Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig, or, Happy St. Patricks Day (almost) to you all. The holiday of my people. My husband will tell you I’m not Irish enough to call myself Irish, but I say ’tis a mere technicality.
My family is as Irish as you can get without actually being born there. My great grandmother will full Irish. I have red hair and freckles. So do my daughters. My name is Shannon McDowell for the love of God. Hell, my first daughter was born on St. Patrick’s Day.
Anyway, around my house we celebrate big. We don’t just throw on a green shirt and call it a day. We wear flair. You know, like flashing necklaces and shamrock earrings and buttons that say “Kiss me, I’m Irish.”
We have corned beef and cabbage for dinner, not on the actual day (don’t get me started on this, but my daughter gets to pick her birthday dinner that night and we always end up at Chuck E. Cheese or Red Robin) but definitely on the day before.
We build a spectacular leprechaun trap and he always shows up and leaves gold coins, green footprints, etc., although he always manages to get away.
It’s a fun day. And these delicious sugar cookies are super easy to make and sure to catch you a leprechaun!
Cookie Ingredients:
1 teaspoon salt
Icing Ingredients:
2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons corn syrup
1 tablespoon water (more may be needed)
2 teaspoons almond extract (or flavor of your choice)
food coloring *note* this adds liquid so you may have to adjust your water if you use a lot.
Cookie Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with shamrock cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely and ice.
Icing Directions:
Mix the powdered sugar, corn syrup, water, extract, and food coloring together with a small rubber spatula or spoon until smooth. You may have to add a tiny bit of water at a time for the right consistency. You don’t want it to be too runny, but it needs to be just runny enough that you can “dip” a cookie into it.
Dip the top of each cookie into the glaze and tap it lightly so that all edges are covered. Lift it out and gently shake off the excess glaze. It will look a bit messy. Set it on a cooling rack with parchment paper underneath to catch any drips. The icing will settle nice and smooth.
Enjoy!
Rumbly in my Tumbly 