Hazelnut-Chocolate Sticks, Mikado Style

Who does not know the famous Mikado — those thin, crisp sticks delicately coated in chocolate that you start nibbling without always managing to stop?

But did you know their story begins in Japan? In 1966 the Japanese company Ezaki Glico launched Pocky, thin cookies covered in chocolate with a small bare section so you could hold them without getting your fingers messy. A very simple idea, but a particularly clever one. These treats arrived in France in the early 1980s under the name Mikado, after the famous pick-up-sticks game we all know.

Since then these little sticks have crossed the generations and become a fixture of our snack breaks.

My version: no flour, but plenty of hazelnuts

When I imagined this recipe, I wanted to find that small pleasure of biting into a chocolate-coated stick again, but by taking a slightly different path from traditional biscuit-making.

What if we could make these treats without a trace of flour?

That is exactly what I love about creating recipes: exploring other possibilities, stepping outside habit and discovering that certain ingredients we do not necessarily associate with pastry can hold very fine surprises.

For this recipe I chose to work with a base of chia seeds, water, hazelnut flour and coconut sugar. Only a handful of ingredients, but a combination that makes delicious little sticks, naturally flour-free, needing only the final touch: a good coating of dark chocolate.

And there, believe me, hazelnut lovers are going to be happy.

Hazelnut brings a generous, lightly toasted flavor I particularly love in cookies. Paired with dark chocolate, it takes on another dimension entirely. It is rich, crisp and so pleasant with a coffee, a tea or simply when the urge for something sweet comes along.

What I appreciate most about this recipe is that it shows once again that you can make very good pastry while doing away with flour entirely. The chia seeds play an interesting role here in holding the preparation together, while the hazelnut genuinely becomes the main ingredient.

It is another way of thinking about indulgence, with simple ingredients, raw materials we know and a composition we control completely.

And in the end, why should a cookie always require flour?

That is the curiosity that drives me when I create my recipes, and I sincerely hope it gives you the urge to try it in turn.

A treat that did not last long in our house

I have to admit something: when I made these little sticks, they really did not last long with us.

Barely finished, coated in chocolate and ready to eat, they vanished in no time. That is generally an excellent sign, and I do not think I needed to ask whether the recipe had worked.

They are also treats I find particularly fun to make with children. Shaping the sticks, giving them a nice form, dipping them in chocolate and waiting for the coating to set… there is something very playful about the whole process.

It is a fine occasion to share a moment in the kitchen, to put small hands to work and to show them that you can make original cookies with ingredients different from the usual ones.

Over to you

I hope this personal version of the famous Mikado surprises you as much as it gave me pleasure to create.

I really do encourage you to try this recipe, even if the idea of flourless sticks seems surprising at first. That is exactly the point of plant-based, gluten-free pastry: discovering new pairings, experimenting and realizing that the possibilities are far greater than we imagine.

So have fun, share this lovely moment with your children or the people around you and, above all, enjoy.

As always, I will be very happy to see what you make and to hear your thoughts. Do send me your feedback on social media or directly by email. Your messages, your photos and your experiences are always an immense pleasure.

I wish you a great deal of indulgence, fine moments of sharing and above all the happiness of discovering that with a few simple ingredients you can make small marvels.

See you very soon for another delicious adventure.

Les Secrets d’une Cheffe