Feel Lucky to Eat These St. Patrick’s Day Cookie Recipes
When March arrives, folks in many places around the world can’t help but think of leprechauns, shamrocks, and gold. It’s time for St. Patrick’s Day, a holiday that began as a religious feast day memorializing St. Patrick, the Roman Catholic patron saint of Ireland, but is better known as a celebration of Irish culture and traditions.
On St. Patrick’s Day, communities host parades, festivals, and other cultural events that feature Irish music, food, and no shortage of the color green. This year, why not start a celebration in your own kitchen? Get into the spirit and bake some St. Patrick’s Day cookies with your kids.
Gather Around for a Yummy Celebration
Baking with your children can spark their curiosity about cooking, help them practice valuable skills, and make memories you’ll cherish forever. We have some St. Patrick’s Day cookie ideas that are lots of fun to make and will have the whole family saying, “Éirinn go Brách!” (which roughly translates to “Ireland forever!” in Gaelic, Ireland’s native language).
Three St. Patrick’s Day Cookie Recipes
Whether your young bakers are fans of chocolate, vanilla, or the color green, there’s sure to be a recipe on this list that piques their interest. Grab the food coloring—it’s time to get baking! We hope your sweet tooth is ready to cash in because these cookies are worth their weight in gold.
Simple St. Patrick’s Day Crinkle Cookies
This St. Patrick’s Day cookie recipe is easy to make and super delicious. If you and your children want to whip up a tasty treat in an hour (or less), give these festive cookies a try.
Ingredients
- 1 box white cake mix
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- Green food coloring
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
Directions
- An adult preheats the oven to 375℉ (190℃).
- Kids combine cake mix, eggs, and vegetable oil in a large bowl. Add a few drops of food coloring and stir until the ingredients are well combined and the color is mixed throughout the batter. Add food coloring drop by drop until you achieve the desired shade of green.
- Chill dough in the refrigerator for 15–30 minutes.
- An adult scoops dough from the bowl using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop (or a spoon). Kids place the scooped dough into a bowl of confectioners’ sugar, then roll it into a ball. Roll it in the confectioners’ sugar a second time to coat the outside. Repeat until all the dough has been used.
- Place cookies onto a lined cookie sheet. Help kids slightly flatten each cookie with the bottom of a glass.
- Bake the cookies for 7–9 minutes or until the edges begin to brown slightly. Cool on a wire rack before serving.
Lucky Shamrock Cookies
These shamrock sugar cookies are cute, delicious, and perfect for the holiday. The royal icing used to decorate these St. Patrick’s Day cookies is an excellent way for your kids to practice piping.
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
- 5 cups confectioners’ sugar
- ⅓ cup light corn syrup (or ⅓ cup maple syrup or honey)
- ¼ cup milk
- ¼ teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
- Green food coloring
Directions
- An adult preheats the oven to 350℉ (175℃).
- Kids whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
- An adult beats butter and sugar in another large bowl until fluffy. Add egg, milk, and vanilla and beat until fully incorporated.
- Kids gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Turn the cookie dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Shape the dough into a 1-inch (2½-centimeter) disk and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Unwrap the dough on a clean, floured work surface (such as a cutting board or counter). Help kids roll out the dough until it is ¼-inch (approximately 1 centimeter) thick.
- Help kids cut out the cookies using a shamrock cookie cutter and transfer them to a lined baking sheet. Freeze the cookies for 10 minutes to prevent spreading.
- An adult bakes the cookies for 8–10 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack.
- While the cookies cool, help kids make royal icing by combining confectioners’ sugar, corn syrup, milk, and almond or vanilla extract. If the frosting seems too thick, add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time and stir. Add food coloring and mix until you reach the desired shade of green.
- Transfer ⅓ of the icing to a piping bag with a small round tip (or a plastic bag with one corner cut off). An adult helps kids pipe a border around the edge of the cookies.
- Thin out the remaining icing by adding another tablespoon of milk. Transfer this icing to another piping bag (or plastic bag). Kids pipe icing onto the center of the cookie, filling it completely.
- Use a toothpick to help the icing spread to every part of the cookies. Set the cookies aside at room temperature for at least 6 hours to allow the icing to harden.
Leprechaun Hat Cookies
Leprechauns are mischievous fairies from Irish folklore. Over time, they—and the pots of gold they’re said to hide at the ends of rainbows—have become synonymous with St. Patrick’s Day. These adorable top hat cookies are so realistic they might just fool a leprechaun or two!
Ingredients
- 1 box of shortbread cookies
- Large marshmallows
- Dark chocolate melts
- Green chocolate melts
- Green sprinkles or edible glitter
Directions
- Place dark chocolate melts into a microwave-safe bowl. An adult heats the melts in the microwave at 50% power for 30 seconds, then stirs. Repeat until the melts are completely liquid, then let the chocolate cool slightly.
- Once the chocolate is cool enough to handle, help the kids dip shortbread cookies into the chocolate. Completely coat the cookies, shake off any excess, and place them on a lined baking sheet to set.
- Stick a toothpick into the top of a large marshmallow. Help kids dip the marshmallow into the chocolate using the toothpick as a handle. Coat the bottom and sides, leaving the side with the toothpick bare. Place the marshmallow on parchment paper to set and remove the toothpick.
- An adult repeats step 1 with the green chocolate melts.
- Once the dark chocolate around the marshmallow is set, turn it over and dip the uncoated side into the melted green chocolate. The coat should just barely overlap the dark chocolate to create a green band at the base of the “hat.” Kids coat the green band with sprinkles or edible glitter. Shake off excess.
- Place the marshmallow in the center of the chocolate-covered cookie. They’re ready to serve!
Discover International Flavors from Home
The culinary celebrations don’t have to end with cookies! To keep celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, make a traditional Irish dinner like shepherd’s pie, or send the kids to school or daycare with a St. Paddy’s-themed bento box.
Making global foods with your kids can help them expand their palates, explore other cultures, and feel confident in the kitchen. If your children enjoy making these St. Patrick’s Day cookies, keep them learning and try cookie recipes from all over the world.
Are your young bakers craving more in the kitchen and beyond? Send their curiosity on a journey around the globe with our Kitchen Adventures subscription box. Every month, they’ll receive kid-friendly recipes and kitchen tools, explore world cultures with fun hands-on activities and games, and build practical skills and confidence as they learn to cook with you.