Dear Melissa and Leonard,
In these tough times I think it is only fitting to bake World Peace Cookies from the original recipe of Dorie Greenspan.
World Peace Cookie
by Dorie Greenspan
Yield: Makes about 36
Active Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour (includes baking and cooling time)

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

Sift 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 sea salt; beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add flour mixture; 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. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep chilled.
“When it comes to World Peace, no one has to ask me twice, and so I made the dough – by hand, a first! – and showed my sister (and a few brother) bakers my nifty tricks for making compact logs (it involves parchment paper and a ruler) and keeping them round (tuck them into the cardboard tube from a roll of paper towels).” - Dori Greenspan

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using 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 (cookies will not be firm or golden at edges), 11 to 12 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

Makes about 36 cookies (Longer instructions version)
• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 stick plus 3 tablespoons (11 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2/3 cups (packed) light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Maldon sea salt for sprinkling (I have added this to the recipe)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or a generous 3/4 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips
2. Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda together.
3. Working with a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add both sugars, the salt and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes more until light and fluffy.
4. Turn off the mixer. Pour in the dry ingredients. Drape a tea 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.
5. Turn the dough out onto a work surface. Gather it together, pressing and kneading gently with your hands to form a ball and divide in half. Shape the dough with a piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper into logs 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Refrigerate 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 — just slice the logs into cookies with a sharp knife and bake the cookies 1 minute longer.)
6. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 °F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
7. Using a sharp thin knife, slice the logs into rounds 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. Sprinkle with sea salt, preferably Maldon.
8. 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 either serve them or let them reach room temperature.

*note: As much as I cheer the “No Glove Law”, I find that a pair of vinyl gloves is an excellent way to shape this dough into logs or press any dough into a tart or pie shell.

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