Sunday, June 1, 2008

Munching and Crunching

Yay! Blogger's letting me post again! I had intended to put this post up last night but lo and behold, the Blogger load screen crashed my whole laptop. Not once, not twice, but three times. So I gave up, at midnight, and had to scramble to write down the recipe since I didn't actually pay attention to what I was doing with these cookies - baking by feel is just what I do (screw the theory about it being more science than art - someone has to experiment). Actually, experimenting is high on my "to-do" list as of late - not only am I working (dilligently!) on a sourdough starter, I have some plans to make macarons and marshmallows later on too! Tomorrow (if I'm not feeling lazy) I'll be sharing with you my cupcake capers when it came to testing out Andrew's birthday cake recipe out (his birthday isn't until July, but I had never made the recipe before, and beyond that, it was an invention of mine... eep!).

So yes, cookies. These actually started (like most of my baking inventions) with a trip to the Bulk Barn last Wednesday. I still get the 10% student discount (thank God for college!) so I use that opportunity to wander the aisles and pick up a thing or two that happens to tickle my fancy. Well, discounts and sales abounded this past week, and I wound up with this motley crue: shredded (unsweetened) coconut, dried blueberries, whole flax and sesame seeds, and Goji berries!

For those who don't spend their Wednesday mornings trolling the bulk bins (yes, I know I have no life!), Goji berries are fruits of an evergreen shrub found in China, Mongolia and in the Himalayas in Tibet. They are nightshades, like tomatoes and peppers. Rich in antioxidants, like beta-carotene and zeaxanthin (as well as 500 times more vitamin C per ounce than oranges), they have also been reputed to help with liver and eye function, and even weight loss. Check out some more neat facts here, if you'd like.

This week I also stumbled upon a new event being co-hosted by Ben of What's Cooking and the wonderful Ivy of Kopiaste, called Fat Chefs or Skinny Gourmets?. It, like Cate's ARF / 5-A-Day event (which will also be recieving this recipe), focuses on healthy eating and lifestyles, but with more of an emphasis placed on the lower-calorie and -fat ends of the spectrum, without sacrificing taste or enjoyment of what we eat. These biscotti are naturally low-fat, being a variant on my previous egg-free biscotti, and they have all the added goodness of the fruits, seeds and coconut. I used the potato milk again, and I probably will make another few loaves of bread or so to kill the carton. Good ingredient it may be, but I just can't bring myself to drink it!

"Health Food Store" Biscotti
Makes 20
1 1/3 cups flour
1 tsp cornstarch
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup potato (or skim) milk, warmed
1 tsp coconut extract
1/2 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup Goji berries
1/4 cup dried blueberries
1 tbsp whole flaxseed
1 tbsp sesame seeds
  1. Preheat oven to 375F, place the rack in the upper third of the oven.
  2. Mix the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
  3. Seperately, beat together the sugar, milk and extract.
  4. Add the dry ingredients and beat until well incorporated.
  5. Stir in the coconut, Goji berries, blueberries, flaxseed and sesame seeds.
  6. With floured hands, shape into a slightly flattened log and place on a lightly greased and floured cookie sheet.
  7. Bake for 20 minutes in the upper third of the oven. Cool completely.
  8. Reposition the oven rack to the middle position.
  9. With a sharp serated knife, cut log into 1/2" wide slices.
  10. Bake for 5 minutes, then flip and bake 5 minutes more.
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 88.7
Total Fat: 1.2 g
Cholesterol: 0.2 mg
Sodium: 5.7 mg
Total Carbs: 18.9 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.0 g
Protein: 1.7 g

If you count Weight Watchers POINTS, it works out to 1.5 of them(in the American-formula) per cookie. Not too shabby for a sweet, all-natural snack with your tea!

And finally, as for this shot, it is an entirely gratuitous, look-at-me interior look at this bread that I made for Susan's event a while back. Yum, no?

2 comments :

  1. Mmmm...looks great! I haven't made biscotti in ages and this looks like one to try.

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  2. Yum! Great recipe. It's interesting that these use potatoes. I like the bulk food section too, but I rarely buy new stuff. I need to do that more.

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Thanks for the feedback!