Recipe Review

I Tried Dorie Greenspan’s New World Peace Cookies and They Are a Chocolate-Lover’s Dream

published Oct 19, 2021
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Credit: Laurel Randolph

Dorie Greenspan is my culinary hero. She puts out cookbook after cookbook with top-notch recipes that simply work. I know when I see her name that the recipe under it will be reliable and delicious — especially when cookies are involved. Plus, she has stunning hair and eyeglasses. But I digress.

I’ve long been a big fan of her World Peace Cookies, a recipe that originated with the Parisian pastry chef Pierre Hermé. They’re a sablé cookie (basically a chocolate shortbread) with plenty of butter and no egg to hold them together. Chopped chocolate and just enough salt give them balance, and their buttery, tender texture is out-of-this-world good. So when I found out Dorie created a World Peace Cookie version 2.0, I had to try it.

How to Make Dorie’s World Peace Cookies 2.0

Dorie’s new take on World Peace Cookies was written for Women on Food and therefore was inspired by — you guessed it — women. The core recipe remains the same, but she adds some rye flour “for groundedness,” cocoa nibs “to represent strength,” hot pepper “for a touch of unpredictability,” and freeze-dried raspberries “for sharpness and verve.” Sounds like me all over.

To make the dough, sift together the flours, cocoa powder, and baking soda and set aside. Cream together room-temperature butter and sugars until fluffy, about three minutes. Add the salt, a pinch of hot pepper, and vanilla and mix. Add the sifted dry ingredients and mix until the dough forms into big, moist chunks. Add the chopped chocolate, cocoa nibs, and freeze-dried raspberries and combine.

Turn the crumbly dough out on the counter and knead together a bit to make a solid mass. Divide in two and shape into two tightly packed logs an inch-and-a-half in diameter and about eight inches long. Wrap each in plastic wrap and freeze for a few hours or refrigerate for at least three hours. Once thoroughly chilled, preheat the oven to 325°F. Unwrap a log and use a sharp chef’s knife to slice into half-inch slices. Space apart on a greased or lined cookie sheet and sprinkle with flaky salt. Bake for 12 minutes without opening the oven door, then transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

Get the recipe: World Peace Cookies 2.0

Credit: Laurel Randolph

My Honest Opinion

How could an already great cookie with the addition of rye flour, cocoa nibs, a little hot pepper, and raspberries be bad? Turns out, it can’t! These complex, flavorful cookies are made for dark chocolate fanatics. The Dutch cocoa, chopped chocolate, and cocoa nibs make this a true chocolate explosion. The raspberries add a bit of bright tartness and the salt amplifies all of the flavors. Don’t skip the flaky salt on top — it looks great and tastes even better. I added a pinch of cayenne pepper to my dough, but couldn’t taste it in the end. I recommend adding a healthy pinch if you’d like some spice.

In my opinion, Dorie can do no wrong. I’m not sure this version trumps the original World Peace Cookies recipe, but it’s a fun and flavorful variation that I thoroughly enjoyed making and eating. I feared these cookies had so much going on that there might be a little too much going on, but I shared them with friends and everyone gave them a hearty thumbs up. I couldn’t stop eating them, so it was clearly no problem. If you’re looking for a very chocolatey cookie with some personality, then this is your dessert.

Credit: Laurel Randolph

My Tips for Making Dorie’s World Peace Cookies 2.0

  1. Use good chocolate. While I’m always going to advocate for using good chocolate whenever you can, it’s especially important in these cookies. You’ll absolutely taste the difference. Go for Dutch-processed cocoa and quality semisweet or bittersweet chopped chocolate.
  2. Show the dough who’s boss. Sometimes baking requires you to handle things delicately, lest you over-excite the gluten or deflate the delicate egg whites. Not so with this cookie dough. It can be a bit crumbly when forming and cutting, but not to worry: Just shove it back into place and all is well.
  3. Use a sharp knife. When slicing the cookies, I found a big, sharp chef’s knife worked best, as did a sawing motion. Don’t worry if a couple of slices fall apart on you — simply smoosh them back together. If the log is way too hard to cut, let it sit on the counter for a few minutes before slicing.
  4. Freeze some for later. If you don’t need a big batch of cookies, I highly recommend freezing the second log of dough. After wrapping in plastic, give it another layer using aluminum foil and freeze for up to two months. When you’re ready to use it, let it warm up on the counter for about 15 minutes, slice, and bake.