St Patricks Day Cookies

Try these homemade slice and bake St Patricks Day Cookies for your gathering celebrating all things Irish! Based on our beloved Cut-Out Sugar Cookie recipe, these fun and festive slice and bake cookies are freezable, travel well and taste fantastic.

While these cookies take a little time to assemble, they’re worth every minute it takes to get them in the oven. If you love all things leprechauns and rainbows and are looking for a creative bake that’s fun and delicious, give this recipe a try!

Slice and Bake St Patrick’s Day Cookies

The number one tip for making these slice and bake St Patricks Day Cookies is to keep the green dough as cold as possible. If your kitchen is warm you may need to freeze the dough more often as you go along. Don’t be afraid to stop and chill the dough as needed.

The basic cookie dough recipe is easy to make. We’ve included detailed instructions and step by step photos for how to form the cut-out clover or shamrock log ensuring a great design. Let’s bake!

Ingredients overview:

• unsalted butter at room temperature
• block cream cheese at room temperature
• granulated sugar
• large egg
• vanilla extract
• almond extract or peppermint extract
• all-purpose flour
• baking powder
• salt
• green food color (we recommend AmeriColor Leaf Green soft gel paste – affiliate link)
• egg white for brushing on cookie dough log
• green sanding sugar / sprinkles (like Wilton made with natural dye) affiliate link

Equipment needed:

• small 1 and 1/2 inch clover or shamrock cookie cutter (affiliate link)
• rolling pin this is our favorite for rolling out dough to an even thickness (affiliate link)
• parchment paper

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How to make Slice and Bake Cookies for St. Patrick’s Day

1. First prepare the sugar cookie dough:

• In a large bowl beat the butter and cream cheese until blended. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add one whole egg, the vanilla and almond extracts and beat until combined.

• In a separate bowl whisk the dry ingredients together. Add half the flour mixture to the butter and sugar. Beat until blended. Add the remaining flour and blend until incorporated.

2. Divide the dough:

• Remove half the cookie dough to a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature until needed.

• Add a few drops of green food color to the remaining cookie dough. Blend with the mixer until the color is completely incorporated.

• Place the green dough on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper. Cover with another piece of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough to 1/2-inch thickness. Freeze the green dough disk for 30 minutes.

3. Creating the cut-outs

• Place a small cup of water near your work surface. Working quickly, cut the green dough into the desired shapes.

• Gather the scraps and re-roll into a 1/2 inch thick disk between two lightly floured pieces of parchment. Place the re-rolled dough disk back in freezer while assembling the clover cut-outs.

• Dip a finger into the water then lightly dampen the flour side of a green cut-out. Adhere the wet side of the cookie on top of another. Repeat until you have all the cut-outs stacked.

• Repeat with the remaining dough until you have a log approximately 10 to 12 inches long. Place the log on a small pan and freeze until frozen solid, about 30 minutes.

4. Press remaining dough onto the frozen green log

• Remove the clover log from the freezer. Roll small portions of the plain room temperature cookie dough into small logs.

• Press the dough onto the clover cutouts making sure to get the dough down deep into the crevices.

• Once the deep cracks are filled, press the remaining dough all around the log. Roll gently into a small log.

• Cover and seal in wax paper or plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to two days. The cookie dough log can be frozen for up to 3 months well sealed in plastic wrap and aluminum foil.

Slice and Bake St Patricks Day Cookies

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

• Unwrap the cookie dough log and brush lightly with a beaten egg white. Cover the log in green sanding sugar pressing to adhere the sugar to the cookie dough.

• Slice into 1/4-inch rounds and place 2-inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes or until the bottoms of the cookies are light brown. Baking time may vary depending on the size and thickness of the cookies.

Storing and freezing St. Patrick’s Day Cookies

• Cool the cookies completely before sealing in an airtight container. Cookies will keep for up to 5 days at room temperature.

• Store the cookies in the refrigerator for longer storage.

• The unbaked cookie dough log can be frozen for up to 3 months well sealed in plastic wrap and aluminum foil.

• Baked cookies can also be frozen for up to 3 months.

PRO TIPS

• Substitute additional vanilla for the almond extract if desired. You can also use 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract in place of the almond extract for a minty flavor.

• Use any small cookie cutter like hearts for Valentine’s Day or trees and stars for Christmas.

• Always use a cool baking sheet to prevent spreading.

• For best results keep the green cookie dough and cut-outs as cold as possible at all times.

• Baking time may vary depending on the size and thickness of the cookies.

• Skip the green sugar coating if desired. The cookies are not overly sweet so the green sugar coating doesn’t make them too sweet.