St. Patrick’s Day Sweet Treats

The full recipe cards can be found at the end of this post.

With a few simple store-bought ingredients and no baking necessary, these pretzel shamrocks are easy and fun to make, especially with kids. They make the perfect afternoon snack or St. Patrick’s Day party treat at home or for school.

Here is what you need:

• Bag of mini pretzel twists
• Bag of pretzel sticks
• White chocolate melting wafers (I used these.)
• Green food coloring (optional)
• St. Patrick’s Day sprinkles

First, on a flat work surface, lay out a piece of parchment paper.

Next, in a microwavable bowl, melt the white chocolate wafers for thirty seconds at a time until they are completely melted and smooth. Stir in between each microwaving session.

Then, once the chocolate is completely melted. Add a couple of drops of green food coloring and stir until the desired shade of green is reached.

Dip 1/2-3/4 of a pretzel stick into the melted chocolate and carefully place it on the parchment paper. This will be the stem of the shamrock and also serve as the “stick” to eat it.

Now, dip one mini pretzel twist at a time into the chocolate. Lay the first one on the parchment paper so that the bottom of the pretzel twist touches the top of the pretzel stick dipped in chocolate. Then dip the second and third pretzel twists in chocolate and lay them on either side of the first one so the bottoms also touch the top of the pretzel stick dipped in chocolate. Fill in any space between the bottoms of the pretzel twists and the stick with chocolate to make sure that they all stay together when the chocolate sets.

Now comes the fun part! Decorate the shamrocks with sprinkles and leave them to set for about 30 minutes at room temperature or place them in the refrigerator to set for about 10 minutes.

This recipe was inspired by Landolakes, Christmas Shortbread Tidbits. I made them this past holiday season and fell in love with the recipe. I was anxious to transform it for another holiday celebration and St. Patrick’s Day was perfect. These delicious little cookie bites practically melt in your mouth. They are the perfect sweet treat to nibble on throughout the day and they go great with coffee, Irish tea, or cocoa.

This recipe is another one with just a few simple and easy-to-find ingredients.

• Butter
• Salt
• Sugar
• Almond extract
• Vanilla extract
• All-purpose flour
• Green food coloring (optional)
• St. Patrick’s Day themed nonpareils
• Parchment paper

First, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang, and set aside.

Next, combine the butter, almond extract, vanilla extract, and food coloring in a bowl. Beat at medium speed with a hand mixer, scraping the bowl often, until creamy. Reduce speed to low; add the flour, sugar, and salt. Beat until well mixed. Stir in nonpareils. The dough will be lumpy.

Pat the dough evenly into the prepared pan. Refrigerate the dough in the pan for about 10-15 minutes.

Then, use the parchment paper to lift the dough from the pan and cut the dough into 1/2-inch to 1-inch squares.

Finally, gently place the shortbread squares, 1/2 inch apart, on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake the shortbread bites for 13-15 minutes or until bottoms just begin to brown.

I hope you love these special St. Patrick’s Day sweet treats as much as we do here on the farm. There are so many reasons to love both of these recipes. They are quick and easy to make, they taste delicious, and they are the perfect way to celebrate the holiday with friends and family.