After reading the comments from my last post about my bad Karma, I was genuinely touched by the kind words that many of you had to say about my rotten luck during the month of August.
Two weeks ago, to beat the sweltering August heat, I ducked into a theater near Union Square and saw the much talked-about foodie blogger flick, Julie & Julia.
I considered writing a response to the movie here but since some other bloggers wrote them so eloquently I didn’t see the need to recap what many of you probably saw in the theaters.
However, throughout the movie, I found myself thrilled with Julia. Meryl Streep captured the essence of a person who was full of fire and not only did I enjoy the acting, the antics, but I was fascinated by this person who devoted her life doing what she loved to do: cook. And not only did she cook, she wanted to make it easy for others to as well.
I started wondering if my own generation has a Julia. Knowing full well that hers are large shoes to fill (literally and figuratively) it’s difficult to think of a modern culinary icon to compare with Julia.
While we might not have a Julia, we’re certainly not for want of talented cooks, bakers and food writers. One of my personal favorites, among many, is Dorie Greenspan.
Dorie has written several cookbooks, including Baking with Julia, the book that accompanied Julia Child’s PBS television series.
Although she is known for her exquisite pastry my favorite part about her books is that she can take a simplest loaf cake and make it look like something that came from a French patisserie.
These cookies are chocolate sables (French shortbreads) but because they’re made with more brown sugar than white, they’re chewier than your average shortbread cookie.
If you’re a chocolate-lover like me, you should make these cookies. And if you’re not a chocolate lover, well, you should talk to someone about that because let me tell you, you’re missing out.
- 1¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 stick plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ⅔ cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar
- ½ teaspoon fleur de sel or ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips
- Sift flour, cocoa and baking powder together in a bowl. 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.
- Turn off the mixer. Pour in the flour and pulse the mixer at low speed about 5 times, a second or two each time. 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.
- 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 1½ 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 — just slice the logs into cookies and bake the cookies 1 minute longer).
- Once you're ready to bake, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.
- Working with a sharp thin knife, slice the logs into rounds that are ½ 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.
- 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.
21 Comments
Kerstin
September 5, 2009 at 2:18 pmThese look so rich and decadent – yum!
lisa (dandysugar)
September 2, 2009 at 11:10 amThese look great, the perfect “remedy!”
pamela
September 2, 2009 at 8:50 amIt was a great movie, wasn’t it?? Almost as wonderful as these cookies! Love ’em. Great job.
girlichef
September 2, 2009 at 6:31 amLove this post 🙂 I so agree with you on everything…and your cookies look out of this world!
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella
September 2, 2009 at 4:55 amThese look like they’d easily create world peace. I’m waiting for the day doctors write out Prescriptions for chocolate!
Sophia
September 2, 2009 at 12:38 amThat’s was quite a perfect pairing you made bwn Julia and Dorie. I get the sense that they are SO different stature-wise, but they both share the same unadulterated passion for food and introduced intimidating ways of cooking/baking into our kitchens.
E.P.
September 1, 2009 at 10:59 pmI haven’t seen the movie yet, but I cannot wait to see it. And those cookies? Look AMAZING.
Erin
September 1, 2009 at 9:20 pmWow! Those do look great! I’ve never made them, but I keep seeing them.
Katrina
September 1, 2009 at 7:42 pmLove the World Peace Cookies. Yours look fab. Love Dorie, too! Our own Julia. (Now I just wish she’d get a cooking show! 😉
Susan
September 1, 2009 at 7:17 pmI really want to see that movie.
Those cookies look amazing.
Maria
September 1, 2009 at 5:11 pmMy favorite cookies! They are pure bliss!
Juliana
September 1, 2009 at 4:32 pmNice looking cookies…must taste a little piece of heaven 🙂
Sophie
September 1, 2009 at 4:28 pmMMMMMM,…these chocolate cookies look superb!
beyond
September 1, 2009 at 4:06 pmi say the world needs more peace cookies!
Kalyn
September 1, 2009 at 1:33 pmHope September will be a better month. This looks like a good start!
elra
September 1, 2009 at 12:06 pmWow, that look really tempting!
thatShortChick
September 1, 2009 at 11:43 amI was actually thinking the same thing after I saw J&J last week! But yeah, unfortunately, there really isn’t one.
Although, my friend who I saw the movie with, claims Martha Stewart is the closest we have. She says she’s a more modern Julia. But….I don’t know.
Anyway, I love the name of those cookies! and yes, chocolate will heal all that ails you.
grace
September 1, 2009 at 10:32 amit may be time for me to give dorie another chance, because there’s not much better than chocolate in the form of a cookie. 🙂
brandi
September 1, 2009 at 10:07 ambeautiful cookies.
VeggieGirl
September 1, 2009 at 9:03 amYeah, unfortunately there’s no Julia these days – but still some great chefs anyways! 🙂
And a new chocolate-lover, I’m all over those cookies!! Holy yum.
Daryl Callahan
September 1, 2009 at 8:41 amTo say that these look fabulous is an understatement. World Peace–to quote the Beatles-“all u need is love’ and I may add–ONE OF THESE COOKIES!!!