BiNa's chocolate sticks

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 50 g walnuts, ground
• 200 g butter
• 100 g powdered sugar
• 50 g dark chocolate
• 1 tbsp egg yolk
• 1 tbsp brandy or brown rum or milk
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 300 g flour
• 50 g dark chocolate coating

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

makes about 50 pieces

Cream the softened butter with the powdered sugar until fluffy. Finely grate the chocolate. Stir in the egg yolk, brandy, 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder, walnuts, and chocolate. Gradually add the flour and knead into a dough by hand. Wrap in foil and chill for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 160°C, fan oven: 140°C, gas mark 2. Scoop out 1 teaspoon of chocolate dough at a time. I use about 15g to prevent them from becoming too large, as they would be too thick. Roll the scooped dough ball with your fingers into sticks about 4-5cm long. I usually make them about the same length and thickness as my index finger (7cm). Place the dough sticks on a baking sheet lined with baking paper, leaving about 2cm between them. Place in the freezer for a few minutes so they don’t spread too much in the oven and retain their stick shape. Bake for about 10-15 minutes. Let cool slightly on the baking sheet. Melt the chocolate coating in a double boiler and fill it into a piping bag to decorate the sticks. Then finely sift the remaining cocoa powder over the chocolate and let it dry. While you sometimes have to hunt for ground walnuts in the store or grind them yourself, the flavor is completely different with hazelnuts. While that’s nice, nothing beats walnuts for this recipe!