Leprechaun Hat Cookies

By
Leah Maroney
Leah Maroney
Leah Maroney
A recipe developer and food photographer, Leah Maroney is an ardent home cook and food blogger who has written over 300 recipes for The Spruce Eats.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 09/4/21
leprechaun hat cookies
Leah Maroney
Prep: 25 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Inactive Time: 8 hrs
Total: 8 hrs 35 mins
Servings: 8 servings
Yield: 16 cookies
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
755 Calories
31g Fat
116g Carbs
5g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 755
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 31g 39%
Saturated Fat 13g 63%
Cholesterol 65mg 22%
Sodium 341mg 15%
Total Carbohydrate 116g 42%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 84g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 0mg 1%
Calcium 73mg 6%
Iron 2mg 10%
Potassium 89mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Spread the luck of the Irish to everyone you know with these wonderful St. Patrick's Day cookies. Perfect for a school celebration or a St. Patrick's Day party! 

They are a lot more manageable to make than they appear, and can be made from scratch or using some store-bought ingredients! You can easily use refrigerated, store-bought sugar cookie dough and store-bought frosting or you can use the recipes below.

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup (11 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest

  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  • 1 large egg

  • 4 teaspoons milk

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 16 regular marshmallows

  • 24 ounces vanilla frosting, or homemade buttercream

  • Green food coloring

  • 4 small Tootsie Rolls

  • 16 green or yellow M&M's candies

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2.  Preheat the oven to 375 F.

  3. Add the softened butter, sugar, orange peel, and vanilla extract to the bowl of a stand mixer. You can also use a regular, medium-sized bowl and a hand mixer. Blend until the ingredients are creamed together. 

  4. Add the egg and beat until light and fluffy.  

  5. Add the milk to the mixture and blend again. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. 

  6. Sift together the dry ingredients and gradually add them to the creamed mixture. Mix until the dough has formed. 

  7. Using a medium-sized cookie scoop (holds about 1/5 tablespoons), scoop the cookies and form them into balls. Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Dip the bottom of a drinking glass in flour and press down on each cookie to flatten them into round disks. You can also roll out the cookie dough into a sheet (pre-chill the dough for an hour) and use a 3-inch round cookie cutter to cut out the shapes. The second strategy will produce a flatter brim for the base of the cookie. 

  8. Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes or until set and very slightly browned at the edges.  

  9. As soon as you take them out of the oven place a marshmallow on top of each cookie. The heat from the cookie will help the marshmallow stick to the cookie. 

  10. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack with a cookie tray underneath and allow them to cool completely, 1 to 2 hours. 

  11. Melt the vanilla frosting in the microwave, heating for 30 second increments until smooth. Whisk in the green food coloring until it is the desired tone of green. 

  12. While the cookies are still on the cooling racks over the cookie sheets, pour the frosting over each cookie so that it is completely coated in frosting. 

  13. Allow them to completely harden, about 6 hours. 

  14. Roll out each tootsie roll into a thin sheet. Use a pizza cutter (or a sharp knife) to cut the tootsie roll sheets into 1/4 inch strips. 

  15. Wrap each tootsie roll strip around the base of the marshmallow where it meets the sugar cookie. 

  16. Apply a dab of frosting onto the back of an M&M candy, covering up the "m" logo. Stick it onto the tootsie roll strip. Repeat with the remaining cookies. 

  17. Serve the cookies on a cute St. Patrick's Platter or alongside some edible, gold coins.