Yoghurt Cookies

The recipe I made today is a very simple one, with only a few ingredients. Yoghurt Cookies, with just a hint of lemon and vanilla.  I decided to keep things simple as the current Coronavirus crisis may be making it difficult to obtain ingredients.

As well as being a simple recipe it is also quite a quick one, as the dough doesn’t need to be rested.  The ingredients just have to be combined into a dough and then divided into portions to be shaped into sausage shapes, and then circles with a hole in the middle.

The end results are delightful cookies, with a firm exterior and soft in the middle.  The taste of lemon comes through, as does a hint of vanilla.  They are not too sweet either, as they don’t have very much sugar in them. They are ideal with a drink and can be dunked in tea, coffee, milk etc.

Mine turned out very well indeed, and I certainly have enjoyed those that I have eaten so far.  The remainder are stored in an airtight container and will keep for a few days, if they last that long.

Ingredients:

• 300g (2 cups + 2tsp) plain flour
• §120ml (1/2 cup) plain/natural yoghurt
• 8g(2 tsp) baking powder
• 50g(3 1/2 tbsp) butter, melted
• 1 medium egg(large in USA)
• seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean
• grated zest from 1 lemon(or orange)
• pinch of salt
• 90g(1/2 cup – 1 tbsp) caster or granulated sugar

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/350F.
2. Line a couple of baking trays with parchment paper.
3. Place the flour, baking powder, salt, vanilla seeds and lemon zest into a large bowl and mix to combine.
4. Add the sugar and mix again.
5. Add the egg and mix until it is fairly well incorporated, there will still be some loose flour.
6. Add the yoghurt and mix until incorporated, again it will not all be combined fully.
7. Add the melted butter and mix again to incorporate.
8. Use a hand to pull the mixture into a fairly smooth dough.
9. Divide the mixture into 20 fairly even portions(about 31g).
10. Roll each one out into a sausage shape, trying to make the ends a little narrower than the centre.
11. Turn the ends inwards and overlap them, pressing together so the dough has formed a circle with a hole in the middle.
12. Place on a baking tray.
13. Bake in the oven for 22 to 23 minutes, until they have turned a nice golden brown colour.
14. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.