Homemade Pocky Recipes

HOMEMADE POCKY

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line three baking sheets with parchment and set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand-up mixer with the paddle attachment, add the butter and sifted powdered sugar. Beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract. Beat once more until combined, scraping down the sides as needed.
• Pour in the flour, baking powder, salt and water and mix one last time until smooth. Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a small-ish round tip. (Mine was in between a number 8 and a number 10.)
• Pipe 5 to 6 inch lines of the batter onto the baking sheet. (I just eyeballed this measurement but if you like you can draw lines with a pencil and then flip the parchment over and trace the lines with the batter.) Repeat until you've done about 30 lines per baking sheet. Bake the pocky, one baking sheet at a time, for 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly golden brown around the edges. Leave on the baking sheets to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, divide the white chocolate amongst two bowls. Melt the white chocolate in the microwave for 1 minute, stirring at the 30 second mark. Sift the matcha into one of the bowls with the white chocolate and stir until combined.
• Ok, so the pocky is not the sturdiest. It's somewhat fragile. So to decorate them, I simply spooned a bit of white chocolate over about half of the pocky (see photo) and then scraped the sides, gently, with a small offset spatula or butter knife, to remove any excess chocolate. I transferred it to a baking sheet and then sprinkled on any of the toppings above. Repeat until you've worked your way through all of the pocky.

HOMEMADE POCKY

Steps:

• Prepare the dough: Add 1 1/4 cups flour, the sugar, baking powder and salt to a food processor, and pulse a few times to combine. Add butter and pulse until small crumbs form. In a measuring cup, combine milk and vanilla. Stream into flour mixture while machine is running. Pulse until dough is fairly smooth.
• Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface, and roll until it is just over 1/4-inch thick. Use a bench scraper or the side of a large knife to straighten the sides so that it is a 5 1/2-by-8-inch rectangle. Wrap in plastic and transfer to a small baking sheet. Chill until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Use a bench scraper or long knife to cut the dough crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick strips that are about 5 1/2 inches long. Transfer half the dough to the refrigerator while you work with the other half. Using the palms of your hands, gently roll each strip on a lightly floured work surface until 7 to 8 inches long. Transfer strips to parchment- or silicone mat-lined baking sheets, keeping them as straight as possible and spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart. Repeat with remaining dough. Freeze until firm, about 10 minutes.
• Bake until golden on edges and bottom, 14 to 16 minutes. Let cool a few minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
• Decorate the cookies: Melt each of the chocolates in a separate metal bowl set over a small saucepan with 1 inch of simmering water, stirring occasionally until melted. If using dark or milk chocolate, add 1/2 teaspoon vegetable shortening to each and whisk until combined. If using white chocolate, add enough vegetable shortening to make it thin enough for dipping, up to 1 tablespoon, whisking until mixture is glossy. Stir pulverized berries or matcha into white chocolate. (You can also melt the chocolate in the microwave instead: Transfer the chocolate and shortening to a microwave-safe glass bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Whisk to combine, then heat in 20-second increments, whisking between each, until melted.)
• Holding a cookie stick over a bowl of chocolate, use a small spoon to pour the chocolate over 2/3 of the stick, turning cookie to coat on all sides. Let excess drip off, and scrape against the edge of the bowl. Set chocolate-coated cookie on a parchment- or wax paper-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with nibs or nuts as desired. (You'll want to keep all the dips in a warm place while working with them, and return them to the pot or microwave to remelt if needed.) Refrigerate until coating hardens. Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week.