27 foods on a stick you need to try
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Spectacular stick food
It’s all the rage now to put miniature food portions on a stick. There’s even an international day called Something on a Stick on March 28 celebrating the trend. Here are some great ideas to try.
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Donuts
Whether it’s the entire donut or donut balls, they’re both good on a stick. By having them on a stick you bypass the sticky fingers and can add whatever topping you wish. A popular choice is to dunk the entire stick with a donut or donut holes in melted chocolate and sprinkles.
French toast kabobs
Already a popular sweet breakfast treat, French toast has become the next big thing to cut up into bite-sized pieces and eat off a stick. Made popular by Martha Stewart and various food bloggers, French toast on a stick is best paired with fresh fruit like strawberries and bananas drizzled with maple syrup.
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Pop-tart pops
Any food that could possibly be eaten off a stick has been tried and tested. One that stands the test and has become very popular among kids of all ages is the humble pop-tart. The sensation was created by food blogger Angie Dudley of Bakerella, who also invented the cake pop. These homemade small pop-tarts on a stick are cherry flavored and drizzled in a pink sugary glaze.
Burgers
Popular cocktail finger food now includes mini burgers held together by a stick. The idea is to eat the whole burger in one hit, without the need to take small bites. Each ingredient of the burger is miniature and individually threaded on the stick, stacked in the same way as if it were a regular burger.
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Pizza pops
A food blog challenge to rework the typical pizza in creative ways inspired the creation of pizza on a stick, or pizza pops. Taking part in the Foodbuzz Project Food Blog Pizza Challenge, The Decorated Cookie blogger invented this new party favorite. They’re easy to make by using pizza dough and adding toppings of your choice before putting them on a stick and cooking them.
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Salad
Just about any ingredients you like tossed in a salad can be used to make a deconstructed salad on a stick. Obviously bite-sized ingredients work best so lettuce and ingredients like carrot or cucumber should be cut to size. It’s simple to create by threading the cut ingredients onto a stick and topping them off with your favorite dressing. They’re great for a cocktail party. You can also do the same with a fruit salad.
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Sushi
Some people love sushi but struggle to eat it with chopsticks. So putting it on a stick itself takes away that struggle. Handrolls, nigiri and sashimi are all simple sushi dishes that can be threaded on a stick, dipped in soy sauce and eaten with ease. Whether it’s one piece of sushi on a stick or several, it's an increasingly popular trend.
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Bacon-wrapped potato bites
Any food wrapped in bacon is generally a hit. Put it on a stick and you have the perfect finger food for any occasion. A popular food on a stick has long been potatoes wrapped in bacon. To make them all you need is potatoes chopped into bite-sized pieces which you wrap in small bacon strips and secure with a toothpick before baking in the oven.
Meatballs
No matter what the meatball recipe, it can be added to a toothpick or skewer for a different take on the dish. There’s even a version of pasta and meatballs on a stick where cooked pieces of farfalle (bow tie) pasta are also added to the stick and can be then dipped in a sauce of your choice. It’s a modern take on a traditional Italian classic.
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Shrimp
One of the best ways to cook shrimp is to thread them peeled on a stick and cook them over a barbecue. Having shrimp on a stick also makes it easier to marinade and flip while cooking to ensure each side is evenly barbecued. Leaving shrimp on the stick to serve is also a surefire way to avoid burning your fingers. It also means you can add other ingredients like pineapple for added flavor.
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Chicken nuggets
Already bit-sized pieces, chicken nuggets are perfect to thread on a stick before serving. It makes for a great food idea for a kids' party, preventing them from getting sticky hands. For the best result, put the stick in the nuggets before cooking them and allow to cool slightly before serving. It also makes it easier to dip the nuggets into sauce.
Sandwich
As a typical lunch option, especially for schoolchildren, sandwiches can often be considered boring. To make your favorite sandwich more interesting, deconstruct it and thread the ingredients on a stick. The length of the stick will determine how many different types of fillings and pieces of bite-sized bread you can choose but the variations are pretty much endless. Just remember to put the butter and/or spread on the bread before threading it on the stick.
Chicken skewers
Definitely not an unusual food on a stick option, chicken skewers can be done in countless different ways. From Thailand to China and India, it seems that there’s a traditional chicken on a skewer dish from all corners of the globe. From satay chicken with peanut sauce to honey sesame skewers with soy sauce and chicken tikka kebabs, there are endless recipe possibilities.
Baked brie
Baked brie is undoubtedly a mouthwatering food on a stick option for cheese lovers. It’s become a popular recipe shared by international food bloggers. It’s simple: lay out a sheet of puff pastry and cut it into squares. Place a stick, piece of brie and a bit of jam on each square before covering and sealing each one with another square of sheet pastry. Then cook in the oven. The pastry comes out crumbly while the cheese is gooey and flavored by the jam.
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Mozzarella and jalapeño stackers
For those who like their food to have a kick to it, mozzarella and jalapeño stackers are the best type of food on a stick to go for. It’s perfect as a snack or an appetizer. It’s lightly battered bits of mozzarella and jalapeño slices stacked on a toothpick. The mozzarella cools down a bit of the heat the jalapeños give off and the combination gives a balanced flavor sure to satisfy any taste buds tantalized by hot peppers.
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Snakes on a stick
The name might not sound appetizing but all there is to it is bread dough wrapped around a wooden stick. Roll the dough into a snake-like shape and wrap around the stick before putting chopped olives on the head end for eyes and a small piece of red pepper for the mouth. Once baked in the oven they’re ready to eat. Perfect for a spooky and tasty treat at Halloween.
Curried sweet potato
With sweet potato fries and wedges rapidly becoming a popular side choice over regular potato fries and wedges, it’s no wonder there’s now a trend in sweet potato recipes on a stick. One such recipe is curried sweet potato on a stick made with curry powder, cayenne pepper, sea salt and olive oil. The wedge-sized pieces of sweet potato are pierced with a stick once seasoned and before they’re cooked.
Samosa pops
To make your favorite savory treat even better, put it on a stick. If you’re making your own samosas, when you add the filling also add the stick. Then once baked or fried, grab a samosa pop and enjoy. No more greasy fingers either.
Pretzel pops
There are several ways you can make pretzel pops. You can go for long sticks and dip two thirds in your favorite toppings or you can get creative and make small traditional pretzel shapes and put them on a stick. Either way they’re salty and sweet yummy treats.
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Chocolate-coated fruit pops
The possibilities are endless when making chocolate-coated fruit pops. You can cut whatever fruit you like into bite-sized pieces and put on a stick before dipping into melted chocolate. Or you can have big pieces of fruit and eat them more like a sucker. A classic favorite is strawberries drizzled with chocolate. It’s less messy to put the chocolate-coated fruit in the fridge until the chocolate hardens before enjoying them.
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Candied apples
A funfair classic, candied apples have been a popular treat on a stick for decades. Using either red or green apples, put a sturdy wooden skewer in them. Once you’ve made candy syrup, dip the apples in it and place them on a baking tray with non-stick paper. You can also dip the apples in sprinkles or finely chopped nuts while the candy syrup is sticky.
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Apple pie pops
There’s nothing like a warm apple pie. Instead of making one big apple pie, the thing to do these days is to make several little ones in different shapes and put them on sticks. You can enjoy them hot or cold, but because they’re small you’ll want to keep going back for more.
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Peanut brittle ice cream pops
Having ice cream on a stick isn’t anything new but homemade peanut brittle ice cream pops definitely is. They’re surprisingly easy too. All you need is roasted salted peanuts, chocolate peanut butter cups, hot fudge sauce, smooth peanut butter and store-bought vanilla ice cream.
Bacon on a stick
Famously served in New York at Landhaus, maple-glazed bacon on a stick is one of the newest crazes. But it’s something you can make at home with a thick piece of bacon, maple syrup and some sticks. Or you can try different recipes like wrapping pastry around a thin piece of bacon.
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French fry
What’s better than fries? Curly fries. But what’s even better than both is a spiral-cut French fry drizzled in ketchup and wasabi mayo on a stick. It’s called a Twister and it’s sold at Turntable Chicken Jazz in New York.
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Lobster tails
Putting a lobster tail on a stick not only helps the cooking process but also makes eating it easier. Probably one of the most fancy things you can eat on a stick. You still need to use your fingers to crack and peel the shell though.
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Cake pops
A massive baking trend in recent years has been cake pops. Not only are people making them at home but coffee shops and cafes are now also selling the easy-to-eat treats. There are even cake pop makers available. The variations of little cake balls on sticks are endless.