Whole Grain Biscotti Crisps

I've found my new favorite snack.  I actually think it tops these homemade granola bars, and that's saying a lot.  I'm forever looking for snacks that are lightly sweet and salty--if they are healthy it's an extra bonus and something I'm bound to try.  These biscotti crisps totally fit the bill.  I love the fact that they are sliced thin--much thinner than typical biscotti--and toast up beautifully.  They're crunchy, a little sweet, a little salty, and teeming with delicious nuts and seeds.

In ordinary biscotti recipes, you use your hands to shape the dough into a log before baking.  This recipe is easier.  All you do is press the dough into a buttered parchment lined loaf pan, pack it down with damp fingers, and stick it in the oven.

Having said that, it's not exactly a fuss-free recipe.  It gets a tiny bit tedious when you have to toast the slices on both sides in two batches (depending on the size of your baking sheets and oven), as well as brush them with olive oil, but it goes quickly and the crisps are absolutely worth the effort.  I promise!

Whole Grain Biscotti Crisps
Inspired by 101 Cookbooks

1 1/3c white whole wheat flour
generous 1/3c sugar (I used all natural cane)
scant 1/3c olive oil (extra virgin or regular) plus more for brushing
2 eggs
1t sea salt
1c combination of seeds (I used sesame, flax, and pumpkin) and nuts (I used walnuts and almonds)
1/3c dried cranberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 300F

1.  Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl.

2.  Mix sugar, eggs, and olive oil together in a separate, slightly larger bowl.

3.  Add wet ingredients to dry and toss in the cranberries.  Mix well.

4.  The mixture will be heavy and quite stiff.

5.  Scrape batter into a buttered, parchment lined, loaf pan and press it down with damp fingers.  Level the top with the tips of your damp fingers/palms.

6.  Bake for 45-55 minutes until golden brown.

7.  Remove from oven and immediately invert pan on a cutting board.  Your baked biscotti loaf is now upside down.

8.  Turn the oven up to 450F.

9.  Using a sharp serrated knife, slice thinly.  As thin as you can get without causing the slices to break.  I found mine were just slightly smaller than 1/4."

10.  Place as many slices as you can fit on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Lightly spread olive oil on the top of each slice and bake for 3-4 minutes.

11.  Flip slices to the other side, baste with more olive oil, and bake 3-4 minutes more.

12.  Repeat with remaining slices.  Cool crisps completely and store in airtight container.