Recipes For St. Patrick's Day

These Cookie Recipes For St. Patrick's Day Will Make The Occasion Special

Lucky Green Cookie Pops

Ingredients:

20 vanilla wafers
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
10 wooden ice cream sticks
1 (12 oz.) bag white chocolate chips
4 drops green food coloring
Green decorating sugar
Wax paper

Directions:

Spread each of the vanilla wafer cookies on one side with the peanut butter. Place a wooden ice cream stick halfway up the cookie in the peanut butter on half of the cookies. Take the other cookies and place peanut butter side down on top of the wooden stick.

Melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave or stove top as directed on the package. Place the green food coloring into the melted chocolate and stir to combine. Dip each cookie pop into the chocolate being sure to cover completely. After dipping, lay each cookie pop on the wax paper. Place the cookie pops in the refrigerator until set, about 2 hours.

Makes 10 cookie pops.

There are many variations to the way this cookie pop can be decorated. Decoration can be added before the chocolate sets as follows:

• Make three-leaf shamrocks by cutting green gum drops in halves and positioning the pieces into a leaf form on the chocolate.



• A Pot O' Gold design can be made by cutting a dark-colored gum drop in half and placing it on the chocolate. Position 3 yellow Nerds® candies (or bits of yellow gum drop) above the gum drop pot to represent the gold coins in the pot.
  
• Leprechauns can also be made as follows: Use a yellow gumdrop cut in half and shaped to make the beard. A pink Smartie® can be used for the face. Add chocolate sprinkles to the top for the Leprechauns hair and attach half of a green gum drop to the very top before the chocolate firms for his hat.

Lucky Leprechaun Nibblers

Ingredients:

1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon of egg, well beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup + 1 teaspoon flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2-1/4 cups of confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon powdered egg whites
3 tablespoon water
4 drops green food coloring

Directions:

Place the butter into a mixing bowl. Add the sugar and beat on medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in the egg and the vanilla. Place the flour into a sifter. Add the baking powder and salt to the sifter. Sift the ingredients into the bowl with the butter mixture. Place the mixer speed on low and mix until the dough is well blended.

Lightly flour a flat surface and turn the dough onto the surface. Place a little flour on your hands and knead the dough gently for 30 seconds. Shape the dough into a round disk, cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours. Remove the chilled dough and allow it to set at room temperature for 10 minutes.

Allow the oven to heat to 350°F while cutting the cookies. Very lightly spray a cookie sheet. Sprinkle a little flour on a flat surface and on a rolling pin. Roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness, turning the dough as needed and adding flour to the surface as needed to keep the dough from sticking. Use a shamrock cookie cutter to cut the dough.

Place the cut cookies on the prepared baking sheet. Bake 8 minutes or until they are just beginning to brown. Remove and allow to cool 2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.

Place the confectioners' sugar into a mixing bowl. Add the powered egg whites and toss to combine. Whisk the water into the mixture until the icing is smooth. Add the food coloring and gently stir to color the icing. Ice one side of each cookie with the icing. Set the cookies back on the wire rack and allow the icing to harden slightly before serving.

Use other St. Patrick's Day cookie cutters and make whatever designs you like. Be sure to divide the icing into separate bowls if you want to use different colors. More green food coloring can be added to make your shamrocks darker in color.

Makes 18 nibblers.