World Peace Cookies

I thought this past week would be one of the best weeks ever because it wasn't a four-day work week - it was actually three and a half. We had an early dismissal on Wednesday because there was only one midterm left. After the last midterm, students who didn't get in trouble during the first semester got to participate in a dodgeball game against the faculty. I didn't get to watch because I had some students still finishing up the midterm, but I heard it was actually a pretty good game.

While the first half of the week was great, the last two days weren't so hot. We went back to our regular class schedule on Thursday and Friday and it wiped me out. I got so used to not teaching and just sitting during the exams that the first day back I was dragging my feet at the end of the day! Yesterday, I literally ate dinner, washed up, fell asleep at 8 while watching TV in bed and woke up 12 HOURS LATER. I mean, really? I'm hoping this relaxing weekend will get me well-rested for this week. It's the start of a new semester and I'm going to need as much energy as possible!



The students I saw on Wednesday got some of these World Peace Cookies as their midterm treat. If only cookies could bring about world peace, eh? I don't know why anybody wouldn't be happy after eating these, especially from the sugar rush. Chocolate chocolate chip cookies. Chewy and gooey when warm. Still chewy but not as gooey when cooled. So easy to make. It would have taken me less time if I had a second baking sheet, but I gotta work with what I have. Enjoy these, and hopefully, it'll bring you peace in some form.



World Peace Cookies [Makes 36 cookies]
From Crumbs and Cookies

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
11 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp fleur de sel or 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or 3/4 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips

Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda together.

Beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add both sugars, the salt and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes more.

Pour in the flour and mix 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 (or freeze them for 30 minutes if you're in a hurry). At this point, 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.

Preheat the oven to 325F. 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 — just squeeze the bits back onto each cookie.) Arrange the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving about 1 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.

Packed airtight, cookies will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days; they can be frozen for up to 2 months.