World Peace Cookies (chocolate on chocolate)

• 1 1/4 cups (175 grams) all-purpose flour
  
• 1/3 cup (30 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
  
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  
• 1 stick plus 3 tablespoons (150 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
  
• 1/3 cup (120 grams) packed light brown sugar (or a little less if preferred)
  
• 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
  
• 1/2 teaspoon fleur del sel or kosher salt
  
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  
• 5 ounces (150 grams) bittersweet chocolate, chopped
  

1. Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda together.
2. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add both sugars, the salt and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes more.
3. Turn off the mixer. Pour in the dry ingredients, drape a kitchen towel over the stand mixer to protect yourself and your kitchen from flying flour and pulse the mixer at low speed about 5 times, a second or two each time. Take a peek — if there is still a lot of flour on the surface of the dough, pulse a couple of times more; if not, remove the towel. Continuing at low speed, mix for about 30 seconds more, 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.
4. 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. (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 — let it warm just enough so that you can slice the log into rounds and bake the cookies 1 minute longer.)
5. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 °F. Line two baking sheets with parchment.
6. Let the dough warm slightly on the counter for 5 minutes for easier slicing.  Using 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 — don’t be concerned, just squeeze the bits back onto each cookie.) Arrange the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between them.
7. 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.For a little saltiness, sprinkle only 3-4 grains of fleur del sel on top of each cookie.

Recipe developed by Dorie Greenspan and Pierre Herme