I always love to have a lot of variety on my Christmas cookie platters. For me, that means variety in both taste, shape and color. I don’t believe that the platter needs to be filled with all greens and reds to look festive, but a little bit thrown in always helps.

Since there are plenty of ways to get that green and red, and lots of cookie recipes that give you options to do just that, I always like to make cookies that are unique and still festive-looking without the added colors.

These Chocolate Chip-Almond Cookie Sticks fit the bill perfectly. They are so pretty and unique looking. Plus, they taste phenomenal! They are sweet, so just a small slice satisfies. They do require a bit more work than your average cookie, but it’s worth it since the final product is definitely above average! Our kids have taken to calling them the best cookies ever.

Chocolate Chip-Almond Cookie Sticks

• 3/4 c. butter, softened
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 2 t. milk
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1 3/4 c. flour
• 3/4 c. mini chocolate chips
• 3/4 c. white chocolate chips
• 1/4 c. sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 t. almond extract

1. Beat the butter and brown sugar together in a mixing bowl until fluffy. Add milk and vanilla and beat an additional minute. Beat in the salt and flour until combined. By hand, stir in the mini chocolate chips.

2. Refrigerate dough for at least half an hour to make it easier to handle, if desired. Divide dough in half and roll out each portion into a rectangle on a lightly floured surface. (If the dough starts to come apart as you roll, you can pat it back together with your hands.) Transfer each half to a cookie sheet.

3. Combine the white chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the almond extract.

4. Spread half the white chocolate mixture onto the long half of each portion of dough, leaving about a 1/2 inch margin on the edges.

5. Fold the other half of the dough over the top of each section and press together to seal the edges.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until set and lightly golden brown. Cool on the cookie sheets for 15 minutes. Slice the blocks into 1/2 inch slices.

7. Transfer slices to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

In addition to looking great on a cookie platter, these cookies are also great for gift-giving since their unique shape means lots of fun packaging ideas. A handful placed lengthwise in a coffee mug looks stunning!

Don’t forget to grab a copy of my Cookies for Christmas ebook.