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World Peace cookies


isomer

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I've made many batches of Dorie Greenspan's World Peace cookies, and mostly I make them into logs and then slice and bake them. I see on Pierre Hermé's website, that he shapes them completely differently. Look here: Sablés Chocolat.

I've tried making them in a shallow muffin tin, but they don't develop the right texture and look (they look, well, like muffin bottoms). I've also tried unmolding them from the muffin tins before baking, which helps them to bake properly, but they come out lumpy around the edges, not smooth like his.

Anyone have a better idea on how he is shaping these?

thanks!

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My wife, who has struggled with shaping these cookies for years because they are a family favorite, says the following.

Dorie Greenspan was smoking crack when she said that one should use a paper towel tube to shape them. My solution is to pour the crumbly dough onto plastic wrap in a long, narrow pile, wrap the crumbles into a rough tube, and use the warmth of my hands to firm up the log. After at least an hour in the fridge, I cut them into disks -- and they fall apart again -- and press them together as best I can.

ETA that those cookies in that image must have had way more moisture in the dough than the ones in the recipe, which has the consistency of the barely moist sand you used to make a castle. Adding more moisture sacrifices the fantastic texture of the finished product, which is a gift to humankind.

Edited by chrisamirault (log)

Chris Amirault

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Mine come out more or less like the picture. I gather the crumbles on the counter, roll into a log (this may collapse and need to be pressed together a time or two before it really comes together), then I wrap in plastic wrap. To get a smoother shape, I roll the plastic-wrapped log on the counter to shape. I do store in a paper towel tube in the fridge to keep them from flattening. If I slice them thicker, they will take on the shape in the picture with slightly sloped sides. If I slice them thin they will be more uniform circles.

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Yes, mine come out more like the ones in the picture when I slice them thickly. Those are very cracked on the top, though. Mine have a few cracks but those look like they have a much airier texture. I wonder if that's a result of slicing them so thickly, or if the recipe is somehow different.

I basically do what Chris's wife does when shaping mine.

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Lisa, you're right! Those do look piped. If that's the case, then obviously it's not the same dough recipe we've got in the book.

I do basically the same as you guys for shaping, though i make a rough log on the workbench before I wrap in plastic film, rather than just pour the sand into the film. I'll give that a try next time.

Here's how mine come out. Maybe you guys who get them to work like the photo have some ideas what I'm doing differently?

Here is a log that I've shaped, frozen and then vacuum packed:

gallery_59916_6222_15556.jpg

And here is how they bake up. I sliced them 1.5cm (0.5") thick as I usually do. You can see they are not quite like M. Hermé's. Except for the two at the top-left of the photo (which fell apart while slicing), the others were perfectly round when sliced:

gallery_59916_6222_145689.jpg

Here is what I did with the other half of that batch: I used a #30 disher to portion the dough (only somewhat evenly, it seems) and made sort of hamburger patties lightly in my hands. I then refrigerated overnight, and then vacuum-sealed and froze them. I haven't baked them up yet, but I'm hoping they will come out rounder and more even:

gallery_59916_6222_174405.jpg

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Your log looks a bit to thick to me and the finished product looks too thin. I agree with laniloa that maybe he cut them a bit thicker for that picture. Mine also come out more or less like the picture. Another thought...are you using a scale? Perhaps you have a tiny bit too much flour? I think Dorie published the recipe in grams in Paris Sweets. If you need the weights let me know.

Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Orison Swett Marden

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CanadianBakin': Dorie's weights would be great, thanks. I'm using 175g flour, 30g cocoa powder, 50g sugar, 120g brown sugar, which is what I found on the net someplace. And (foolishly?) I never questioned it.

For other recipes in Dorie's book, I normally use 136g = 1 Cup flour which would yield 170g for this recipe, so indeed I am using a bit more than if I went by my own weights.

I'll give a thinner log a try, and thicker slices next time.

Thanks so much everyone!

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CanadianBakin': Dorie's weights would be great, thanks. I'm using 175g flour, 30g cocoa powder, 50g sugar, 120g brown sugar, which is what I found on the net someplace. And (foolishly?) I never questioned it.

For other recipes in Dorie's book, I normally use 136g = 1 Cup flour which would yield 170g for this recipe, so indeed I am using a bit more than if I went by my own weights.

I'll give a thinner log a try, and thicker slices next time.

Thanks so much everyone!

Your weights look good. Here's the complete ingredient list from Paris Sweets:

175 grams all-purpose flour

30 grams Dutch-processed cocoa

1/2 tsp baking soda

150 grams unsalted butter, room temp

120 grams light brown sugar

50 grams sugar

1/2 tsp fleur de sel

1 tsp vanilla

150 grams bittersweet chocolate

Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Orison Swett Marden

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