Adel's March Recipe - World Peace Cookies

by Adel Aschenbrener and Amy Robinson

Make peace with your writing practice now! You'll find a whole world of new classes and workshops at Writing Pad this spring. Call 323-333-2954 to RSVP before they are full!

One Day Classes

• You, in 1200 Words: Revising and Publishing the Personal Essay (Thurs. Mar. 31)
• The Power of the Pitch: Selling Your Ideas Hollywood Style (Sun. Apr. 3)
• It's All About You: A One-Person Show Workshop (Thurs., Apr. 7)
• It's Playtime: Writing For Kids (Sun., Apr. 17)
• Bullies, Crushes, and Pimples: Writing For Young Adults (Sun., Apr. 17)
• Stranger Than Fiction: Writing The Unbelievably True (Sat., Apr. 23)

Multi Week Classes

• Acting Out: One Writer, One Act (Mon. p.m.'s)
• Writing Pad Screenwriting Series: Act I--From Rookie to Rockstar (Tues. p.m.'s)
• So You Want To Be A Writer (Wed. a.m., Wed. p.m., Sat. a.m.'s)
• Finishing School (Wed. a.m., Wed. p.m., Sat. a.m.'s)
• Writing Between The Diapers: Writing For Moms (Wed. a.m., Wed. p.m.'s)
• It’s All About You: A One-Person Show Workshop--4 Wk (Thurs. p.m.'s)

Adel says:
"I came across the recipe for these cookies on a blog and was immediately intrigued by their name. Could a simple cookie really inspire world peace? Turns out this is not a simple cookie. It is a double chocolate sable that is rich, chewy, tender and crispy in all the right ways, deeply chocolaty, and studded with fleur de sel. When you eat them, your eyes will close, roll back in your head a bit, and you will go to a special place where everything is quiet and right. World peace indeed."

World Peace Cookies

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup dutch process unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
5 1/2 ounces (1 stick plus 3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel
5 ounces extra-bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 85% cacao), chopped (no pieces bigger than 1/3 inch)

Sift the flour, cocoa, and baking soda into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth but not fluffy. Add both sugars, vanilla, and salt and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add flour mixture all at once and beat just until blended (mixture may be crumbly). Add chopped chocolate; mix just to distribute (if dough doesn't come together, knead lightly in bowl to form ball). Divide dough in half. Place each half on sheet of plastic wrap. Form each into 1 1/2-inch-diameter log. Wrap each in plastic; chill until firm, about 3 hours. The unbaked dough can be refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for 3 months.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a thin sharp knife, cut logs crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Space 1 inch apart on prepared sheets. Bake 1 sheet at a time until cookies appear dry, 11 to 12 minutes. Be careful as the cookies will not change color to indicate that they are done. They will continue to firm up as they cool. Transfer to rack; cool.