Name: Shamrock Sugar Cookies
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 9 min
Total time: 69 min
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups softened butter; 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar; 1 vanilla bean (opened and seeds scraped out); 2 eggs + 1 extra yolk; 2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice or 2 tsp. Cardamom; 3 3/4 cups all purpose flour; 1 tsp salt; green lifesaver candies (for stained glass cookies)

Shamrock Sugar Cookies are a delicious festive treat for your St. Patrick’s Day party. These beautifully decorated sugar cookies taste amazing!

Shamrock Sugar Cookies for St Patrick's Day

These homemade St. Patrick’s Day treats start with a yummy sugar cookie recipe. I then decorated the cookies with my easy recipe for Royal Icing. Various cookie decorating techniques were used to make these festive cookies such as brush embroidery cookie decorating, a tartan design and stained glass effect. I learned the Brush Embroidery style from my favorite cookie decorator SweetAmbs.

Shamrock cookies with brush embroidery technique

Tartan pattern

Stained Glass decorative technique

Shamrock cookie with stained glass effect

Pumpkin spice sugar cookies taste fantastic, not that cardboard taste you often get with sugar cookies. Cardamom is also a tasty spice to use in sugar cookies. The sugar cookie recipe is my tried and true recipe for making the best cookies that cut out perfectly. I found the Shamrock cookie cutter at my local bake shop.

Shamrock Sugar Cookies

Shamrock shaped sugar cookies, perfect for St. Patrick's Day!

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Course: cookies, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Shamrock cookies, St. Patrick's Day cookies

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 9 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 9 minutes

Servings:

Calories: 151kcal

Author: Laureen King

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups softened butter
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean opened and seeds scraped out
2 eggs + 1 extra yolk
2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice or 2 tsp. Cardamom
3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
green lifesaver candies for stained glass cookies

Instructions

Sift together flour, salt & pumpkin spice.
Using an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy—5 minutes.
Add vanilla bean, mix well then add eggs. Beat to combine.
Slowly add the flour mix until the dough is smooth.
Separate the dough and wrap it in 3 separate pieces. Place in the fridge and chill for at least 30 minutes.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line several cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Flour a work surface and roll the disk out to 1/4 inch thick.
Cut out Shamrock cookie shapes for brush embroidery technique.
For Stained glass look - cut dough with large circle cookie cutter (make sure Shamrock cookie cutter fits into circle). Then cut shamrock inside circle. Fill each Shamrock shape with crushed green lifesavers. Cookie sheet MUST be lined with parchment paper or cookies will stick to cookie sheet.
Bake for 8-10 minutes. (edges just starting to brown)
Cool completely on the cookie sheets before moving.
Decorate with Royal Icing.

Notes

Royal Icing
1 lb icing sugar (powdered sugar)
5 tbsp meringue powder
1/2 cup water
1 tsp vanilla

Beat together on medium speed for about 7 minutes. Icing will be very thick. To base cover icing thin icing with a teaspoon of water at a time until flows easily.
Let icing harden completely before decorating with brush embroidery technique.

Check out step by step How to decorate sugar cookies with Royal Icing.

Instructions for stained glass technique

Nutrition

I like to use vanilla beans in my cookie recipes for exceptional vanilla flavour!

Measure all ingredients to make quick work of making cookies.

Beat together butter, sugar and vanilla bean until fluffy.

Add flour mixture a bit at a time until incorporated.

Divide into 3 equal disks, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness on well floured surface. Cut with your favourite cookie cutter.

Bake 8-10 minutes, just until edges start to brown. Cool completely before decorating.

Decorate with royal icing using your favourite technique. Check out this link for easy to follow instructions to decorate cookies using Royal Icing click here!

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Shamrock Sugar Cookies for St. Patrick’s Day