French Mikado Chocolate Biscuit

Crunchy chocolate stick to have as a snack. They looks like the popular Japanese Pocki or French mikado brand.

• Ready In: 2 hrs 10 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1⁄4 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 2  teaspoons water
• 150  g all-purpose flour
• 8  g sugar
• 1  pinch baking powder
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 50  g unsalted butter

Directions

1. Mix the condensed milk with the water in a bowl.
2. In a large bowl pour the flour and add salt, sugar, baking powder and soft unsalted butter.
3. Use your finger to rub the butter into the flour mix. Keep rubbing until it looks like cornmeal. It take around 5 minutes.
4. Add the condensed milk mixture and blend well to create a ‘ball’.
5. Transfer the dough into plastic wrap.
6. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. Do not leave it longer or the dough will become really hard and it will be impossible to roll out.
7. Preheat the oven at 200°C.
8. Remove the dough from the fridge and divide the dough in small balls (size of a walnut).
9. Roll each ball into a 20 cm long stick with the thickness of a chopstick. Make sure that all your stick have similar size. If you have 2 different size cook them on separated baking sheet. Large stick required a longer cooking time.
10. Transfer your stick into a baking sheet.
11. Cook for 8-10 minutes at 200°C or until the stick are golden brown.
12. Let them cool for at least 2 hours before covering them with chocolate. I usually leave them 12 hours but you do not have too wait so long.
13. First you have to prepare a stick holder. It is where the covered stick biscuit will stand to cool down. I took an empty box of nappies (of course you can use any other packaging shoes box, eggs cages, pizza box etc) and I drilled holes with a scissors.
14. Melt chocolate in the microwave. The best way to do not overcooked the chocolate is to melt it 30 seconds then mix well with a teaspoon. Start again until the chocolate is melted, shiny and not too warm (you should be able to dip a finger inside without burning you). It took 2 minutes with my microwave but it depends on yours.
15. Use a pastry brush. Dip the brush in the melted chocolate and cover ¾ of the stick biscuit.
16. Keep the stick few seconds head down to let the extra chocolate to flow.
17. Twist if it is it flowing and stand on the cake stand.
18. Repeat for each stick.
19. The thickness of chocolate depends on taste. The original recipe contain only a thin layer of chocolate.
20. At this stage you could be creative and add some sprinkles on the chocolate.
21. Leave them on the stick stand for 3 hours at room temperature. Do not put them in the fridge or the dark chocolate will turn white.