'Pepero' Cookie Sticks

Today is Pepero Day in South Korea.

Pepero Day is like Valentine’s Day or White Day. It is celebrated every November 11^th (11/11), since the date resembles four pepero cookie sticks.

On pepero day, youngsters and couples exchange boxes of pepero sticks as gifts to show their affection.

Let your special someone know that you care. Give him/her some pepero today.

Store-bought pepero is great, but homemade is better, don’t you agree?! Why not give a box of homemade pepero, instead of buying. Imagine how delighted your loved ones will be when they receive delicious choco-dipped biscuits made by you.

'Pepero' Cookie Sticks

Ingredients:
Cookie Sticks:

155 g All-purpose Flour

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

28 g Refined Sugar

Pinch of salt

2 tbsp Butter

80 g Low-fat Milk

Coating:
1/2 cup Dark Chocolate Morsels, melted
Colorful Sprinkles for deco

Instructions:

Preheat regular or convection oven at 176°C.

In a medium bowl, sift-in the flour and baking powder. Then, add-in sugar and salt.

Mix thoroughly to combine.

Add-in butter and blend well (until it resembles coarse corn meal).

Pour-in milk gradually, until dough is firm.

Pat the dough into a square and wrap in a plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Slice and roll dough into thin strips, and cut into desired length. 

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until golden.

Remove from oven and let cookies cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer baked cookies onto a rack to cool completely.

Coat with chocolate and decorate:

Microwave dark chocolate morsels in a bowl for 2 minutes in 30-second interval while stirring with a spoon until completely melted.

(*It is possible to melt the chocolate over a stove. Use low heat, and stir frequently.)

Remove from microwave, continue stirring until well combined and smooth.

Dip the cookie sticks into the melted dark chocolate and decorate with sprinkles.

Chill in the refrigerator until chocolate has firmly set.

Once the chocolate has hardened, you can now package them in neat and perfectly sized packaging bags and give them away to your loved ones!

Note:

Alternative coating for the cookie sticks can be white chocolate or milk chocolate, and sprinkled with finely chopped nuts, or sweetened toasted coconut.
These are good for presents too! Place them in a fancy box then tie with a nice ribbon and you have the perfect gift.^^