My friend Lisa introduced me to Korova Cookies, which were billed by someone (I can't remember who as "the best cookies in the world". The recipe is originally from Dorie Greenspan's Paris Sweets: Great Desserts From the City's Best Pastry Shops. From there it went to many web sites, including Splendid Table, and then onto Baking From My Home to Yours, where it was renamed by one of Dorie's friends to World Peace Cookies.
To be honest I wasn't terribly excited about making Korova Cookies because I thought they were just chocolate shortbread. But given their reputation, I made them anyway. My original notes follow. I also included a more recent note with measurements for Tiny Batch Korova Cookies.
Korova Cookies Texture and Flavor
These are really good! They're not shortbread-like, but they're not chewy nor very crunchy either. What they are is a super chocolaty and sturdy. They're extremely easy to put together and the dough freezes well. If you make these, use the best chocolate you have available because it's what stands out. I used Hershey's Dark cocoa because it's what I had. That's also why my cookies are a bit darker. For the chocolate pieces, I used a combination of chopped up Godiva dark and chopped up Ghirardelli bittersweet chips. Use whatever you want, but make sure it's good.
Tiny Batch
The photos needed an update, so I made a tiny batch of Korova Cookies using these measurements: 42 grams flour, ⅛ teaspoon baking soda, 9 grams cocoa powder, 40 grams butter, 30 grams brown sugar, 12 grams sugar, ⅛ teaspoon salt, and a little over an ounce of chopped dark chocolate. I don't use Hershey's Dark Cocoa anymore (still love their Natural, though), so I used King Arthur.
Recipe
Korova Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour 170 grams
- ⅓ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 stick plus 3 tablespoons butter at room temperature 155 grams
- ⅔ cup packed light brown sugar 130 grams
- ¼ cup granulated sugar 50 grams
- ½ teaspoon fleur de sel or
- ¼ teaspoon fine seas salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate dropped into small bits (140 grams
Instructions
- Sift or whisk together the flour, cocoa and baking soda.
- In a mixing bowl, beat butter until creamy. Beat in both sugars, the salt (if using) and vanilla and beat for another minute or two. Reduce speed to low or by hand (which is how I do it), stir in the dry ingredients. Stir only until the dry ingredients are incorporated, then add the chocolate.
- Turn the dough out onto a smooth work surface, divide in half. Shape each half into a cylinder that's 1 ½ inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least one hour. You can also freeze.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Slice logs into ½ inch thick slices. They'll probably break as you slice, so just pinch the dough back together and nudge into circles.
- Place the slices on the parchment-lined sheets, leaving about 1 inch of spread space between each cookie. Bake one sheet at a time for about 12 minutes. The cookies will not 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, on the baking sheet, until they are only just warm or until they reach room temperature. Repeat with the second sheet of cookies.
- Keeping: The dough can be made ahead and either chilled or frozen. In fact, if you've frozen the dough, you needn't defrost it before baking - just slice the logs into cookies and bake 1 minute longer.
Sue says
I came here looking to see if you had ever made these. I never have and I wondered what you thought of them. Dorie’s new book seems to be all the buzz right now so I’m curious. Her new chocolate chip cookie recipe has reviews that are all over the place.
CCCobsessed says
I made & froze the dough several weeks ahead of time, sliced and baked per request over the holidays. By far the best & unique cookie, no one believed I made them. I doubled the dough w/o problems but should have decreased the flour a bit. Used Fleur de Sel & Valhrona powder & chopped up dark chcolate (70% & 60%)..so good!
Carol says
Hey Anna, I've been enjoying your site for awhile, and these are the first cookies I've made from it. I don't usually like chocolate-chocolate chip cookies, but these sounded different... Oh man, they are dangerous! I quickly gave some to my neighbor before I ate them all.
My dough was pretty crumbly but I could squeeze it together okay to make the loafs. I did use whole wheat flour, and good Valhrona (sp) cocoa powder that I bought in a little tub from Whole Foods, so I doubt it was Dutch process. Maybe that affected the texture - but it worked and they baked up fine and taste great!
Thanks for the great blog, very fun and informative!
LisaE says
Anna, great suggestion about making the cookies half regular and half with the chocolate raspberry just to see...I'll report back after I've tried them. I'm also curious about whether the fleur de sel with make a noticable difference.
ThereseB says
Hi Anna!
I need something to bring to a 3 days women's retreat this weekend! I think these would be lovely with wine!
I clicked on Lisa...OMG! Her artwork is stunning!!!
Thanks for sharing that too!
Anna says
Lisa, I like chocolate raspberry, but if I were you, I would divide the batch in two and mix regular chocolate into 1/2 and the raspberry chocolate into the other. Personally, I wouldn't want the raspberries mucking up the chocolate, but sometimes that combo is very good. So maybe do half and half.
These really are good cookies.
LisaE says
Hi Anna, I was very pleased open your bolg today and see you have made the Kurova cookies! I just splurged and ordered some Fleur de Sel today and have plans to make the cookies as soon as it arrives. I'm glad you like them, and I can't wait to try them myself. I was thinking of using some Dagoba 59% dark chocolate with raspberry for the chunks. Since you've already tasted the cookies, do you think the raspberry will be compatible or just detract overall?
Anna says
Julie, you just reminded me of something I saw in a magazine. A shortbread cookie with a truffle on top of it -- kind of built into it....like a Mallomar but with shortbread and truffle. I want to try to make something like that.
Holly, thanks for the tip about the salt. I left mine out and the cookies are really good, but it might be because I used the really intense dark chocolate. So maybe the intensity of the dark chocolate is kind of mimicking the salt for me? I don't know. I am a big fan of salt and things usually taste flat without it, but the cookies tasted good without it this time.
That being said, next time I will try it with the salt.
Holly says
I've made these four or five times since coming across the recipe a couple of months ago, and in my experience it is worth adding the salt even if you're using salted butter - salted butter isn't salty enough that I can consciously taste the salt as distinct from the other flavours, and they're definitely more delicious when I can.
Julie O says
Anna,
These look great. How can this much good chocolate be bad? I too want to focus on chocolate this week, but I'll probably just be able to bake one thing. I'm thinking about truffles (not baked, I know:)). Anyway, I think I'll hold onto this recipe.