As a baking blogger, I try to invent the majority of the recipes I share with you. After all, part of the joy is in the creation. However, there are times when somebody else’s recipe is just too good not to share, and this is one of those times.
A few weeks ago, we had lunch with friends, and their eight year-old daughter made these chocolate chip sticks. Not only were my kids impressed that someone their age baked a treat all by herself, but they also loved them. I’ve had the recipe sitting around in a cookbook called The Kosher Palette for years, but I need to make them more. These cookies are a cross between biscotti and chocolate chip cookies, and you don’t want to miss out!
This is my vacation week, so I’m not super focused on anything right now. I’ve eased up on social media until next week, and I’m taking time to just take some deep breaths.
Being on vacation really reminds me how stressful the rest of the year is. And it’s not just the exhaustion from work that winds up taking its toll. The mental energy required to stay on top of everything produces a lot of stress, a lot of cortisol, and a lot of trouble. Whenever we’re stressed out, our bodies respond in their own ways. We might feel pain, or get indigestion, or not be able to stay awake at the dinner table.
If only there were a good way to manage stress when vacation can’t take care of the problem for us. Some methods, like regular exercise and calm breathing, are definitely helpful. But is there any way to replicate this stress-free feeling when there are to-do lists and projects and people with needs everywhere? That’s not a rhetorical question, but I don’t have the answer. Help me out!
Because I’m stress-free this week, I’m keeping this post short. But that’s appropriate, because this recipe takes almost no time to make. See?
When you’re done, you have a delicious (and butter-free, might I add) treat for everyone to share. These aren’t just quick; they’re borderline healthy. Or at least, borderline not terrible for you. I’ll take that!
And I’ll take my week of vacation. The desserts don’t stop, but I’m posting them with a better mindset right now. Hope you all get a break in there sometime soon!
Preheat the oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the oil, sugar and brown sugar. Add the egg and vanilla, stirring until smooth.
In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Add to the wet mixture, mixing until a dough forms. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Place the dough on the cookie sheet. Form the dough into a large log shape about 3 inches wide.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until the dough is golden brown at the edges.
Cool slightly. Cut into sticks. Store in an airtight container.
I fulfill many roles in life: wife, mother, teacher, everlasting learner.
This site is dedicated to one role that expresses my creativity in ways that I find consistently challenging and rewarding: baker.
Inventing new ways to enhance food, especially if that food involves chocolate or peanut butter (or both!), is a passion of mine. I look forward to sharing my ideas with you.
See, Sarah has been looking for a recipe for these cookies for quite a while, and I’ve been promising to get on it. Well, it’s been about a year since I said that, so better late than never. I hope.
For pretty much my entire teaching career (minus the three years I spent at my first school), I’ve spent my early mornings with Sarah. She’s the person I talk to first every day between Monday and Friday, and it’s kind of a ritual for us to catch up before heading off to our classrooms to teach.
Have you ever been to DC? You know, our nation’s capital? If you haven’t, get down here immediately! There is so much to see and do, and a lot of it is free!
Well, kind of. The National Zoo is free, and they have a cute baby panda named Bao Bao. But in exchange for watching all of the adorableness as he tumbles down hills while trying unsuccessfully to stand up, you have to pay a $22 flat fee to park in the zoo lot. So it’s not exactly free, unless you want to go with street parking. Which you could, if you find a free spot. Or take the subway. But that’s not free either.
Okay, I’ll stop griping. Really, the National Zoo is very nice. Even with the absence of giraffes. And the monuments are free, too. And the museums. But not all of them! That International Spy Museum is a tricky biscuit.
I love how different cultures wind up making such similar foods.
For instance, almost every culture I know has a potato, meat or cheese-filled pastry of some kind. We call them different names, but they’re all delicious. And while Italians call a particular kind of cookie “biscotti,” people of Jewish descent call a very similar cookie “mandel bread.”
These look really good! It’s okay to not invent every recipe, you’d go crazy from the deadlines. And what’s wrong with chocolate chip ANYTHING?! 😀 Vivian | stayaliveandcooking recently posted…Roasted chicken thighs
Oh I love the idea of chocolate chip sticks! Such a fun and delicious way to eat them. I hope you enjoy your break and get to relax, Mir! Gayle @ Pumpkin ‘N Spice recently posted…Roasted Garlic Parmesan Broccoli
Oh my gawsh, how fun are these sticks, Mir!! A cross between biscotti and chocolate chip cookies sounds amazingly delish! And these are totally the perfect shape for dunking in milk! Boy is going to go crazy over these! I wish I had some wise words on how to live stress free, but I’m terrible at managing stress! So if you figure it out, please do let me know!! Hope you have a fabulous vacation, girlfriend!! Pinned! Cheers <3 Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary recently posted…Cheez-It Crusted Bacon Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers
Of course you had me at biscotti and chocolate chip cookies! I’m glad you’re taking some time for yourself…so important to pay attention to the signs and then honor them. Recharge and reboot! Have a lovely week off, my friend! annie@ciaochowbambina recently posted…Roasted Root Vegetables
Hey Mir! I totally hear you on the stress. Have you ever heard of the Bullet Journal? It’s a system that lets you consolidate all your to-do lists, and it’s been a lifesaver for me. If you Google it, you will find a video that shows you how it works. Meantime, I prescribe lots and lots of these chocolate chip cookie sticks! xoxo Kate @ Framed Cooks recently posted…Easy Chicken and Baby Dumpling Soup
These look amazing! They kind of remind me of the soft-baked version of those Trader Joe’s cookie dunkers, which I’m OBSESSED with 🙂 Medha @ Whisk & Shout recently posted…Lemon and White Chocolate Chip Mug Cake!
Mir, to help with stress, I say get a lot of sleep (which is something I am horrible at) and regular exercise or yoga. Running really helps me de-stress. and baking 🙂 sometimes. 🙂 I love these chocolate chip sticks! a cross between biscotti and chocolate chip cookies?! sounds fabulous! and I hope you are able to enjoy spring break with your kids! have a great week off! Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom recently posted…Chocolate Chia Breakfast Pudding + A Giveaway
All good tips, Alice. I’m really good at getting enough sleep and exercising, but still wake up tired. Maybe that’s just motherhood? Anyway, the vacay has been a little slice of heaven. I need Florida sun all the time!
These sticks look mouth-watering! I wish I had one with a tall glass of milk right now. I hear what you’re saying about stress and everybody everywhere needing something from you. Story of my life right here. I wish the world wasn’t so fast-paced. I wonder sometimes if it’s just Florida that’s fast-paced! Michele @ Alwayzbakin recently posted…Soft Batch Double Chocolate Pudding Cookies
These look really good! It’s okay to not invent every recipe, you’d go crazy from the deadlines. And what’s wrong with chocolate chip ANYTHING?! 😀
Vivian | stayaliveandcooking recently posted…Roasted chicken thighs
Yep, it’s hard to be creative all the time. Sometimes I just want to use a cookbook!
Oh I love the idea of chocolate chip sticks! Such a fun and delicious way to eat them. I hope you enjoy your break and get to relax, Mir!
Gayle @ Pumpkin ‘N Spice recently posted…Roasted Garlic Parmesan Broccoli
I’ve had a very relaxing week, Gayle. Now back to reality!
Oh my gawsh, how fun are these sticks, Mir!! A cross between biscotti and chocolate chip cookies sounds amazingly delish! And these are totally the perfect shape for dunking in milk! Boy is going to go crazy over these! I wish I had some wise words on how to live stress free, but I’m terrible at managing stress! So if you figure it out, please do let me know!! Hope you have a fabulous vacation, girlfriend!! Pinned! Cheers <3
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary recently posted…Cheez-It Crusted Bacon Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers
I’ll let you know if I manage to jettison the stress, girl. I’m not good at it either!
Of course you had me at biscotti and chocolate chip cookies! I’m glad you’re taking some time for yourself…so important to pay attention to the signs and then honor them. Recharge and reboot! Have a lovely week off, my friend!
annie@ciaochowbambina recently posted…Roasted Root Vegetables
Recharging is a must, but sometimes people can’t. I’m lucky that I got to do it this time around!
Hey Mir! I totally hear you on the stress. Have you ever heard of the Bullet Journal? It’s a system that lets you consolidate all your to-do lists, and it’s been a lifesaver for me. If you Google it, you will find a video that shows you how it works. Meantime, I prescribe lots and lots of these chocolate chip cookie sticks! xoxo
Kate @ Framed Cooks recently posted…Easy Chicken and Baby Dumpling Soup
I’ve gotta try that! Bullet journaling sounds like just my thing, Kate!
Have a good break Mir! And I am sure these chocolate chip sticks will help you in remaining stress free!
I gave them to my parents in exchange for watching my kids, so they are helping me stay stress-free! 😉
Enjoy your vacation! These look so good – chocolate chip sticks? Ahh, better than pretzel sticks!
Aria recently posted…How to Organize Your Closet
SO much better than pretzel sticks!
These look amazing! They kind of remind me of the soft-baked version of those Trader Joe’s cookie dunkers, which I’m OBSESSED with 🙂
Medha @ Whisk & Shout recently posted…Lemon and White Chocolate Chip Mug Cake!
I love those cookie dunkers!
Mir, to help with stress, I say get a lot of sleep (which is something I am horrible at) and regular exercise or yoga. Running really helps me de-stress. and baking 🙂 sometimes. 🙂 I love these chocolate chip sticks! a cross between biscotti and chocolate chip cookies?! sounds fabulous! and I hope you are able to enjoy spring break with your kids! have a great week off!
Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom recently posted…Chocolate Chia Breakfast Pudding + A Giveaway
All good tips, Alice. I’m really good at getting enough sleep and exercising, but still wake up tired. Maybe that’s just motherhood? Anyway, the vacay has been a little slice of heaven. I need Florida sun all the time!
These sticks look mouth-watering! I wish I had one with a tall glass of milk right now. I hear what you’re saying about stress and everybody everywhere needing something from you. Story of my life right here. I wish the world wasn’t so fast-paced. I wonder sometimes if it’s just Florida that’s fast-paced!
Michele @ Alwayzbakin recently posted…Soft Batch Double Chocolate Pudding Cookies
That’s so funny. I was in FL for vacation and everything seemed so much slower. I feel like DC is in a constant mad rush!