Irish Potato Candy

When I first discovered this Irish Potato Candy I was in love with them at first sight. St. Patrick's Day is my FAVORITE food holiday to celebrate, and adding these to my traditions is so fun!

They may not be traditional to Ireland, but they do have roots with Irish immigrants looking to boost candy sales between Valentine's Day and Easter, and I am so here for it!

I just can't get over how adorable and delicious these little potatoes are. They have become a new tradition for me to add to my St. Patrick's Day spread, but one my family now requests.

Ingredients

The ingredient list couldn't be simpler, that could be because they are thought to be made from leftover ingredients from the candy makers' shops, or to simply turn a profit, but they're delicious and so easy to make.

Since the ingredient list is so short, use the best quality cream cheese you can get, Irish butter (to keep the theme going, and it's delicious), and I like to use THE BEST Vietnamese cinnamon too. This would be a good time to pull out the good vanilla bean paste too.

Method

To make the filling, first beat together the butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar, and I like to beat it until light and fluffy. Then mix in the coconut just till combined and then it is ready to scoop.

Scoop the mixture out in any size you like, I like to keep them to about 2 teaspoons size, with a little bit of variation. The more variation and a bit wonky they are, the more realistic they look. After portioning out mixture, let it chill in the fridge to firm up for about 30 minutes before rolling smooth.

After you have smoothed out the filling, roll them into oblong shapes, again, keeping them a little irregular or wonky, but not round. Then roll them in cinnamon and they instantly begin to look like little potatoes.

You can then press some peanut pieces in if you like to give your "potatoes" "eyes", or dip parts or all in some cocoa to make them appear "dirty" or straight from the ground. Feel free to stop at cinnamon, or get a little more creative.

Let your little potatoes firm up in the fridge once again, for about an hour. Then transfer them to an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to a week. They are best 2-3 days after making, but they hold up for a while.

Fun Facts about Irish Potato Candies

These fun potato candies may not be from Ireland but they do have great Irish-American immigrant roots. Invented in Philidelphia in the 19th or 20th century when it was the candy capital of the United States.

Traditionally eaten around St. Patrick's Day, and made from cream cheese and coconut, they are called potato candy, because they are rolled into oblong shapes and rolled in cinnamon, making them look like tiny potatoes.

Some people like to press peanut pieces into them to look like potato "eyes" or dab them in a bit of cocoa powder too, to make them look a little dirty or fresh from the ground. There are many theories on how or why they came about, you can read more about them if you like in THIS ARTICLE if you like to dive into ALL the facts!

More of my Favorite Irish Recipes

I mentioned earlier that St. Patrick's Day is my favorite food holiday, and that means that I like to cook lots of great food for the big day! You can find ALL my Irish Recipes HERE, but I want to call out a couple of my favorites for you.

If you want a traditional AMERICAN dinner version, make my Corned Beef and Cabbage (I learned while visiting Ireland they don't eat corned beef there) that I toss in an Instant Pot, or my Homemade Pastrami. My favorite side dish is my Traditional Irish Colcannon Potatoes, and if you want a little something sweet, make my Brown Butter Cake with Irish Whiskey Cream Sauce. Of course, I share a great Irish Coffee, super simple Brown Bread, and a recipe that is getting lots of love, my Irish Chicken in Whiskey Cream Sauce

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