There’s just over a week until it is St. Patrick’s Day and I am getting ready to celebrate my Irish side! That means using Irish products as ingredients and eating Irish foods. The first of the 3 recipes scheduled for posting before St. Patrick’s Day is a sugar cookie recipe. Besides the shamrock shape and the green sugar sprinkles on top, what makes these cookies specially suited for St. Patrick’s Day is the use of Irish Cream in both the cookie dough and the frosting.
The Irish were the first to distill whiskey. They also had a reputation for producing the best quality fresh cream in the world. When the Irish government started giving generous subsidies for brands that were shipped to new markets across the world, Gilbeys of Ireland (the Irish division of International Distillers & Vintners) wanted to capitalize on those tax exemptions. Marrying whiskey and cream, two things that the Irish were already well known for, was logical. And very profitable. Gilbeys created Baileys Irish Cream, a blend of cream, chocolate, and Irish whiskey (along with some herbs) in 1974 for the international market. Other brands with similar products have since arrived on the market. Any of them will work well in these delicious cookies!
Irish Cream Cookies
Irish Cream Cookies (adapted from buttercreamblondie.com) Yield: about 3 – 4 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
Irish Cream Cookie Dough
- 8 ounces unsalted butter, room temp
- 1-1/2 cups sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup Irish Cream
Irish Cream Frosting
- 4 ounces unsalted butter, room temp
- 1-1/4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 – 3 tablespoons Irish Cream
- 1 teaspoons instant coffee or espresso powder
- green sugar crystals or sprinkles for decorating
Instructions:
Cookies:
Cream the butter and sugar together until they are light and fluffy. Add the whole egg and egg yolk until well combined. Mix in the vanilla extract. Add in the baking powder and salt then alternate adding in the flour with the Irish Cream until the cookie dough is thoroughly mixed.
Add the Irish Cream to the mixer.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least a few hours to over night.
Wrap and refrigerate the dough.
Roll out the dough & cut out the cookies using a shamrock cookie cutter and place them on Silpat or parchment paper covered baking sheets.
Cut the cookies into shamrock shapes.
Chill the cookies for at least 30 minutes before baking them.
I like to use Silpat mats for cookie baking.
Bake the cookies at 350ºF for 12-13 minutes, rotating the baking sheets once, halfway through the cooking time. Start checking them after 10 minutes. As soon as they get a little brown on the edges, they’re done.
Irish Cream Frosting:
Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the coffee powder and just enough Irish Cream to reach a spreading consistency. Frost the cookies.
Whip up the frosting and spread it on the cookies.
Sprinkle the green sugar crystals or sprinkles over the frosting. Store the cookies in the fridge in an airtight container.
Green sugar crystals finish the cookies off very nicely!
Celebrate your Irish side!
Mmmmm!
Put some Irish in sugar cookies for St. Patrick’s Day! ~Linda
Irish Cream Cookies (adapted from buttercreamblondie.com) Yield: about 3 – 4 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
Irish Cream Cookie Dough
- 8 ounces unsalted butter, room temp
- 1-1/2 cups sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup Irish Cream
Irish Cream Frosting
- 4 ounces unsalted butter, room temp
- 1-1/4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 – 3 tablespoons Irish Cream
- 1 teaspoons instant coffee or espresso powder
- green sugar crystals or sprinkles for decorating
Instructions:
Cookies:
Cream the butter and sugar together until they are light and fluffy. Add the whole egg and egg yolk until well combined. Mix in the vanilla extract. Add in the baking powder and salt then alternate adding in the flour with the Irish Cream until the cookie dough is thoroughly mixed. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least a few hours to over night. Roll out the dough & cut out the cookies using a shamrock cookie cutter and place them on baking sheets. Chill the cookies for at least 30 minutes before baking them.
Bake the cookies at 350ºF for 12-13 minutes, rotating the baking sheets once, halfway through the cooking time. Start checking them after 10 minutes. As soon as they get a little brown on the edges, they are done.
Irish Cream Frosting:
Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the coffee powder and just enough Irish Cream to reach a spreading consistency. Frost the cookies and sprinkle the green sugar crystals or sprinkles over the frosting. Store the cookies in the fridge in an airtight container.