Healthier For You Chocolate Arare Cookies

Experimenting with new ways to add healthy ingredients to yummy desserts is a pastime of mine. Today I replaced the flour in the recipe with whole wheat graham flour and rice flour. Also to bring down the sugar content, Splenda Blend brown sugar was used. The result was a tasty somewhat healthy delicate cookie with the sweetness of dark chocolate and the saltiness of arare.

After making the cookies, I wanted to give one sample of the cookies to my friend and one to my neighbor.  Since I didn't have the time to create two cookie boxes, I used pre-made Wilton  cupcake boxes I purchased from Ben Franklin Crafts. They came folded flat in a set of three. Each box will hold about 7-8 cookies. Adding a Hello Kitty ribbon (also from BFC) and  HK purse pull completed the impromptu gifts.  Here is the recipe so you can  make these cookies for your family and friends:

1 cup butter (two sticks)
3/8 c. Splenda Blend brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat or whole wheat graham flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate
1-1/4 c. mini yakko or crushed arare

Mix the softened butter and sugar together.  Add the vanilla.  Blend in the flours. Then add the chocolate and arare.  Use a scoop and place a ball of dough on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Flatten the balls of dough and bake them at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Cool the cookies on a rack and then pack them in an air tight container.