At the premiere performance of our new “Worship Through Song” program in Liberty, we all expereinced something extraordinary (and I think I can speak for the audience, too): that golden suspension of time through music. All of those concerns and details that crowd our lives – from grocery lists to voice mails to bills to pay – fell away. To live insde the moment is something we musicians treasure. Why else practice when you would rather read a novel or cross more things from the to-do list. Bryan Taylor, the head of music at Liberty United Methodist Church whose Worship Through the Arts concert series hosted the concert, said it best, “I personally need this for my busy soul at the moment.”
And on a more prosaic level, these cookies are good for the soul, too.
World Peace Cookies from Dorie Greenspan
What the world needs now…
- 1 1/4 c. flour
- 1/3 c. cocoa (I use natural, not Dutch)
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 stick + 3 Tbl. unsalted butter, at room temp
- 2/3 c. packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 c. sugar
- 1/2 tsp. fleur de sel or 1/4 ts. fine sea salt
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 5 oz. bittersweet choc, chopped rather fine, or 3/4 c. mini chocolate chips
Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda together. With a stand mixer, beat the beat until soft, then add both sugars, salt and vanilla and beat on medium speed 2 minutes. Turn off the mixer and dump in the dry ingredients. I stir in my hand a couple of turns so I don’t get flour all over the place. Mix on low just long enough to blend. You will get the best texture with the lest mixing. Blend in the chocolate briefly.
On a work surface, divide dough in 1/2, and shape each into a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Yes, it is crumbly, but that is OK. Wrap them in plastic wrap and chill at least 3 hours (you can also freeze it for later).
Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats (buy these mats if you don’t have them – fabulous). Using a sharp think knife, slice into 1/2 thick rounds. The dough will probably crumble, just press the cookies together a bit. Place on sheets about 1 inch apart (the cookies don’t spread). Bake each sheet about 12 minutes. Don’t overbake, they iwll firm up on cooling. Yield: about 3 dozen.