White Chocolate Chai biscotti

"An intensely aromatic cookie, baked to crispy perfection..."

Whether you are starting your day or ending it, these little biscotti are something to look forward to. Biscotti is an italian invention, meaning "twice baked". Although they have a very impressive appearance, they are quite easy to make-- if you can make cookies, you can make biscotti. Flavored with real chai tea, the smell of them baking will have whomever is in your house wandering into the kitchen. They are terrific dunking companions to both hot coffee or chai tea, or enjoyed just warm out of the oven.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup raw sugar

1/4 cup splenda

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 (vanilla) chai tea bags

or

1 tbsp black tea

1 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cardamom

1/2 tsp allspice

(spice to taste)

and

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degress. Grease a cookie sheet.

1. Soften butter, and cream with sugar.

2. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.

3. Sift flour, baking powder, and spiced tea (cut open tea bags) into wet ingredients.

4. Work the dough, which should be rather stiff, together.

5. Add in chocolate chips.

6. Divide dough in half. With clean hands, roll each loaf into a log and then flatten into a mounded shape on the baking sheet. The logs should be roughly 1 1/2 inches wide and 10 inches long, and spaced a few inches apart on the baking sheet.

7. Bake 25 minutes, until fragrant and lightly browned.

8. Remove from oven, let cool 10 minutes.

8. With a sharp serrated knife, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices.

9. Return to oven and bake for 15 minutes. Should resemble a very dry cookie.

10. Serve with hot beverage to dunk in!

* Regular or dark chocolate chips can be substituted. I prefer the creaminess of white chocolate, as traditional chai is served with sweetened milk.

* Regular chai tea bags will work as well

* If you don't have any granulated splenda on hand, or prefer not to use it, sub it out for all natural sugar. I don't recommend using honey or agave for this recipe as it will alter the consistency and prevent the cookies from drying out properly.

Whole Grain Coffee Cake

"Sweet, moist cake, topped with a crunchy nut crust..."

... melts in your mouth. The kitchen is dark, house quiet, and outside the light of dawn is cresting the horizon. The reassuring sound of freshly percolating coffee is met by its delicious aroma. Its time to wake up! Be grateful for a new day, the beauty of it, the preciousness of each life in your family. Pour yourself a cup of hot coffee, give the Lord your thanks, and take a deep breath to settle your heart before the hustle-bustle begins.

Draw your hibernating bears out of their dens with the aroma of freshly made coffee cake wafting through the house. If you're going to treat your family and your self to a sweet breakfast, you might as well be getting some wholesome nutrition. They don't have to be empty calories- make them count! So often I have been lured into having a piece of that coffee cake that looks so beautiful and light, and then immediately disappointed when it winds up tasting like an overly dry, puffed up, pasty, pointless thing. Not so with this! Meet the day with a smile (and moist crumbs) on your face.

Coffee Cake

1 cup white whole wheat flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup splenda (1/2 cup brown sugar)

1/4 cup egg, or 1 egg

1/2 cup skim milk

1 large apple, cored, sliced

Pecan Crust

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup cane sugar, or brown sugar

1 Tbsp flour

2 Tbsp oats

2 Tbsp heart healthy butter spread

1/2 cup pecans

preheat oven to 350, lightly coat baking pan of choice

*this makes two beautiful mini cakes, or one nice bundt

1. Start with pecan crust: Combine cinnamon, sugar, 1 tbsp flour, 2 tbsp oats, butter spread and nuts in blender or food processor and pulse until chunky. Pour into bottom of pan.

2. Rinse blender. Set aside to dry slightly.

3. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

4. In blender/food processor, add egg white, milk, and apple, and sugar. Puree until apple chunks are gone or close to it. (nobody will mind an apple chunk here and there)

5. Combine wet apple mixture to dry flour. Stir to incorporate. Pour cake batter over top of nut mixture.

6. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until cake springs back to touch.

7. Let cool, and invert over platter. Nuts will be on top...

Makes 16 small servings, or 8 wedges. Enjoy!

*For the above recipe, 1/16 of cake: 77 calories, 1/8 of cake: 152 calories

** For a more decadent cake, double the pecan topping.

For that cake: 1/16 cake is 110 calories, 1/8 cake is 220 calories