My Cookie Stick Baking Adventure
So, the other day, I got this idea stuck in my head: cookie sticks. Not regular round cookies, but long ones, you know? Like biscotti’s softer cousin, maybe? Seemed like a fun little project for the afternoon.
First things first, I had to check what I actually had in the kitchen. Raided the pantry and fridge. Okay, basics were there:
- Flour
- Sugar (both white and brown)
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Baking soda
- Salt
Needed butter, though. Always seem to be running low on butter. Made a quick run to the store just for that. Grabbed some chocolate chips too, figured why not?
Back home, I let the butter soften up on the counter for a bit. Can’t really rush that part. Then, I got out my big mixing bowl. Creaming the butter and sugars together is always the first real step, right? Did that until it looked kinda fluffy. Tossed in an egg, beat that in, then the vanilla. Smelled pretty good already.
Next, I mixed the dry stuff – flour, baking soda, salt – in a separate bowl first, just whisked it together lightly. Then, I gradually added the dry mix to the wet butter-sugar mixture. Mixed it just until it came together. You don’t want to overmix, makes ’em tough. Folded in those chocolate chips I bought.
Now, the “stick” part. This was different. I didn’t scoop balls. Instead, I dumped the dough onto a lightly floured counter. It was a bit sticky, so I added a tiny bit more flour. I tried rolling it out into a sort of rectangle, maybe about half an inch thick? Then I took a pizza cutter – yeah, a pizza cutter, worked great – and sliced the dough into strips. They weren’t perfectly uniform, but hey, homemade charm, right?
Got my baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Carefully, I moved the dough sticks onto the sheets, leaving some space between them. The oven was already preheating, got that going while I was mixing.
Into the oven they went. I set the timer but mostly watched them through the oven door glass. Waited for the edges to get that nice golden-brown color. Took about, I dunno, 10-12 minutes maybe? Ovens vary, so you gotta keep an eye out.
Pulled them out and let them sit on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This part requires patience, which I don’t always have when fresh cookies are involved.
Finally, cooled down enough to handle. Grabbed one. Nice snap, but still chewy inside. Perfect! They were great for dipping in my afternoon coffee. Definitely easier to handle than a big round cookie sometimes. Yeah, I’d say this little experiment was a success. Simple, tasty, and a bit different. Will probably make these again.
