Mystery Lovers' Kitchen: yogurt

Tuesday, June 27, 2023

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE FROZEN YOGURT BITES by author @CleoCoyle

From Cleo Coyle: Today I'm sharing an easy way that Marc and I make light, frozen yogurt snacks for summer. It's also a wonderful way to make use of yogurt that might be approaching its expiration date in your fridge.

Before we begin the recipe, however, we'd like to share this happy news with our readers. We recently heard from our publisher that our 8th Haunted Bookshop Mystery, THE GHOST AND THE STOLEN TEARS, is now in a second printing!

Click here or on the image above for a free checklist of all 9 "Jack and Pen" Haunted Bookshop Mystery titles with mini plot summaries.

We're now writing the next book in our "Jack and Pen" series of Haunted Bookshop Mysteries. (More news soon on the new adventure.) Until then, click here for a free checklist of all nine titles thus far. They're wonderful fun, but don't take our word for it...

Criminal Element called them "relentlessly entertaining," Kirkus delcared them "delightful," Mystery Scene "utterly charming," Fresh Fiction "amazing and unique," and fans say they make great summer reading.

🍓 Now let's get our frozen yogurt bites on!

Cleo Coyle writes two
bestselling mystery
series with her husband.
To learn more, click here.

🍓 A Recipe Note from Cleo

While we've had a temperate June here in New York City, Marc and I know the high heat and humidity will soon be sapping the life out of us, so frozen treats like these will be much appreciated.

Whether it’s hot or not where you are, these pretty little Strawberry Shortcake Frozen Yogurt Bites are incredibly easy to make. They’re relatively light on the calories, too.

Because of the many combinations possible with flavors and add-ins, there is foodie fun to be had in creating these babies. It's also a part of our "Waste not!" philosophy since (as I mentioned above) it's a great way to make use of fruit yogurts in your fridge that may be approaching their expiration dates.

Stay cool, everyone, and eat with joy!

~ Cleo

To download this recipe as a
free PDF that you can print,
save, or share, click here.

Click here for the free recipe PDF.

🍓 Cleo's Strawberry Shortcake

Frozen Yogurt Bites

Makes 12 frozen bites

You will need:
1 mini muffin pan (with 12 cups)
12 mini paper liners

Ingredients:
1 six-ounce container (or 1/2 heaping cup) of strawberry yogurt
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk (low-fat is fine)
A few strawberries
12 Nilla wafers (regular or reduced fat) or see "optional crust" note below...

OPTIONAL CRUST: Another option for a "cookie crust" is your basic graham cracker crust: Combine 1 package graham crackers (that's about 9 "boards" or 1-2/3 cups crumbs) with 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Add in 1/3 cup melted butter. Press crumb mixture into bottom of paper lined muffin cups.

RECIPE NOTE: The amount of sweetened condensed milk in this recipe works out to exactly 1/4 of a typical 14-ounce can. If you'd rather use up the entire can at one time, simply quadruple this recipe: that is, use 4 six-ounce containers of yogurt (or 2 heaping cups) and 48 Nilla wafers. You can certainly have fun with multiple flavors if you do this, dividing up the can of milk into four bowls and using four different flavors of yogurt.

DIRECTIONS:

Step 1 - Stir together the yogurt and sweetened condensed milk. Slice up the fruit, add, and stir. (How much or how little fruit or other items you add is up to your own taste.) Set aside in refrigerator.

Step 2 - Prep cookie crust: The easiest "cookie crust" to use here is a Nilla wafer that's whittled down with a paring knife to fit the cups in your mini muffin pan. (See my photo.)

NOTE: The resulting cookie crumbs from Step 2 can be used as a tasty topping for these frozen treats, so be sure to save them for the final garnish.

Step 3 - Prep pan: Drop each whittled down Nilla wafer into a paper-lined mini-muffin cup.

OPTIONAL CRUST: If using a homemade graham cracker crust, press crumb mixture into bottom of paper lined muffin cups.

Step 4 - Freeze and finish: Spoon the yogurt mixture into each cup. Place in the freezer for at least two hours. If freezing longer, cover the pan with plastic wrap.

Before serving, you can pretty up the cups by adding a slice of fruit on top with a tiny shot of whipped cream and a final garnish...

THE FUN FINAL GARNISH

Remember those Nilla wafer crumbs?

Top each yogurt cup with a sprinkling of

cookie crumbs over the top, and

eat with summertime joy!

☕ Serve with

Cleo's Cold Brew!

👇

Click here for Cleo's
Cold Brew Recipe!

Eat (and read) with joy!

~ Cleo Coyle

New York Times bestselling author
of The Coffeehouse Mysteries and
Haunted Bookshop Mysteries

Cleo (Alice) with her husband Marc

Visit Cleo's online coffeehouse here.
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Our 20th
Coffeehouse Mystery!
Bulletproof Barista

Pre-order now at:

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Bulletproof Barista
includes a killer menu
of delicious recipes!

Coming Soon

New Paperback Edition!

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Includes a mini guide
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and a wonderful menu
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Recipe Guide to Honey Roasted

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The Coffeehouse Mysteries are bestselling works
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Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Blueberry Hand Pies with a Yummy Yogurt Pastry Crust from Culinary Mystery Author Cleo Coyle

Blueberries as big as the end of your thumb,

Real sky-blue, and heavy, and ready to drum

In the cavernous pail of the first one to come!

~ Robert Frost

With blueberry season on its way, I thought this recipe might come in handy. Yes, handy as in hand pies. Hey, no groaning. Puns are my business, along with murder (the fictional kind). And it IS tax-filing week here in the USA when murderous moods are not uncommon.

So why not channel some of that tax-filing frustration and find a better use for your rolling pin than committing a felony...

Cleo Coyle has a partner in

crime-writing—her husband.

Learn about their books

by clicking here and here.

Blueberry
Hand Pies with
Yogurt Pastry Crust

When I have a hankering for hand pies, my yogurt crust is the one I choose. It's tasty and tender and also strong enough to hold together for a pan-free pie.

The yogurt accomplishes a few things in the recipe. It slightly reduces the amount of butter and shortening thus reducing the calorie count a bit. It makes the dough easier to work with. It also boosts the crust’s flavor. The slight tanginess of the yogurt offsets the heaviness of the butter and shortening and creates a crust with a brighter flavor, one that especially complements the taste of a fruit pie.

To download this recipe in a

PDF format that you can print,

save, or share, click here.

Click for free Recipe PDF

Cleo's Yogurt Pastry Crust

Makes 6 or 7 hand pies, depending on size and crust thickness

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, very cold

1/4 cup (4 T) solid vegetable shortening (e.g. Crisco), cold

2 large eggs

1 Tablespoon water

1/4 cup plain regular yogurt - full-fat yogurt is best
(low-fat is okay to use, but do not use nonfat yogurt)

Step 1 - Sift flour, salt, and sugar into a bowl. Cut butter into small slices, add solid shortening and use fingertips or pastry blender to work the fats into the flour. (Or pulse mixture in a food processor.) When the mixture resembles coarse meal, place the bowl in the refrigerator to keep cold.

Step 2 – Measure out the yogurt and place in a small bowl. Into a separate small bowl, crack two large eggs, add the 1 T. of water, and whisk vigorously until well blended. Measure out ¼ cup of this egg-water mixture and combine it with the yogurt. Using a fork, vigorously whisk the yogurt and egg-water mixture until blended and smooth. (Reserve the remaining egg-water mixture for brushing crust before baking.)

Step 3 - Remove the bowl with the flour mixture from the refrigerator. Add the yogurt-egg mixture and stir with a spoon, rubber spatula, or your hand until a smooth dough forms. This dough will be sticky. That’s okay! Shape it into a ball, wrap it in plastic and place in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours. The dough will be less sticky, easier to work with, and because it’s well hydrated, you can use flour as you roll it out and the dough will stay tender. When ready, lightly flour a flat surface and your rolling pin and roll out and bake according to pie or tart recipe.

2 TIPs: Always keep pastry dough COLD. Roll hand pie crusts one at a time and keep the rest of the dough in the fridge. Place all formed pies back in the fridge for ten minutes before baking. If you bake the pies cold, they will have even flakier crusts.

To Make Hand Pies

Mix the filling: Gently mix 2-1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (do not thaw) with 1 tablespoon flour (or cornstarch) and 2 tablespoons sugar (more sugar if berries are tart). Toss with 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Set aside.

Make the pies: To make the pies, break the chilled pie dough into 6 or 7 even pieces. Lightly flour a rolling pin and roll each piece into a rough circle. Dough can be rolled thin, down to about 1/8-inch, but no thinner or the pie may break while baking.

Mound a small amount of the blueberry mixture into the lower half of the circle. Wet your finger with water and run it along the outside edge of the circle. Fold the circle over the filling and seal the pie by pressing down the edges with a fork. Trim ends with a pizza cutter or knife.

Place finished pies on a parchment-covered baking sheet. Do this for 2 reasons. The pies may leak blueberry juice and the paper will catch this mess. The parchment paper also provides a bit of a shield from the direct heat of the pan so the pies will bake more evenly and are less likely to over-brown or burn in places.

Brush with the egg wash you reserved from making the Yogurt Pastry Crust. Sprinkle with sugar if you like. Cut a small venting slice in the top of each pie. CHILL the pies before baking and your crusts will turn out even flakier (simply slide the pan into the fridge while you preheat your oven).

TO BAKE THE PIES

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. for at least 30 minutes. The combination of a very hot oven and cold pastry dough is what helps produce a flakier crust.

Bake time for the pies is 15 to 20 minutes, depending on your oven and the thickness of the crust. Eat warm or allow to cool completely before topping with a drizzle of sweet glaze (recipe below).

Sweet White Drizzling Glaze

1-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

3 Tbsp. half-and-half or light cream

Note: Milk and water will also work, but will not taste as rich and may need a bit more sugar to thicken.

Directions: Measure out the powdered sugar. Stir in half-and-half (or light cream) until all the sugar is dissolved. With a wire whisk or fork, whisk the mixture until it appears smooth and without a single clump. Test on a plate. The glaze should drizzle easily but should not be thin or watery, and it should set in about ten minutes. If the glaze is too thin and watery, add a little more sugar. If too thick, add a bit more liquid. When you’re happy with the consistency, dip a fork into the glaze and pass the tines back and forth over the top of each completely cooled hand pie to create a drizzling effect.