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Cassie and I made these famous cookies for Christmas Eve dinner. We thought we'd have to hide them from Dylan the Cookie Monster when he got here, but he wasn't that impressed, maybe because I texted him a picture of the dough logs (see the bottom of the first photo below) before we sliced and baked the cookies. There's also the whole problem that no other cookie can compete with the holy grail. But Mom and Cassie and I love these for a change, and they're easy to make and work great with spelt flour, so here they are in honor of Cassie's Boggle mastery.
Double Chocolate Refrigerator Sablés
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan
Time from start to finish: 20 minutes to make the dough; 30 minutes to cut and bake the cookies one batch at a time
These cookies are famous across the internet as "World Peace Cookies," which is what Dorie Greenspan named them after a neighbor told her he was "convinced that if everyone in the world could have these cookies, there would be planetary peace." They're very good cookies but I can't go so far as to say they'll bring about world peace, so I've gone with a more descriptive name.
You really need to cut these with a very sharp knife to minimize crumbling of the sandy dough. I’ve had the least crumbling cutting the dough, using a gentle sawing motion, with the razor sharp Wüsthof 4128/20 cm wavy-edge bread knife that Andi and Adam gave me (see the first photo above).
170 grams (~1¼ cups) all-purpose or whole grain spelt flour
30 grams (⅓ cup) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
155 grams (1 stick plus 3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into chunks and softened
120 grams (~⅔ cup) light brown sugar
50 grams (¼ cup) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon fleur de sel or ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
140 grams store-bought mini chocolate chips (such as Ghirardelli) or best-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small, irregular sized bits
1. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, and baking soda.
2. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars on medium speed (4 on our KitchenAid) until soft and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape the bowl, then beat in the salt and vanilla.
3. Add the flour-cocoa mixture. Mix on the lowest speed (Stir on a KitchenAid) until the ingredients are just coming together. Add the chocolate pieces and mix on the lowest speed just until they are incorporated into the dough and there are no white streaks of flour. Don’t overbeat.
4. Dump the dough onto your kitchen counter and gather it together, kneading just a bit if necessary. Cut the dough in half with a bench scraper or the sharp knife. Using your hands, shape and roll each half into a log 1½ inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 3 days.
5. When you’re ready to bake the cookies, place a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 325 degrees. Line two 18-by-13-inch baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
6. Working with one log at a time, use a very sharp knife (see note) to slice the logs into ½-inch thick coins. The coins may crumble some as you’re cutting them, but that’s okay. Transfer the coins to a prepared baking sheet, evenly spaced at least 1 inch apart. (You can cut the second log while the first batch is baking.)
7. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, for 12 minutes. Don’t open the oven door to check on them; just pull them out after exactly 12 minutes; they’ll still be a little soft and look underdone, but they’ll firm up as they cool. Cool on the baking sheets on wire racks until just warm or completely cool, whatever your preference in cookies is. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Makes ~3 dozen cookies.
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