St-Patrick’s day cookies

March 11, 2011  •  Category: ,

 

There is a St-Patrick’s Day parade every year in Dallas and my neighbor, Mary, who is of Irish ancestry, always  takes part in it with  her two daughters who  come from afar to celebrate as well.


Well, I am not Irish, but I love the Irish and that is reason enough to celebrate!

Hence these cookies, clipped years (decades?) ago from a McCall’s magazine, fitting for the occasion.

INGREDIENTS: Yield 60 cookies

  • Chocolate dough: 2 3/4 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • Dash of salt
  • 4 ounces of unsweetened chocolate (if using dark chocolate, reduce the sugar to 3/4 cups)
  • 8 ounces unsalted butter
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Peppermint  dough: 1 3/4 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
  • Dash of salt
  • 1/2 cup of unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cup of sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract
  • 8 drops of green food color

METHOD: Start with the chocolate dough:

  1. Cut the chocolate in small squares, place in a microwaveable bowl and heat for a minute, stir a bit until melted.
  2. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder. Place the softened butter, sugar, egg and vanilla in the bowl of a food processor. Cream the dough for a minute or until it is smooth and shiny.
  3. Add the chocolate to the bowl; mix a few seconds until well incorporated. Add the flour mixture and mix just until incorporated. Transfer to a sheet of wax paper and wrap well and place in the fridge.

 

Proceed with the peppermint dough:

Repeat the operation; sift the dry ingredients. Set aside. Place the butter, egg and sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Add the peppermint extract and while running the machine, add the drops of green food color through the feed tube. Add the dry ingredients and mix till combined. Transfer the dough and gather into a ball and store in wax paper in the fridge.

When the dough is solid, remove from the fridge; cut the chocolate dough in half. Place between sheets of wax paper and roll into a square, as evenly as possible. Roll out the peppermint dough into a square as well, about 8 inches per side.

Now remove the top paper from the chocolate dough and flip the peppermint dough onto it. Press gently to adhere and place the remaining piece of chocolate dough (roll into a square first) on top of the green dough. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Trim the edges to get an even-sized square if possible. Cut the square into 3 even rectangles; cut each rectangle into 1/4 inch slices and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake in a preheated 350F oven till the cookies have puffed up and are baked; don’t let them color if possible. The cookies will get crispier upon cooling. Serve.


Comments

42 Comments  •  Comments Feed

  1. Miriam says:

    Lovely way to celebrate!

  2. domi says:

    Délicieux et colorés ces cookies….par st Patrick je vais refaire les mêmes !! Quelles belles couleurs

  3. Cherine says:

    Those cookies must taste so good!

  4. chesapeake says:

    trop drôle la couleur de ces petits biscuits j’aime beaucoup!!
    Bonne fin de journée, bises!

  5. TheKitchenWitch says:

    Slainte! I know two part-Irish lassies who would definitely appreciate these!

  6. Carol says:

    Your cookies look perfect for the occasion! Perfect for any occasion, they look delicious!

  7. deana says:

    Everyone thinks I’m Irish. Although I felt right at home when I visited the Emerald Isle… I am more English than anything else. Still, my heart is warmed by Irish food and culture and I love the country.

    These are great celebratory cookies. I look forward to trying them for the celebration… mint just tastes green, doesn’t it?

  8. Claudia says:

    These are so much prettier than the usual green-cookie-fare. Love the tastes of chocolate and mint and love being Irish on March 17.

  9. Hélène (Cannes) says:

    Je prends tout de suite ton idée de sablés bicolores. Avec mes copines infirmières irlandaises, on réorganise un goûter à mon boulot pour la Saint-Patrick et je cherchais justement des idées nouvelles … Quand je te dis que ton blog est pour moi une vraie source d’inspiration ! ;o)
    Bisous
    Hélène

  10. Ivy says:

    They look so beautiful and I love peppermint.

  11. Devaki says:

    Oh Joumana – these are adorable and such a great happy way to celebrate…love the sandwich concept 🙂

    chow! Devaki @ weavethousandflavors

  12. Belinda @zomppa says:

    This cookie will bring out the Irish in anyone!

  13. Paty says:

    AAAH I LOVE!they look delicious, great work!

  14. Krista says:

    Aren’t these adorable!! 🙂 Great way to celebrate, Joumana. I’m not Irish either, but I sure love the Irish folks I’ve met. 🙂

  15. Angie's Recipes says:

    Love your cookies…the pleasant colour of peppermint pairs so perfectly with earthy looking chocolate.

  16. Susan says:

    What a wonderful idea and sometimes the old recipes are still the best! Love the pairing of chocolate and mint – anytime.

  17. Priya says:

    Scrumptious and beautiful cookies, adorable they are..

  18. Mimi says:

    A perfect way to celebrate St. Paddy’s day.
    Mimi

  19. Laurel says:

    So yummy and festive! We’re featuring all things GREEN this week at the M&T Spotlight and I’d love for you to submit this. http://www.makeandtakes.com/spotlight

  20. rebecca says:

    wow these are adorable and your right got to love the Irish 🙂

  21. Jean says:

    I love the Irish, too, and I Ireland is such a lovely place to visit. What a beautiful cookie to celebrate the people and the country. Love, love!

  22. A Canadian Foodie says:

    Love the tutorial. Smart, pretty and the recipe makes a bundle!
    I have been swamped and knee deep in planning a local food conference for Slow Food Edmonton called Eat Alberta. Fun times. Good work and great purpose, but I miss my kitchen, cooking – I haven’t posted anything for over two weeks, and I miss reading YOU!
    I am trying to catch up!
    🙂
    Valerie

  23. Marysol says:

    This pretty cookie is one my son (a mint and chocolate devotee) would love!

  24. Chiara says:

    Lovely idea Joumana ! So yummy !

  25. Oui, Chef says:

    Joumana, I have to say that I am constantly amazed at the sheer variety of great dishes I find here, you are amazing. These cookies look lovely, and are a wonderful take on the classic combination of chocolate and mint. I might have to whip some up for St. Patrick’s Day. – S

  26. Katerina says:

    I love their colored layers. They are ideal for the celebration!

  27. Margaret says:

    These look good, Joumana. I like the choco/mint combo. Very festive. Thanks for coming by the other day for a blog visit.

  28. Mary says:

    What a beautiful cookie! I love mint and chocolate together, so I may have to make some of these too. We don’t have a parade here, I don’t think, but we sure do celebrate in the pubs!

  29. Katie@Cozydelicious says:

    These are so cute! Thanks for the reminder about St Patty’s Day – so soon!

  30. Janet Rudolph says:

    Love these cookies. Peppermint & Chocolate! Perfect taste and look for St. Patrick’s Day! I’ll be sure and add these to my round-up of St. Patrick’s Day recipes this week on DyingforChocolate.com Yum!

  31. Julie says:

    Ils sont trop beaux ces petits sablés bicolores, j’aime beaucoup l’idée ! Ils font leur petit effet 🙂
    Bises Joumana

  32. Magic of Spice says:

    These are perfect and love chocolate with mint…people often think I am Irish (the red hair). I made a corned beef and cabbage dish for an elderly group home every year, these would be a great addition 🙂

  33. pierre says:

    if i remember well they pour a green liquid in the river of chicago !! love st patrick too !!pierre

  34. Conor @Hold the Beef says:

    Chocolate and peppermint are a match made in heaven, so it stands to reason that these are good to celebrate a saint!

  35. FOODESSA says:

    How festive they look…and how yummy they’d taste I’m sure ;o)

    Nice of you to celebrate along with such a great group of people.

    Flavourful wishes,
    Claudia

  36. Caffettiera says:

    you are always so creative and playful! Peppermint and chocolate, and in a cookie! I love Irish people as well, and Ireland is awesome. I should definitely celebrate Saint Patrick’s day as well.

  37. grace says:

    these are perfect for st patty’s day, but with that versatile (and tasty) filling, they could be made perfect for any holiday–well done!

  38. Nuts about food says:

    What beautiful little cookies. Great to celebrate with.

  39. Mari's Cakes says:

    I love these, they look so yummy. I would love to make some. Thanks for the recipe 🙂

  40. Eve@CheapEthnicEatz says:

    Love the cookies and the look of them…a great Irish cookie from an ‘Everyone is Irish on St-Paddy’s Day’ chef!

  41. Gina says:

    They look a bit intimidating to make but they are actually super easy. Just take your time and follow the directions precisely. They turned out sooo good. My three year old loved helping and eating the dough 🙂

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