Ingredients:
24 slices or sections of your favorite assorted fresh fruits (almost anything you can slice and keep dry)
4 ounces organic dark chocolate, chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

 

Preparation:

Set slices of fruit on paper towels to absorb any excess moisture. Melt chocolate in a heavy small saucepan over medium heat stirring
frequently, 2 to 3 minutes.  Pour chocolate into 3 shallow soup bowls. Stir cinnamon into one bowl, cardamom into the second and
cayenne pepper into the third.  Dip one side of each slice or section of fruit into chocolate. Place fruit, coated sides up onto a wax paper
lined plate. Refrigerate until chocolate is firm, about 15 minutes.

 

Substitution

*2/3 cup (4 ounces) dark or bittersweet chocolate chips may replace the dark chocolate, eliminating the chopping step. It's only dark
chocolate that is rich in cocoa polyphenols, which lower blood pressure.

2 cups rolled oats (not quick-cooking)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup tahini (see Ingredient note)

4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2/3 cup granulated sugar or 1/3 cup

2/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg white

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

 

Directions
Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk oats, all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Beat tahini and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until blended into a paste. Add granulated sugar (or Splenda) and brown sugar; continue beating until well combined-the mixture will still be a little grainy. Beat in egg, then egg white, then vanilla. Stir in the oat mixture with a wooden spoon until just moistened. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.

With damp hands, roll 1 tablespoon of the batter into a ball, place it on a prepared baking sheet and flatten it until squat, but don't let the sides crack. Continue with the remaining batter, spacing the flattened balls 2 inches apart.

Bake the cookies until golden brown, about 16 minutes, switching the pans back to front and top to bottom halfway through. Cool on the pans for 2 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Let the pans cool for a few minutes before baking another batch.

 
* Ingredient note: Tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds. Look for it in natural-foods stores and some supermarkets.