere -- they are kind of legendary here in food cyberspace. They looked easy to make. I had everything I needed except for fleur de sel. Imagine my complete lack of shock when they did not have fleur de sel in Publix. I ended up going with Morton's Fine Sea Salt instead.

Morton's Fine Sea Salt: When Only the Second Best Will Do.



I later looked for fleur de sel at Whole Foods, and examined every last spice container on aisle 4 before finally concluding that Whole Foods did not have it either. I think our local Whole Foods buyers must have just said "Look, this is a total middle-market city. Can't even attract a Crate & Barrel. Zero chance of landing the 2020 Olympics, even though the crazy-ass mayor is trying. The promoters didn't even send all of the real Wiggles last time the Wiggles tour came through town! They don't need the fancy salt. And while we're at it, scratch the red lentils off the list, too."

So I've had to make do with Morton's Fine Sea Salt (Morton's Fine Sea Salt: Too Fine to be Abbreviated), but these cookies still amaze me every time that I make them. And of all of the cookies that I mailed off, the World Peace Cookies are the ones that got mentioned by name the most, and in reverential, hushed tones at that.

I had a helper when I made these the most recent time.


Making this dough is easy as can be. Okay, you do have to sift the flour and cocoa together. But if I've learned anything since I started blogging, it is that if you complain about something enough on the internet, people will start throwing things your way just to get you to shut up already. I once griped about how tedious it is to sift flour through a sieve, and like magic, my great friend Lisa sent me this sweet sifter:

and David's awesome parents sent me this über-cool one:

Y'all are the best! Now that I have the right tools, sometimes I'll just go sift things when I find myself with ten free minutes. It's just that much fun when you are properly equipped! And even though you've created deep incentives for me to become an insufferable online complainer, I will try to keep it in check. Juicing citrus fruit by hand really does make me insane, though.

Spooked by salmonella? Have we got the dough for you! There are no eggs in World Peace Cookie dough, so you can nosh with abandon.


I doubled the recipe when I made these, and I will always double the recipe when I make these. One, because the recipe just doesn't really make that many cookies, when you get right down to it. And two, because this dough freezes so well, it just makes good sense to keep an extra log or two in the freezer for those moments when a psychotic chocolate/Morton's Fine Sea Salt craving strikes. Or is that just me?

Dorie says that you can slice these straight from the freezer, but I find that they cut much more easily and cleanly if you let the dough sit in the fridge or on the counter for 10 minutes or so before trying to slice them. Also, my previous attempts to cut through very frozen things have not ended well for my fingers, so I am really trying to change the way I do business this year.

The recipe says to cut them 1/2 inch thick, but I tend to cut them thinner than that. Maybe 1/4 inch? I find that the wonderfully crumbly texture comes through a little bit more when they are thinner. But I won't turn my nose up at a thick one, either, believe you me.

These don't spread, so go ahead and cram them onto your cookie sheet:



And in a mere 12 (13 if straight from the freezer!) minutes, you will be experiencing pure cookie bliss. If this is the first time you've had a World Peace Cookie, you won't be quite sure what just happened, but you'll know that it was something big. You will be moved to jump onto your blackberry immediately and shoot your friends messages like the one that Lisa sent me last week:

************
Subject: World Peace!

Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with Dorie! Oh my God these cookies are incredible! Hillary should bring a plate to every summit.

This is why I love my blackberry....for really important messages like this.
************

Or the note that Amanda left on my Wall on Facebook right after she made them:

************
The World Peace Cookies changed my life. I'm not kidding. I really think I'm a better person because I ate some . . .
************

Now that I've made them a few times, I'm able to hold myself together when I take a bite, but just barely. The secret to the fabulousness of the World Peace cookies lies in their surprise saltiness, brought to you courtesy of Morton's Fine Sea Salt, and their irresistible crumbly texture. The chocolate doesn't hurt, either. Honestly, when you read through the list of ingredients, you would never be able to predict that these cookies will be so utterly amazing. But something magical happens in the oven. It doesn't make any sense. But we live in a world where Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen run a multi-gazillion dollar multi-media empire. Not everything makes sense.

The World Peace Cookies were chosen by my bloggy friend Jess from Cookbook Habit. Jess lives in Connecticut, and her posts are always super fun for me to read, both because of her natural wit, and because she will sometimes say things like "Stop & Shop" which makes me feel warmly nostalgic for my home state. Run-don't-walk to Jess's blog for the recipe. Jess, thank you for picking the greatest cookie ever!

60 comments:

Nancy/n.o.e said...

A worthy post for a fabulous cookie indeed. They are a staple around here, although we haven't made them in a few months, and now I'm getting a little un-peaceful at seeing so many pictures and descriptions of these magical cookies.
Nancy

Anonymous said...

I can't believe your Whole Foods did not have fleur de sel. (At least you have a WF, I have to drive an hour to reach the closest one to me--and I'm ashamed to say I do it far too often).

You can find fleur de sel at Cost Plus World Market.

Your WP cookies look great.

natalia said...

Ciao ! Now you 'll be the gratest sifter !! your cookies are great and I understand why made a double recipe !!

Megan said...

Another Facebook and Blackberry addict - my husband belongs to the same group. It drives me mad!

So great things were to happen after I ate the cookies? Well, I'm still waiting.......

Deb in Hawaii said...

First off, Morton's should hire you to write their advertising copy. Love the "When only second best will do" tag line! I have heard of these but have never tried them. I think I need some World Peace right now!

Matt's Kitchen said...

No, the world doesn't always make sense, which might explain the French's love for all things Jerry Lewis or Germany's admiration of David Hasselhoff.

I have my cookies in the oven now because I have been so behind in everything lately. Behind in posts, comments, and now I'm making cookies hours before I have to go to school. When you get behind in cookies you are behind indeed.

Thank God my son is grown. I don't think I could have survived the Wiggles. Barney was bad enough. Especially Baby Bop...

The Blonde Duck said...

I love cookie dough! I could eat a whole tube at a time...

Jamie said...

These cookies are in fact quite tasty! Glad you enjoyed them...tedious sifting and all! :)

Andrea at Nummy Kitchen said...

Look at your picture perfect World Peace Cookies, those are just what I thought they were supposed to look like until I went all crazy and rolled them...

I'm glad these are a favorite for you!

Audrey said...

There are two )maybe three) WFs in the next town over (bliss!) and in one store they looked at me funny when I asked for whole wheat berries. (In WHOLE Foods, for crying out loud!) But in the other one, they had them by the ton. Must be in the earth mother neighborhood now. Weren't these great? I love them, salty or not! How did you ever slice yours 1/4 inch thick, you knife-skills superstar?
(PS: I have a couple of empty Stop and Shop bags! What was your address again?)

Lady Baker said...

hey cath! great job and photos--love your 'birthday girl' helper!

I went with Trader Joe's "fine sea salt" in our pantry, didn't even try looking for fleur de sel in the boonies where I am...And what's this about the replacement Wiggles? What is this world coming to?! Did they use the same names? I mean..if you're expecting to play "Wake Up, Jeff" it just doesn't sound the same if it's "Wake Up, Frank"....sigh.

Cathy said...

Matt -- Yes! I stopped trying to understanding everything once I learned about the French's love for Jerry Lewis.

Lis -- In fairness, it might have been that they sent a replacement Greg (the yellow Wiggle) when they were transitioning him out anyway. But at least the real Anthony was there. You just wait, my friend -- you think it will never happen to you, but you too will start to have opinions on who is the hottest Wiggle.

Sabrina said...

Great job! Cookies look fantastic!
Your posts are always so entertaining too!

Peggy said...

Yours look totally different than mine - maybe because I used my new camera to change the color on mine and make them look richer. Is that cheating? HA. at any rate, I liked these cookies a lot. I also used the Morton's Sea Salt since our stores are so inept here.

Flourchild said...

Im glad you liked them. Your cookies look great!

Maria said...

Doubling the recipe is a must! And I like to let them sit out for a bit too. I get better slices that way! I am in love with these cookies!! Yours look fantastic!

Anonymous said...

I always love your posts!!! First of all, I want your sifter with the little handle that you twirl! Secondly, I can't find red lentils anywhere, either! Thirdly, I think Morton's Sea Salt should offer you an endorsement deal (although they may balk at it when reading that they are the second best!). And lastly, THESE COOKIES ARE THE BEST COOKIES EVERRRRRRRRRRR.

Jules Someone said...

Glad you liked these so much. Sorry about the Wiggles and Crate and Barrel. At least the cookies make up for it.

Danielle said...

Your cookies look great! I thought the taste was ok I guess I was expecting more from a cookie named World Peace Cookie!
What you had fake Wiggles WTH my 2 yer old loves the Wiggles. If I go to a show they all better be there darn it! I always thought Greg was the hottest Wiggle! I have something for tall guys!

spike. said...

Whole foods without fleur de sel? Even stop & shop has it! After reading all these posts, I want to go home and make these cookies again right away.

Di said...

I love the picture of your helper. =) Brianna loves to help me, but I don't often have the patience to let her. And cool sifters! I'm usually lazy and just whisk the dry ingredients together.

Cathy said...

Danielle, I agree that Greg is/was the most classicly handsome Wiggle, but for whatever reason he never did it for me. Now Anthony, on the other hand, has that certain something. Maybe it's the way that he really seems to MEAN it when he sings "fruit salad . . . yummy yummy . . ."

Katrina said...

Yu-Um! Your cookies look so good.

Anonymous said...

No Crate and Barrel? I have an addiction to C&B, so I feel your pain. Your cookies look perfect, nice logs :)

Susan @ SGCC said...

I love these cookies! They're one of my faves. Yours turned out just great! Well done!

We don't have a Crate & Barrel either, but we do have lots of fleur de sel at our Whole Foods. ;)

Unknown said...

¥our blog was too funny. Your cookies came out perfect. I was like "wow, those logs are long!" I was worried I did something wrong, then I saw where you doubled the recipe. You are so right these cookies are legendary in our blog world!

Welcome to our crazy blessed life said...

I think I have said it before but you are hilarious! :) Love your posts. Your cookies look delicous!

Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...

Your cookies came out great. I do like these very much.

I have an award for you.

chocolatechic said...

I agree.

I am much better after eating these cookies.

Jennifer said...

I live in a Whole Foods-less town, so I'm jealous, but feel a bit better knowing that even if we had one, I might not have been able to get the fleur de sel!
I will definitely make these again and am concocting a tex mex version with a little added cinnamon and cayenne pepper. I think that would be fabulous.

The Unrepentant Carbivore said...

I had never considered that a psychotic chocolate/Morton's Fine Sea Salt craving was even possible, but having had these cookies, I'm going to have to rethink that.

No Whole Foods here, boo. But mercifully, my kids are too old for The Wiggles, so I guess it all balances out.

Pamela said...

Dang! I can't find red lentils either! I keep looking, but I won't hold my breath. Looks like your little helper is having some fun, too. The cookies look great. And I agree, it's great to have some extra in the freezer for when that mood hits you. You are not alone! ;o)

Jennifer said...

Your salt endeavor strikes a chord with me. I had a similar problem trying to find instant espresso powder in BOSTON a few months ago. I went everywhere. And these people are caffeinated ALL THE TIME....I didn't understand not being able to find it! But I finally did!

Your cookies look awesome!

Anonymous said...

I had the same salt problem too and ended up using the same salt!!

NKP said...

You are the only one I know who has more trouble than me finding ingredients!
The cookies look great - good call doubling the batch.

Melissa said...

I can't believe all the Wiggles didn't come to your town! That completely wouldn't fly in our house. A refund would be demanded! Glad you like these cookies even with the sea salt. I don't think my immature palate would even know the difference!

Banjo said...

I had the same salt problem! No Biggie, they still turned out well. Great job!!

vibi said...

Yummy! Those look super chunky, so probably amazing!
I had to make them a lot thiner in order to keep a reasonable mouth full, with ice cream!

Beautiful, Cathy! ...once again.

Anne said...

Haha you're funny as usual Cathy. I love the comments about the fleur de sel and Mary Kate and Ashley running an empire. It's a crazy life!

As for the egg free batter, I feel guilty snacking on regular batter and REALLY try not to when pregnant... I'm glad some cookies are totally safe because I think dough can be harder to resist than the cookies themselves (but not your WP cookies, they look gorgeous!)

Anonymous said...

I would never have guessed that our Whole Foods was anything special but I have purchased red lentils there. They had some generic sea salt on sale so I went with that. I didn't even look for the fancy stuff. If Whole Foods can mark up for the bourgeois, they will. We liked these, too.
Anthony was always my fave, as well. (I can't believe I am typing this but...) he seemed like the one that would actually go have drinks with you after the show.

Jessica said...

Not everything makes sense, indeed! I hardly ever sift my ingredients because 1) I'm still using a sieve and 2) I'm lazy. Oh well. If I ever have kiddos maybe they'll help me too! I'm so jealous of your cute kitchen helpers! I agree, juicing citrus fruit = one major pain in the behind. Juicing with a cut on your hands is downright intolerable!

dharmagirl said...

Another fun post that leaves me laughing and smiling:) Oh, I'm sorry to hear your WF doesn't have red lentils. My local, conventional grocery store miraculously stocks them even though my town is small...

I also love the multiple social networking conversations about these amazing cookies:)

TeaLady said...

Lucky you to even HAVE a Whole foods. But not have fleur de sel. Unthinkable. We don't have a Cost Plus either. But your cookies look really tasty.

AmyRuth said...

Aren't kitchen toy surprises almost as good as cookie surprises? Even my non-dark chocolate eating husband thought these were amazing. He's pretty picky too. He liked that amazing salt quotient. Loved reading your post as usual. Talk about wit? Thanks again for stopping by for a visit.
AmyRuth

Pam said...

They look tasty to me. I love the idea of salt with cookies.

We just had a Whole Foods open...I can't wait to go explore.

Anonymous said...

I'm getting the idea that you liked these! I was very skeptical about cutting them 1/2 inch thick, but I liked them that way.

Anonymous said...

Okay, we won't discuss the chocolatey wonderfulness of these cookies (attested to by the lawyer and his two junior aides here at the house) because you would know right off that I would be lying about my admiration of that...but yours do look delightful. I actually don't really come by for the food (although it is always good looking and all), I come by for the giggles and the superior posting abilities at this site...always good for an afternoon's entertainment. Great job! Thanks goodness next week Shari had the foresight to pick a non-chocolate item! LOL!

Jodie said...

These were so great. I ate some of the dough too. Ok, a lot.

kimberly salem said...

they look wonderful! can't believe WF didn't have the fleur de sel:( mine had it in the bulk section.
btw, i hardly ever sift, except for powdered sugar for icing ;) just whisk it all together!

Leslie said...

I'm so glad these were so blissful for you! I love your granite.

Ivette said...

Your cookies look lovely and just the same my small town grocery store didn't have the fancy salt either.. so I bought the same one you did. I love your pics and your cookies must be delicious!

Heather said...

sometimes, the second best is exactly what you need! ;) those cookies look super yummy, and your little helper is just adorable!

Unknown said...

Oh, the horrors of having a middle market Whole Foods! Sorry, living in the northeast has made me a touch too sarcastic. I have to drive an hour to get to one, and then I have to deal with the people there. Not worth it! They do have a kick-ass gelato bar, though.

Morton's, fancy schmancy stuff, whatever - the cookies are good. I will also only ever make a double batch of these (bad grammar alert there).

And although my daughter's Wiggles phase lasted all of a week...ANTHONY. All the way.

Mary Ann said...

No red lentils. I know you told me before, but that is just ridiculous! Your cookies look amazing and how smart of you to freeze the extra dough. I am going take that into consideration.
Your choice for Craving Ellie was super yummy.
your helper is so cute!

The Food Librarian said...

Those are some great "Blackberry" reviews! :) Great looking cookies.

TourGuideJenn said...

They were blissfully good cookies! Enjoyed your post - very funny!

Jacque said...

Wow, I'm starting to suspect that you REALLY like these cookies, LOL.

I'm glad you liked them so much. They're a great freezer cookie, that's for sure.

Shari said...

I suspect a juicer might be in your future! lol Your cookies look perfect. I didn't get a log quite as nice as yours!

CB said...

So the key is to complain and you'll get what you want? Genius. I need to start doing that (more). There are SO many things I want... no... need! LOL. I bet sifting flour with your new toy is hours of fun. At least to a foodie like me ;) Glad you enjoyed the cookies!
Clara @ iheartfood4thought

LyB said...

Every one should eat these cookies. They should be prescribed by doctors: "Take 2 World Peace Cookies and call me in the morning". Then the world would be a better place. :)

 
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