In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer and a mixing bowl), add the flour, sugar, and salt. Mix well.

Add the butter and mix until the mixture resembles sand.

Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract and mix until the mixture looks very wet but still sandy.

Press the mixture with your hands to form the dough and wrap it in plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge for one hour.

Roll the dough between two pieces of parchment paper until it’s ⅓ to ½ inch (approximately 1cm) thick.

Cut the dough into cookie sticks that are ⅓ to ½ inch (1cm) wide and 4 inches (10cm) long.

Gather the scraps, re-roll the dough, and cut out more cookie sticks. You should have approximately 30 sticks.

Carefully transfer the sticks onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place them in the freezer while preheating the oven to 375F (190C). If your baking sheet doesn’t fit into your freezer, use any flat board that fits. Once the cookies have hardened (but are not fully frozen), transfer them to the baking sheet for baking.

Bake for 10 minutes or until the sticks just start turning golden on the sides.

Allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Place 110g of the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in short increments, stirring well in between, until 85% of the chocolate has melted. Add the remaining 40g of chocolate and mix until fully melted and the mixture is smooth.

Dip the tip of each cookie stick into the melted chocolate, shaking off any excess. Place the cookies on parchment paper to set. Optionally, sprinkle with crushed nuts, sprinkles, or freeze-dried berries before the chocolate sets. Alternatively, transfer the melted chocolate into a piping bag, snip off the tip, and drizzle it over the cookies as desired.

Allow the chocolate to set at room temperature before serving.