Nutrition

• Greek yogurt is an ideal substitute for sour cream when boosting the nutritional content of your cookies is a goal. Greek yogurt is available in low-fat and fat-free varieties and can lower the overall fat content of the recipe. One cup of plain, fat-free Greek yogurt contains 23 grams of protein as compared to less than 5 grams in cultured sour cream. Greek yogurt is also lower in calories and sodium than sour cream. A cup of sour cream contains more than 400 calories; Greek yogurt weighs in at just 130 calories.

Texture

• Sour cream and Greek yogurt are similar in texture. Greek yogurt is strained 3 times to develop the firm texture that makes it an appropriate substitution for sour cream. Both of these dairy products give sour cream cookies a cake-like consistency that can be described as more chewy than crunchy. Cookies made with either sour cream or yogurt are tender and moist.

Taste

• Sour cream has a slightly tangy flavor that imparts a rich flavor to cookies and other baked goods. Greek yogurt also has a bit of a tang. Substituting yogurt for sour cream in a cookie recipe, particularly one in which other flavors such as chocolate are used, provides the dessert with a depth of both and richness of flavor.

Ratios and Alternatives

• Greek yogurt can be used in place of sour cream in equal parts; there is no need to reduce or add to the amount of yogurt used in a cookie recipe. If additional acidity is desired, combine 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to each cup of yogurt. In a pinch, a mixture of 1 tablespoon of lemon juice per cup of cottage cheese can be an alternate substitution for sour cream in baking. Puree the cottage cheese to approximate the texture of the cream.