These cookie sticks have a tender shortbread base with a snap that’s satisfying to bite into and are dipped in your favorite chocolate and decorated with festive sprinkles, nuts, or candies. If you’re looking for a crisp, buttery cookie that’s both eye-catching and delicious, these cookie sticks are just what you need!
The unique, slender shape of these cookies adds a modern twist to your classic lineup, making these shortbread cookie sticks a standout addition to any holiday spread or cookie box.
They're a fun, go-to favorite and go perfectly alongside these pistachio shortbread cookies, Christmas tree cutout cookies, slice and bake cookies, brown butter snickerdoodle cookies, biscoff cookies, and some brown butter chocolate chip cookies!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Crisp and buttery - These shortbread cookies have the perfect texture that snaps when you bite, yet melts in your mouth.
Customizable - Sprinkles, nuts, candies, chocolate, citrus zest? The choice is yours for decorating!
Perfect for the holidays - These elegant cookie sticks are ideal for gifting, cookie swaps, or dressing up your dessert table.
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter. The high amount of butter gives the cookies a tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Because it's the main flavor of shortbread, go ahead and use a high-quality butter like Plugra or Kerrygold.
- Granulated sugar. Adds sweetness to the cookies and helps create a light, crisp texture.
- Dark chocolate melting wafers. Used for dipping the cookie sticks. Dark chocolate adds a rich, slightly bitter contrast to the sweetness of the cookies. The pre-tempered wafers melt smoothly, making them perfect for dipping.
- Sprinkles, nuts, or candies. These are optional, but they add a fun, decorative element to the cookie sticks. You can choose toppings based on your preference, whether it’s crunch from nuts, a pop of color from sprinkles, or the extra sweetness from candies.
See recipe card for full ingredients list and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
These cookie sticks are incredibly versatile, so feel free to get creative! Here are some delicious variations and substitutions you can try:
- Fold mini chocolate chips into the dough before rolling it out. The smaller size ensures that the dough stays smooth and easy to roll, while still adding pockets of melty chocolate throughout the cookie sticks.
- Rub lemon or orange zest into the sugar before mixing it into the butter to add a bright, fresh flavor to the shortbread.
- Dip the ends into melted chocolate. You can use dark, milk, or white chocolate—whichever you prefer.
- Drizzle melted chocolate over the tops of the cookie sticks instead of fully dipping them. Use a fork or piping bag to drizzle dark, milk, or white chocolate—or even combine them for a layered look!
- Fold finely chopped nuts (almonds, pecans, or hazelnuts) into the dough before rolling it out. Or, you can sprinkle chopped nuts onto the chocolate-dipped portion of the sticks while the chocolate is still wet, creating a delicious, crunchy coating.
- Roll the cookie sticks in coarse sugar (like turbinado or sanding sugar) before baking. The sugar gives the sticks a light, sweet crunch with a hint of caramel flavor as it bakes.
- Add colorful sprinkles to the wet chocolate. This creates a festive look for holidays, parties, or special occasions. You can also try seasonal sprinkles (like red and green for Christmas, or pastels for spring).
How to Make This Recipe
One: Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Two: Add the flour and salt and mix until crumbly.
Three: Bring the dough together with wet hands until a mass forms.
Four: Press the dough into a square on a piece of parchment paper.
Five: Add another piece of parchment paper on top and use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into an even square that's ½" thick.
Six: Chill the dough until very firm, then cut it into an 8x8" square.
Seven: Cut the square into quarters, then each quarter into sixths to get 24 cookie sticks.
Eight: Use an offset spatula to transfer the cookie sticks to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Hot tip! Use a ruler to create clean, perfectly even cuts.
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Nine: All of the cookie sticks can fit on one baking sheet since they don't spread. Freeze the cookie sticks while the oven preheats.
Ten: Allow the cookies to cool completely on the pan. Moving them while they're still warm can cause them to crack.
Hot tip! Straighten any pieces of dough that have gone a bit off-kilter.
Eleven: Melt the chocolate, then dip ⅓ of the cookie sticks into the chocolate. Wipe the bottom off on the side of the bowl before placing back onto the parchment paper.
Twelve: Add sprinkles, nuts, chopped candy, etc to the wet chocolate to decorate the cookie sticks.
Thirteen: You can also add the melted chocolate to a piping bag and drizzle it onto the cookie sticks.
Fourteen: Let the cookies set completely on the pan before removing and storing.
Expert Tips
- The butter needs to be at room temperature to ensure it blends smoothly with the sugar, creating a light dough.
- Don't add too much flour or else the dough will be too crumbly. Use a digital scale or follow the fluff, scoop, and level method if using measuring cups.
- Chilling the dough before baking helps maintain the cookie’s shape and ensures a crisp texture. If you're short on time, freeze the dough for 15 minutes instead of refrigerating for an hour.
- Use a ruler for precise cuts to get evenly sized cookie sticks.
- Use an offset spatula to transfer the cookie sticks - it's thin and pliable, making it perfect to slide under the thin sticks.
- Sprinkle on the toppings while the chocolate has set slightly, but is still wet enough to stick.
Recipe FAQs
Shortbread dough can feel crumbly if there’s not enough moisture. If this happens, gently knead the dough with damp hands. The small amount of moisture helps the dough come together without affecting the texture.
To ensure your shortbread cookies hold their shape, it’s important to chill the dough before baking. This firms up the butter in the dough, which prevents the cookies from spreading too much in the oven.
Using a ruler or a square baking pan as a guide can help create straight, even lines. For perfectly uniform sticks, trim the edges and cut with a sharp knife or pizza cutter for smooth edges.
Storage
Store the decorated cookie sticks in a sealed container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
To freeze the cookies, layer them in an airtight container and freeze for 1 month. Thaw at room temperature before enjoying.
The pre-baked dough can also be frozen and stored in an airtight container for up to 3 months. The cookie stick dough can be baked directly from frozen.
What to Know When Cooking with The Cozy Plum
- All recipes are created with Diamond Crystal kosher salt, the least salty variety of kosher salt. If using Morton's, you'll need to cut the amount of salt in half as it's 2x as salty. This will be the same for sea salt. Please do not use table salt.
- Switch between Cups vs Metric using the toggle on the recipe card. Baking by weight using a digital scale will always produce the most accurate results.
- Scale the recipe using the '1X' '2X' '3X' buttons on the recipe card. Note that this does not make an adjustment for baking times, only quantities.
Did you make this recipe? Share it with us! Tag @thecozyplum on Instagram & Facebook and leave a star rating ⭐️ below!
📖Recipe
Chocolate-Dipped Cookie Sticks
Equipment
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment, or handheld mixer
- Bench scraper optional
- Large baking sheet
- Offset spatula optional
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 10 oz dark chocolate melting wafers
- sprinkles, nuts, or candies of choice
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt until completely combined.½ cup unsalted butter, ½ cup granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Add the flour and mix the dough until it becomes crumbly, then finish combining the dough by kneading it together with your hands until it’s smooth and holds together.2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- Note: If the dough still feels very dry and won't stick together, run your hands under cold water, then knead the dough again. The moisture from your hands will help bring the dough together.
- Add the cookie dough to a piece of parchment paper and form it it into a square, then add another piece of parchment paper on top. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough evenly until it’s about ½” thick and 8x8".
- Note: use a bench scraper to push the sides of the dough in to push the cracks together and make a flat edge.
- Place the dough (in the parchment) on a sheet pan and refrigerate for 1 hour to firm up.
- Remove the top layer of parchment and cut the very edges off of the dough until there's a clean square.
- Cut the square of dough into quarters, then cut each quarter into sixths to get a total of 24 cookie sticks.
- Flash-freeze the cut dough for 15 minutes, preheat the oven to 350℉, and line a large sheet pan with a fresh sheet of parchment paper or silicon baking mat.
- Transfer the sticks to the pan using an offset spatula. Adjust any that have gone crooked!
- Bake for 15-17 minutes until lightly golden. Cool completely on the pan before dipping in chocolate and decorating.
Decorating
- Melt the chocolate wafers according to package instructions. Then, dip ⅓ of the cookie sticks into the chocolate and place back on the parchment lined pan to cool.10 oz dark chocolate melting wafers
- Alternatively, add the melted chocolate to a piping bag and cut a very small piece off of the tip and drizzle the chocolate onto the cookie sticks.
- For either method, you can leave them as is, or add your favorite sprinkles, finely chopped nuts, or chopped candy (toffee, peppermint) to the chocolate before it sets.sprinkles, nuts, or candies of choice
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