Cigarettes Russes

- Heat oven to 350°F. - Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. I highly recommend silicone baking mats if you have them. If you don't have them, consider purchasing them. They're brilliant. Nothing sticks to them and clean-up is a breeze. - Grab a bunch of pencils or chopsticks. - In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients with a whisk. No need for a mixer, everything comes together pretty easily. - Working in small batches to begin (I’d just make 2 on the first tray, so you can get the hang of it; add more to subsequent batches as you do), drop 1 level teaspoon of batter for each cookie at least 4 inches apart on your prepared sheet. Using a small spatula or spoon, spread each into a thin 3-inch/7.5-cm circle (circles don’t need to be perfect, nobody will care). If you think this sounds tedious, it is. But if you don't spread the batter as indicated, the cookies won't come out properly: they'll be thick and chewy. This is where the glass of wine and patience comes in handy. - Bake cookies, one baking sheet at a time, until edges are golden, about 6 to 7 minutes, but you should closely watch your first batch in case your oven bakes things more quickly and adjust the baking time for remaining batches if necessary. - Slide a small spatula under the first cookie, or use your fingers to gently lift the edge of the cookie, and quickly roll the loosened cookie around a pencil, chopstick or other thin rod (no straws! they'll melt!) into a tight cylinder. This also requires lots of patience as keeping that cookie wound nicely until it cools enough to stay that way on its own is not particularly easy. - Transfer cookie-wrapped pencil to cooling rack. Repeat with remaining cookies and additional pencils. **If they start cracking at the edges or become too brittle because they’ve cooled too much (this will probably happen after every two to three cookies), return the cookie sheet to the oven for 20 to 30 seconds to soften them again.** Do this as many times as needed. - Cookies can be slid off their pencils almost immediately, but it’s even easier if you give them a full minute or more to cool so they won't stick. Leave cookies to fully cool on rack; repeat process with remaining batter. - Melt chocolate in a small saucepan or microwave until half-melted. Stir until remaining chunks melt. - When cookies are cool, working with 1 cookie at a time, dip 1/4 inch of tip of both ends into melted chocolate, letting excess drip off, then rolling them in sprinkles (if desired) and place on a parchment- or wax-paper-lined baking sheet. - Let stand at room temperature until chocolate sets. Do ahead: Cookies can be made 2 days ahead and kept in an airtight container. They will keep even longer in the freezer with layers of waxed paper between them. Other ideas: - add a pinch (or few) of citrus zest to the batter - add 1/4 teaspoon of spice or a mix of spices (some examples: cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom) to the batter - add a pinch of espresso powder to the batter for a coffee flavor