I love this video.

But I like this cover better.

I find myself humming this song or singing one or two lines to myself. Mostly to convince myself to leave my warm bed at 6am every day or stop and grocery shop after work. To get myself off my lazy, lazy arse and cook something, even if it will mean using a bajillion ingredients and getting several pots, pans, bowls, and utensils dirty. Even if it means I will spill flour everywhere and I’ll cut my finger on the knife for the hundredth time. I’m on the pursuit of happiness! And I know not everything’s going to be gold.

Alas. In the midst of recipe creations and experimenting and trying and succeeding (and trying and failing so, so much), sometimes it’s also nice to go back to a tried and true recipe and follow it to the letter. After all these painful growth spurts in baking, I felt like I could bake these cookies in my sleep, their making was so easy. Their result was so delicious, especially with a cup of strong, black, unsweetened coffee.

The world could use a little peace right now, no? Let us airdrop these cookies like they do propaganda pamphlets. I bet you they would be better received. At least until you realize that when you’ve reached down to eat one or two, you’ve actually eaten twelve. That can happen with these cookies. It’s okay though. You are on the pursuit to happiness and these cookies will make you so very happy.

World Peace/Korova Cookies
Recipe from Dorie Greenspan’s Paris Sweets
Measurements from Smitten Kitchen

Makes about 36 cookies

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel or 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or a generous 3/4 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips

Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda together.

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 mixture, 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.

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 — just slice the logs into cookies and bake the cookies 1 minute longer.)

Getting ready to bake: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Working with 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 one 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.

Serving: The cookies can be eaten when they are warm or at room temperature — I prefer them at room temperature, when the textural difference between the crumbly cookie and the chocolate bits is greatest — and are best suited to cold milk or hot coffee.

Do ahead: Packed airtight, cookies will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days; they can be frozen for up to 2 months. They can also be frozen in log form for months, and can be sliced and baked directly from the freezer, adding a couple minutes to the baking time.