Don’t you just love Pocky? Those little crunchy sticks of sweetened bliss are quite addictive. It’s hard for me to leave my local Asian market without a few boxes for my nieces and nephews. The trouble is, in an attempt to “be good”, I leave myself out. Long story short, the nieces and nephews rarely see those well intentioned boxes of Pocky. Once I open a box, it is downhill from there.
Awhile back, I stumbled on this excellent tutorial from making Pocky from scratch. And that very week, I began making batch after delicious batch to give as gifts and for snacking. While I love that recipe and method, I kept thinking the process could be simplified for those that have less time on their hands. Unless you’re totally obsessed with making everything from scratch (and if so, I love that about you), grab a box of Italian style grissini bread sticks and you’re halfway home to some of the best Pocky ever. You’ll note that grissini are not sweetened. I find this exceptional because the sweetness of the chocolate goes a long way .
Easy Homemade Pocky
6 oz semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 box grissini bread sticks (The kind I use come wrapped in 2 bags inside the box.)
Sprinkles, such as sea salt, toasted coconut, sesame seeds, almonds, peanuts, dried fruit, etc if desired.
- Melt the chocolate. I do this in the microwave, but feel free to double boiler it. To melt the chocolate, place in a microwave safe container and cook on high for 20 seconds. Stir chocolate and repeat, checking every 20 seconds.
- Break grissini in half. If your packages are anything like mine were, most of the dirty work has already been done for you. Keep them long and whole if you wish, but I find that getting good chocolate coverage requires extra manipulation.
- Dip each grissini piece, broken end first, into the chocolate. (Doing this covers the broken parts, resulting in an overall tailored look.) Dip as far as 3/4 of the stick in chocolate. Lay on waxed paper or parchment paper. Sprinkle with desired topping. Allow to cool at room temperature until hardened and set.
Variations:
White Chocolate Pocky – Substitute white chocolate or almond candy bark for the semi sweet chocolate chips.
Coconut Curry Pocky – Substitute white chocolate or almond candy bark for the semi sweet chocolate chips. Add 1/2 teaspoon prepared Thai Red Curry paste to the melted white chocolate. At this point, the chocolate will begin to seize (harden), but it will remain at a spreadable consistency for about 5 minutes. Smear grissini with mixture then sprinkle with toasted coconut.
Green Banana Curry Pocky – Substitute white chocolate or almond candy bark for the semi sweet chocolate chips. Add 1/2 teaspoon prepared Thai Green Curry paste to the melted white chocolate. At this point, the chocolate will begin to seize (harden), but it will remain at a spreadable consistency for about 5 minutes. Smear grissini with mixture then sprinkle with chopped dried banana chips.
Peanut Pocky – Use the chocolate of your choice. After chocolate is melted, stir in 1 tablespoon of peanut butter until smooth. Dip grissini in the chocolate and sprinkle with chopped peanuts if desired, before allowing to cool. The addition of peanut butter lengthens the hardening time of the chocolate. To speed up the process, place finished Pocky in the refrigerator.
What are your favorite flavors of Pocky?
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