Description
These Greek Yogurt Cookies are a delightful treat combining a tender, fluffy cookie base with a creamy, rich cream cheese frosting. Made with full-fat Greek yogurt and a touch of vanilla, these cookies offer a subtle tang balanced by sweetness. Perfect for any occasion, they are refrigerated before baking to enhance their texture and paired with a luscious mascarpone frosting for an indulgent finish.
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 75 g Unsalted butter (Room temperature)
- 200 g Granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 Egg (Room temperature)
- 120 g Greek yogurt (Creamy full fat yogurt, room temperature)
- 185 g All purpose flour (Sifted)
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 300 g Cream cheese (full fat, e.g. Philadelphia, 33%+ fat)
- 100 g Mascarpone (full fat, 41%+ fat)
- 50 g Powdered sugar (Sifted)
Instructions
- Prepare the cookie dough: Using an electric hand mixer, whip the room temperature unsalted butter with granulated sugar for several minutes until the mixture becomes light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract, continuing to blend thoroughly. Fold in the Greek yogurt gently to maintain the airy texture.
- Combine dry ingredients: Sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Carefully fold these into the wet butter mixture using a rubber spatula until just combined; avoid overmixing to keep the cookies tender.
- Shape and chill: Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Use a spoon or cookie scooper to portion out 10 to 11 cookie dough balls, spacing them adequately to allow for expansion. Refrigerate the cookie dough for a minimum of 1 hour to firm up and improve texture during baking.
- Preheat oven and bake: Set your oven to 175℃ / 350°F (non-fan setting). Bake the chilled cookies for approximately 14 minutes. Watch carefully; the bottoms should be fully baked while the tops remain pale and soft.
- Cool the cookies: Allow the cookies to rest a few minutes on the baking sheets before transferring them carefully to a cooling rack to prevent breakage.
- Prepare the frosting: Whip together cream cheese, mascarpone, and powdered sugar with an electric hand mixer for 2-3 minutes until it reaches a fluffy, pipeable consistency. Stop whipping immediately to avoid the frosting becoming runny.
- Decorate the cookies: Fill a piping bag fitted with a nozzle tip with the prepared frosting and pipe onto the cooled cookies. Add decorative sprinkles on top if desired.
- Storage: Store any leftover frosted cookies in the refrigerator for 2-3 days to maintain freshness and frosting integrity.
Notes
- Make sure all dairy ingredients and eggs are at room temperature for best mixing results.
- Refrigerating the dough before baking helps the cookies hold their shape and develop a tender crumb.
- Do not overmix the cookie dough once the flour is added to avoid tough cookies.
- Monitor baking closely, as the tops should stay light while bottoms are set.
- For a dairy-free variation, substitute Greek yogurt and cream cheese with plant-based alternatives but expect slight texture changes.
- Leftover cookies are best stored refrigerated due to the cream cheese frosting.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 14 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Greek
