For the one who lights your fire.


This Valentine's Day, give the one who lights your fire an unexpected, fun gift created in your own kitchen: matchstick cookies! While these matchstick cookies may not in fact be flammable (phew!), they bring the heat with a zingy cayenne pepper-spiked candy coating. Easy DIY matchstick slider boxes decorated with colorful washi tape complete the illusion, making these treats a near lookalike to real matchboxes.
These biscuits are made from Pâte à Foncer, which is a French sweet short dough that can easily be made in a food processor. The recipe yields a large amount of authentic match-sized cookies, but you can make the matches any size you wish; larger matchsticks can be cut and placed in large slider boxes, just be sure to measure your box and cut the sizes accordingly.
Sweet Short Dough (Pâte à Foncer) (Yields more than 200 matchsticks)
  • 14 oz. all-purpose flour
  • 3.5 oz. granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
  • 8 oz. unsalted butter, cold
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
For Decorating:
You can find washi tape and matchboxes from Etsy supply sellers or at craft stores.
  • 25 matchboxes (3 x 2 x 1/2-inches)
  • Washi tape
  • Red and yellow meltable candy disks (6 oz. each)
  • Ground cayenne pepper (optional)
  • Parchment paper
 

Step 1: Make the Cookies

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Pulse several times until the mixture is well combined. Cut the cold butter into cubes and place in a circle on top of the flour mixture; process until the mixture has the appearance of cornmeal. Add the vanilla and egg. Pulse in 8 to 10 second bursts, until the mixture is crumbly and clumps of dough begin to form.

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Turn the crumbly mixture onto a work surface and knead well. Dust the work surface with additional flour if the dough wants to stick.

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When the dough is smooth, shape it into a disk and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

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Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper to 1/4 inch thickness and place the dough in the freezer until very firm, about 30 minutes.

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Remove the dough from the freezer and trim the edges so that they are square.

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Cut a 2 3/4-inch wide piece of frozen dough using a large chef’s knife. Cut the dough piece into 1/4-inch-wide matchsticks. Immediately transfer the matchsticks to a parchment lined baking sheet, spacing them at least 1/4 inch apart. If the dough begins to soften, transfer it back to the freezer.  (Note: It’s important to work with the dough while it’s frozen so the matchsticks will keep their shape.)
Preheat the oven to 400°F.

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When all of the matchsticks are cut, transfer them to the freezer and chill for 10 minutes. Place the frozen cookies in the oven and bake for 5 to 8 minutes, or until the tips of the cookies are lightly golden.

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The bottoms of the cookies should be golden brown. Keep a sharp eye on the cookies as they bake; they are small and can easily burn. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 2: Make the Icing


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Place the red candy melts in a microwave-safe bowl and heat at 100% power at 30 second intervals until the mixture can be stirred smooth (about 1 minute). Be sure to stir well between heating to avoid scorching the candy.

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Repeat the process with yellow candy melts. Add a pinch of cayenne pepper, if using, to the red melted candy and stir to combine.
(Note: Candy coating can sometimes thicken too much if heated for too long. If this happens to you, add white vegetable shortening a little at a time to the candy coating to thin it to the desired dipping consistency.)

Step 3: Decorate + Package


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Lay a sheet of parchment paper on a work surface. Dip one end of each cookie into the candy and allow the excess to fall back into the bowl.

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Lay the cookies on the parchment paper and allow them to set.

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While the cookies are drying, prepare the matchboxes: Place a piece of decorative washi tape on both sides of each matchbox, cutting them to size with scissors. This represents the "striker strip" that is typically found on cardboard matchboxes.

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When the cookies are set, package 8 match cookies into each matchbox. Hand out the boxes of cookies to delighted loved ones on Valentine’s Day.
 

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