While the rice krispie bars looked cute and festive, what if Santa developed diabetes from all of the marshmallows, powdered sugar, and sugar sprinkles I added to the treats? Before anyone accused and found me guilty of sending Santa to the Emergency Room for a sugar overload, I mixed up a batch of healthier bar cookies.
Since Saint Nick would probably appreciate the crunchy texture I achieved with the rice krispies, I wanted to stick with that theme. I immediately thought of biscotti: hard but perfect for dunking in coffee—or milk! With some whole-wheat flour, dried fruit, and a little less sugar, Santa would leave our house with a clean bill of health and a very satisfied tummy.
White Chocolate Cranberry Biscotti
based on CL’s chocolate-cherry biscotti
makes 3-4 dozen
I absolutely love the almond flavoring in these, but if you’re not a fan, substitute vanilla extract instead. These are great plain or dunked in coffee, tea, or milk!
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. whole-wheat flour
¼ tsp salt
1 c. granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1½ tsp almond extract
⅔ c. dried cranberries
½ c. white chocolate chips
- Preheat the oven to 350°, and line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flours and salt together.
- In a large bowl, beat the sugar and eggs together until thick and pale, about 4 min. Add the oil and extracts, mixing well. Gradually mix in the flour mixture. Add the cranberries and chocolate, stirring with a wooden spoon or with your hands.
- Divide the dough in half, and shape each half into a 10”-long log. On the prepared cookie sheet, flatten each log to a 1” thickness. Bake at 350° for 25 min, or until lightly browned.
- Remove the logs from the cookie sheet, and cool on a wire rack for 10 min. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°, and re-line the cookie sheet with a fresh piece of parchment paper.
- Using a serrated knife, slice each log diagonally into strips ½“ thick. Place the slices face down on the prepared pan. Bake at 325° for 10 min, flip the cookies, and bake for another 10 min with the opposite side facing down. Remove from the pan and cool on wire racks. (The biscotti will continue to harden as they cool.)
These look beautiful!
Thank you! Believe it or not, they tasted even better than they looked.