Tag Archives: Greek yogurt

Black cocoa cutout cookies

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  I am trying to make as many different cutout cookies for Christmas as I can before Santa arrives on the 25th.  So far, I have made gingerbread men, a chocolate chip version, and chocolate version, using regular unsweetened cocoa.    Today, I made a black cocoa version.  

I used a mix of all purpose flour and cake flour, but you can use just AP flour if you want.

Remember to scoop your flour from their bags into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  I cut out the cookies and then chilled them before baking.  And preheat your oven before baking.

Ingredients list

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup greek yogurt or sour cream
  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 cup cake flour
  • 1/2 cup black cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter and sugar.  Add egg and vanilla.  Blend on greek yogurt.   Mix in dry ingredients.   Sprinkle  flour on a clean surface.  Roll dough to desired thickness and cut with cookie cutter.  Chill a few hours. When ready to bake, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place cutouts on sheet, leaving some room. 

Bake 8 to 10 minutes.   Cool completely.  

Santa!

Frost as desired. 

NFL Sunday, week 13 – Chocolate chocolate chip cake with crushed oreo frosting

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If you love chocolate, this cake is for you.  It uses a chocolate cake mix (I used dark chocolate fudge, but any one is fine), and a handful of other ingredients.   The frosting is a buttercream with finely ground oreos. If you don’t have black cocoa, regular unsweetened baking cocoa is fine.  I think I will make a golden oreo version of this with a white cake mix another time.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 chocolate cake mix
  • 1 box chocolate instant pudding mix (3.4 oz)
  • 1/2 cup black cocoa
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup greek yogurt
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a bundt cake pan with baking spray.  Set aside. In a bowl, blend cake mix, pudding mix and cocoa.  Blend in eggs, oil, greek yogurt and milk.  Fold in chips.   Batter will be thick.  Spread evenly into prepared bundt pan.  Bake 28 to 32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.  Remove from oven.   Cool 15 minutes in pan.  Then pop cake onto a plate and cool completely.

I felt i left this cake in a minute too long, so I found a syrup recipe to help moisten it up.  This is used before you frost it.

In a saucepan, combine 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar and 1/3 cup unsweetened baking cocoa.  Whisk constantly over medium heat just until it boils.  Remove from stove.  Pour in a pan and cool completely.   Brush on cooled cake.

  • Oreo buttercream frosting ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup crisco
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 4 to 6 tbs heavy cream
  • 14 oreos, finely crushed (i used a food processor)

Directions – in a bowl cream butter and crisco.   Slowly blend in powdered sugar.   Add vanilla and 4 tbs of heavy cream.  Mix more cream, one tbs at a time, until you get the consistency you want.  Blend in crushed oreos.  Frost cake.  Store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today.

A big chocolate blob of a cake

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This actually was the second cake I made for Rob’s birthday. The chocolate mid cake was a disaster.. took forever to cook and looked like this. Not acceptable for a cake

This cake will have another purpose as a crust for a cheesecake

So after the above pictured fail, I made a second cake for Rob after I worked out on his actual birthday. Got it in the oven at 510 am. He loved it. It is pretty easy to make. It is quite dense thanks to greek yogurt and has a fudgy frosting and is topped with pieces of oreos. I wanted to finely grind them up in my food processor, but ran out of time.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 chocolate cake mix
  • 3.4 ounce instant chocolate pudding mix
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3/4 cup oil
  • 1 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Spray a bunt cake pan with baking spray. In a bowl, combine cake mix and pudding mix. Blend in water, oil, and Greek yogurt. Add chocolate chips. Mixture will be thick. Pour into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake 30 to 40 minutes in preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool 10 minutes in pan. Invert onto plate. Cool completely.

  • Fudge frosting ingredients
  • 8 tbs butter
  • 1/2 cup baking cocoa
  • 6 tbs evaporated milk
  • 3 to 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Milk

Directions – in a saucepan, over low -medium heat, combine butter, baking cocoa and evaporated milk, stirring occasionally, just until it boils. Remove from heat. Add vanilla. Mixture will be thick and clumpy. Add 3 cups powdered sugar. Again, mixture will be clumpy. Add a tbs or two of milk. Add more milk or more powdered sugar until you get the texture you want. Frost cooled cake. Top with crushed oreos.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!!

Black and White/Half Moon cookies

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Black and white / half moon cookies

I was looking to make something different after a steady trend of baking chocolate chip cookies and brownies. So I went through my recipes and came across one of the black and white/ half moon cookies in my collection. I have no idea why some people call them half moon and others black and white.

This one uses Greek yogurt or sour cream instead of buttermilk or milk. They were pretty thick and did not spread out much at all. It’s probably because I chilled the dough. So the first 2 batches I made are tiny (using 1/2 cup dough), and the other two are much larger and more like traditional bw cookies, courtesy of me combining two dough mounds (1/2 cup dough) and flattening them.

  • Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 1/4 cups crisco
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 tbs cornstarch syrup
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup sour cream or yogurt
  • 4 1/2 cups flour (scooped from your flour bag into your measuring cup)
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt

Directions – cream butter, crisco and sugar. Add eggs, corn syrup and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients, then greek yogurt or sour cream. Using floured hands, scoop out 1/4 cups of dough and flatten. Chill a few hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes so it cycles to the right temp. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or nonstick baking liners. Stagger cookies on prepared sheets. Bake 10 minutes. Cool completely.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 5 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tbs corn syrup
  • 4 tbs hot water
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/3 cup chocolate chips, melted
  • 4 tbs unsweetened baking cocoa

Directions – in a bowl, combine powdered sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, and hot water. Divide frosting in half. To one half of frosting – add melted chocolate and cocoa powder. Add another tbs of hot water.

Frost cookies flat side up

Flip cookies over, flat side up. On one half of cookie, spread chocolate frosting. On other half, spread vanilla frosting. Let set. Store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope you have a wonderful day, filled with peace, love and joy

Yellow cupcakes with chocolate frosting and a squiggle

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My squiggles need work!

This weekend’s treat request from my chief taste tester was a yellow cupcake with a fluff filling, chocolate frosting, and a squiggle. I can’t master the look of the squiggle like Hostess, so really mine is a long blobby of a line. I used jumbo cupcake liners because larger cupcakes are easier for me to fill with filling. I used fat free free yogurt. You can use another type of greek yogurt or sour cream,if you prefer

Reminder – preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking, so it cycles to the right temp.

  • Ingredients for cupcakes
  • 1 cake mix
  • 3.4 oz instant vanilla pudding mix
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/3 cup oil
  • 1 3/4 cups Greek yogurt

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes. line large muffin tins with large/jumbo cupcake liners. In a bowl, combine cake mix, eggs, water, oil. Blend in Greek yogurt. Mixture will be thick. Scoop out 1/2 cup of batter into lined muffin tins. (I used a large cupcake scoop from Bed, Bath and Beyond). Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in top comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool completely.

  • Filling ingredients.
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup marshmallow fluff
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Milk or cream
  • Blend butter and fluff. Mix in powdered sugar. Add enough milk (1 tsp at a time) to get desired consistency
  • Chocolate frosting ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter soft
  • 1/4 cup baking cocoa
  • 2 to 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Mix well. You may need to add more heavy cream or powdered sugar to get the consistency you want
  • Squiggle ingredients
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Heavy cream
  • Blend butter, powdered sugar and vanilla. Add cream, a tsp at a time, to get the consistency you want. It will be a little on the thicker side

Now the assembly!

Cut out a cone of cupcake, saving the cut out part
Fill with filling
Gently press cut out cone on top of filling
Frost (sweet Gracie is supervising)
Add your squiggle/blobby

Store finished cupcakes in a covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I wish you much love, happiness and joy today. And remember to be kind. A small act of kindness can make a big difference in someone’s life