Yogurt half-moons are quick treats: fragrant, soft and delicious with a creamy filling. I wanted to make filled cookies for my birthday breakfast, I had no eggs but needed to use some yogurt, so I decided to make these delightful cookies with three different fillings. They turned out amazing! The yogurt half-moons melt in your mouth; besides being egg-free they are also butter-free, and you can make them with the filling you prefer. I used jam, Nutella and pistachio cream. My girls really enjoyed these yogurt half-moons — they are delicious on their own and perfect for dipping in milk, tea or cappuccino. Simply fabulous!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Cooking time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 12 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Oven, Electric oven, Air fryer
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt (unsweetened)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 packet baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 zest of 1 lemon
- as needed Nutella, jam, pistachio cream or other filling
- as needed powdered sugar
Steps
Yogurt half-moons are very simple and quick to prepare. First, place the plain unsweetened yogurt, the sugar and the vegetable oil in a bowl and mix with a fork.
Add a pinch of salt, the flour, the baking powder and the grated lemon zest, then form a soft, homogeneous dough. Work it quickly on a floured surface and roll it out with a rolling pin to a thickness of about 1/5 inch (0.5 cm).
Using a round cutter (mine was 8 cm in diameter — about 3 1/8 inches; if you don’t have one, a glass, a bowl or a mug works fine), cut out many discs.
Fill the center with your preferred filling (I used Nutella, jam and pistachio cream), fold into a half-moon, press the edges well and seal them using the tines of a fork.
Place the yogurt half-moons on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake in a preheated oven at 356°F for about 20 minutes, until they are lightly golden.
After baking, garnish the yogurt half-moons with a light dusting of powdered sugar.
Tips:
Yogurt half-moons keep at room temperature for 5-6 days. If you prefer, you can use a fruit-flavored or other flavored yogurt, just make sure it doesn’t contain fruit pieces. If the yogurt is already sweetened, use 6 tbsp (3/8 cup) of sugar for the dough. If you use Greek yogurt, use about 2/3 cup. You can customize the filling as you like. You can also replace the vegetable oil with 4 tbsp (1/4 cup) of butter.
More yogurt dessert recipes HERE
