30 Easy Irish Desserts to Bring to Any St. Patrick’s Day Party

St. Patrick’s Day is known as more of a, shall we say, adult holiday—what with all the booze and strong flavors (hello, corned beef and cabbage)—but we’re here to tell you: It can also be totally family-friendly. We think one of the best ways to do that is to add some light-hearted, fun desserts to your holiday spread in the form of Irish-inspired or Pinterest-worthy themed desserts. These St. Patty’s Day desserts are sure to be beloved by all, kids and adults alike.

When it comes to conventional Irish desserts, we’ve got to admit we’re taking some liberties. Our fave on this list, Irish soda bread, doesn’t usually contain any add-ins, much less the chocolate chips we’ve included (but they’re delicious!). What’s more standard is our Irish apple cake—we love fruit desserts because they feel slightly lighter, so we’ve included scones, apple crumble, and apple crisp too. They’re great for a little something sweet after a hearty Irish-themed dinner.

Looking for something over-the-top cute for your celebration? Everyone will love our shamrock cookies, our leprechaun bait, our pot o’ gold cups, or our Irish potato candy (coconut truffles that just look like potatoes). Kids will flip over them, and even miserly adults who don’t care for adorable can enjoy—they count as something green, so there’s no fear of getting pinched!

St. Patrick’s Day Cookies

Looking for an easy dessert to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? Look no further than these shamrock-shaped cookies. Our sugar cookie recipe and simple royal icing makes these ridiculously easy to make and decorate—you don’t have to be a baking whiz to create these festive cookies. If you’re in need of an adorable (and delicious) good luck charm this St. Paddy’s day, you can’t go wrong with snackin’ on these cookies all day long.

Ingredients

For the cookies

• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 Tbsp. milk
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

For the royal icing

• 5 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup milk, plus more for thinning 
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract (or vanilla) 
• Green food coloring  

Directions

1. Step 1In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy and pale in color. Add egg, milk, and vanilla and beat until incorporated, then add flour mixture gradually until just combined. Shape into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 1 hour.
2. Step 2When ready to roll, preheat oven to 350º and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly flour a clean work surface and roll out dough until 1/8” thick. Use a shamrock cookie cutter to cut out shapes and transfer to prepared baking sheets. Freeze 10 minutes.
3. Step 3Bake cookies until edges are lightly golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely. 
4. Step 4Meanwhile, make icing: In a large bowl, combine powdered sugar, corn syrup, milk, and extract. Add more milk a teaspoon at a time, if necessary, to thin out frosting. You want it to be thick enough that it holds its shape when piped for outlining the cookies. Add green food coloring until desired color is reached. 
5. Step 5Transfer about ⅓ of the icing to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip. Pipe around the edges of cookies to create a border. 
6. Step 6Add 1 tablespoon milk to remaining icing to create a thinner consistency for flooding the cookies. Add more milk 1 teaspoon at a time to thin it out more, if necessary. 
7. Step 7Transfer icing to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip. Pipe icing into center of cookie to fill it in completely. Use a toothpick to pop any air bubbles or help the icing spread into corners. Let dry at room temperature.

Try this link: delish.com/cooking/g26291458/easy-irish-desserts/

Photo ©PARKER FEIERBACH