Day 13 of Your Healthy Cookie Countdown from Fitness Elements! Are you putting together Your Holiday Cookbook yet? Just a Hint!

Dark Chocolate-Dipped Anise Biscotti

Biscotti is a wonderful everyday treat, but the addition of licorice-flavored anise plus a dip in dark chocolate turns them into something special. This is a great make-ahead recipe (freeze for up to a month, then dip in chocolate after thawing). Plus, biscotti is a hardy cookie that travels well in the mail, if you wish to ship them as a gift.

The heady licorice flavor of aniseed is tempered by a decadent, generous dip in dark chocolate. Bake these up to one week ahead, and store in an airtight container. Or you can make them up to a month ahead, freeze, and dip them in chocolate after thawing.

Yield: 22 biscotti (serving size: 1 biscotto)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (about 6 3/4 ounces)
• 1 teaspoon aniseed
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 large eggs
• Cooking spray
• 3 ounces premium dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, aniseed, baking soda, and salt, stirring well with a whisk. Place sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat at medium speed with a mixer until blended (about 2 minutes). Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture, beating just until blended. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead lightly 7 times. Shape the dough into a 12-inch-long roll. Place roll on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; pat to 1-inch thickness. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes. Remove roll from baking sheet; cool 10 minutes on a wire rack.

Reduce oven temperature to 300°.

Cut roll crosswise into 22 slices. Place, cut sides down, on baking sheet. Bake at 300° for 10 minutes. Turn cookies over; bake an additional 10 minutes (cookies will be slightly soft in center but will harden as they cool). Cool cookies completely on wire rack.

Heat chocolate in a small heavy saucepan over low heat for 5 minutes or until melted; stir. Dip cookies, top sides down, in chocolate; allow excess chocolate to drip back into pan. Place cookies, chocolate sides up, on a baking sheet. Let stand 1 hour or until set.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

83 (24% from fat)

Fat:

2.2g (sat 1.2g,mono 0.5g,poly 0.1g)

Protein:

1.6g

Carbohydrate:

14.6g

Fiber:

0.3g

Cholesterol:

23mg

Iron:

0.6mg

Sodium:

69mg

Calcium:

5mg

I hope You Enjoy Your Healthier choice for Your Recipes this year with the daily Cookie Countdown from Fitness Elements! Have a healthy & happy day!