Matcha Earth Day Cookies

 

This is a sponsored post by Danish Creamery, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible! 

Shortbread cookies are underrated. They have the perfect bite with just a slight crispness, and they fall right in the middle on the sweetness scale. They start with a very neutral base, which means they are a great canvas for creative designs. That's why I wanted to use shortbread as the base for these matcha Earth Day cookies.

I used culinary grade matcha powder for a natural green dye to represent "land." Matcha tastes similar to green tea but a little more bitter and grassy.

Are you familiar with butterfly pea flowers? They're used to make an herbal tea that is becoming very popular in coffee shops and bars because of its color and its color-changing properties when its pH level is altered. You can buy the flowers and steep the tea yourself or you can buy the powder. When I first envisioned blue and green Earth cookies, I knew the powder would make a beautiful natural blue dye to represent the "ocean." The flavor is a little floral and sweet, similar to chamomile. In this recipe, I recommend powder over buying and grinding the flowers because the color looks a lot better. Plus, it's easier to work with.

We really want the butter flavor to stand out in shortbread cookies. That's why it's important to use European butter if possible. European butter is significantly richer in flavor because of its higher butterfat percentage. I use Danish Creamery Sea Salted European Style Butter. American butter is 80% butterfat. Most European butter sold in the United States contains 82% butterfat. But the butterfat content of Danish Creamery European Style Butter is 85%! It may not seem like a big deal, but those few percentage points make a big difference when you taste it.

One more thing--these are "slice and bake" cookies, which means I formed the dough into a log, rolled it up, and then sliced it after refrigeration. The way I created the Earth-like pattern is by alternating pieces of green and blue cookie dough when forming the log. Before slicing the cookies, I rolled the log in decorator's sugar to give the cookies some texture. I liked it better when the cookies had a little crunch, but it isn't necessary.

Matcha Earth Day Cookies

Yield: Makes about 20 cookies

Time: About 1 hour

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) Danish Creamery Sea Salted European Style Butter
• 90 grams (3/4 cup) powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 240 grams (2 cups) all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon culinary grade matcha powder
• 1 teaspoon butterfly pea powder
• Optional: Decorator's sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare baking sheet with silicone mat or nonstick spray.
2. Beat butter at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add sugar and vanilla extract and beat until well incorporated.
3. Add flour and beat until stiff dough forms.
4. Divide dough in half. Add matcha powder to one of the halves and mix in powder until dough is uniformly green. Add butterfly pea powder to the other half and repeat until dough is uniformly blue.
5. Spread out sheet of plastic wrap. Form 2 1/2 inch diameter log by alternating pieces of green and blue dough on plastic wrap. Roll log in decorator's sugar if desired.
6. Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator. Chill for 1 hour.
7. Remove dough from refrigerator and slice into 1/2-inch thick rounds. Place on baking sheet and bake 15 minutes or until bottoms just start to turn golden brown.
8. Remove from oven and cool before serving.

Creative ways to use yogurt in honor of Pack the Pantries initiative

 

Central Indiana food pantries have seen a dramatic increase in demand over the past year due to skyrocketing grocery prices, general inflation, and the recent spike in gas prices. Nearly 1 million Hoosiers are food insecure, meaning they don’t have consistent access to nutritious and affordable food, and one in six Indiana residents goes to bed hungry every night.

Each year, FOX59 and CBS4 team up with Midwest Food Bank and Gleaners Food Bank for an initiative called "Pack the Pantries." They are requesting financial donations, rather than food donations, because Gleaners and Midwest can buy in bulk at wholesale prices, which allows them to stretch the dollar much further.

A donation of just $1 provides about 5 meals. A $10 gift provides 50 meals and $25 covers 125 meals. Find out more information about how to donate here.

I spoke with a representative from Midwest Food Bank about which items they have trouble moving off their shelves. The representative told me it would be helpful to share creative ways to use yogurt. "We get a lot of yogurt—probiotic, low-fat, dairy alternatives, flavored, vanilla, soy. I think showing ways it can be used in recipes both savory and sweet would be great."

So I created a sweet and savory yogurt bowl recipe and a sweet and savory yogurt dip recipe.

The best part about the bowl recipes is they're filling enough to be an entire meal, and they're easily customizable, with fresh, frozen, or canned ingredients.

There are many benefits to eating yogurt: it's rich in important nutrients like calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin B12; it's high in protein which is great for appetite regulation and helping us feel full; and some varieties benefit digestive health.

So what is a yogurt bowl? It's yogurt in a bowl with mix-ins. You can mix everything together or leave it all in layers on top. I like using plain whole milk Greek yogurt because I love how thick and rich it is, but any type of yogurt or yogurt alternative will work.

I'm going to share two sweet yogurt bowl examples and one savory yogurt bowl example. I included ingredient measurements, but these recipes aren't meant to be followed exactly as written. You can change the ingredients based on taste preference and availability.

PB&J Yogurt Bowl

Yield: 1 serving

Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup yogurt
• 2 Tablespoons strawberry or raspberry jam
• 2 Tablespoons creamy or crunchy peanut butter
• 2 Tablespoons granola

Directions

1. Add yogurt to bowl 
2. Layer toppings over yogurt

Tropical Yogurt Bowl

Yield: 1 serving

Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup yogurt
• 1/2 banana, sliced
• 1/4 cup pineapple or mango, sliced
• 2 Tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted

Directions

1. Add yogurt to bowl 
2. Layer toppings over yogurt

Most of the savory yogurt bowls I make take on a Mediterranean / Middle Eastern vibe, probably because it's similar to the dish fatteh, which has Egyptian roots and people have been eating it for centuries. I love savory yogurt bowls because the yogurt soaks up all the flavors from the toppings while also providing a creamy, tangy element to the dish.

Savory yogurt bowl

Yield: 2 servings

Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

For the base

• 2 cups plain Greek yogurt
• 2 Tablespoons tahini
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon chile powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

For the mix-ins

• Farro or brown rice
• Sweet potatoes, diced, roasted
• Chicken, baked, diced
• Tofu, cubed, baked
• Chickpeas, drained, roasted
• Red onion, finely sliced
• Cucumbers, thinly sliced into half moons
• Pita bread, torn into 1-inch pieces, toasted
• Fresh herbs

Directions

1. Mix the base ingredients together. 
2. Spread on large platter or divide into bowls.
3. Layer desired mix-ins on top.

Yogurt dips are a great way to get a healthy boost while also motivating you to eat more fruits and vegetables. I'm sharing a sweet and savory option.

Key Lime Yogurt Dip

Yield: About 2 cups

Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 12 ounces yogurt
• Zest from 1 lime
• Juice from 1 lime (2 Tablespoons)
• 2 Tablespoons maple syrup or honey (optional)

Directions

1. Mix ingredients together.
2. Serve with graham crackers, strawberries, or other fruit.

Kale Yogurt Dip

Yield: About 2 cups

Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 12 ounces plain yogurt
• 2 cups kale, de-stemmed, shredded, massaged
• 4 green onions, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

1. Mix ingredients together.
2. Serve with pita, chips, carrots, peppers, or other vegetables.

Strawberry cheesecake-filled bunnies

I filled hollow chocolate bunnies with delicious strawberry cheesecake. I used both fresh and freeze-dried strawberries for maximum flavor. Everything goes in the blender which makes it super easy. You can fill the bunnies by cutting off the ears or by making a small hole on its underside. I like cutting the ears so guests can see the filling. 

Strawberry cheesecake-filled bunnies

Yield: Makes enough filling for 7 (3.5 ounce) chocolate bunnies

Time: 10 minutes active, 3 hours waiting

Ingredients

• Hollow chocolate bunnies
• 0.5 pounds strawberries, hulled
• 60 grams (1/2 cup) confectioners' sugar
• 0.5 ounces freeze-dried strawberries
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 4 ounces coconut cream
• 4 ounces sour cream
• 3.5 grams (1/2 packet) unflavored gelatin
• 2 Tablespoons cold water

Directions

1. Heat sharp paring knife under warm water. Cut off bunnies' ears as close to top as possible.
2. Add strawberries to blender and puree until smooth. Pour puree into another bowl and set aside.
3. Blend confectioners' sugar and freeze-dried strawberries. Add cream cheese and blend until smooth, scraping sides as needed.
4. Add coconut cream and blend several minutes on high speed until fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add sour cream. Return strawberry puree to blender and mix just until combined.
5. Sprinkle gelatin over water and bloom for 5 minutes, or until gelatin has absorbed all water.
6. Microwave gelatin for 30 seconds, stirring every 10 seconds. It should look like clear liquid. Slowly add into blender mixture on low speed.
7. Use funnel to pour cheesecake mixture into cavity of hollow chocolate bunnies.
8. Transfer bunnies to refrigerator in upright position. Allow cheesecake mixture to set for several hours before serving.