St. Patrick's Day: Shamrock Shakes

2 cups mint ice cream
1/3 - 1/2 cup milk, half and half, or heavy cream
2 Tbsp Creme de Menthe liqueur
a few drops of Green food coloring
Chocolate mint cookies

1. In a blender blend all ingredients until smooth.
2. Add more milk to reach desired thickness.
3. Serve with crumbled chocolate mint cookies.
4. This amount yield 2 small shakes

St. Patrick's Day: Twisted Shamrocks

These are the St. Patrick's day

version of Chocolate Love Buttons

pictured to the right.

--------->

If you are using kisses

other than milk chocolate,

follow the baking instructions

in the love button link.

WHAT YOU NEED:

Photo Credit

parchment paper
mini pretzels
pretzel sticks
Hershey's Kisses
bag of M&M's

1. Preheat oven to 200F and line your baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place the pretzels in the shape of a clover and place a Hershey's kiss in the center.
3. Fit as many as you can onto your baking sheet.
4. Bake in oven for about 4 minutes.
5. Press the end of a pretzel stick into the center of the softened kiss - it is the stem.
6. Press an M&M over the end of the pretzel stick.
• You want the kiss to squish down so the other pretzels cement together.
7. Let the kisses harden before wrapping.

• On the other hand, eating pretzels and melted chocolate is quite good....
• To harden more quickly, place the in the refrigerator. 

St. Patrick's Day: Caramel Rice Krispy Treats

Rice Krispy
3 Tbsp butter
10oz pkg regular marshmallows (or 4 cups of mini marshmallows)
6 cups of Rice Krispies

1. Melt butter over sauce pan on low.
• Add food coloring in wanted.
2. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted
3. Mix in Rice Krispies until evenly coated.
4. Place in buttered 9x13 pan.
• make sure the Rice Krispies are packed in.

Caramel
2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups corn syrup

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, 1 cup cream and butter.
• Bring to a boil, stirring often, then stir in remaining 1 cup cream.
2. Heat, without stirring, to 242F with a candy thermometer
• or until a small amount of syrup dropped into a cold water forms a firm but pliable ball.
3. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla.
4. Pour over Rice Krispy treats.
• Add sprinkles if you'd like!

St. Patricks's Day: Mint Oreo Cupcakes w/ Mint Buttercream Icing

Cupcakes 
1/2 cup butter - room temperature
1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups flour
     plus 2 Tbsp for the Oreo chunks
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 2/3 cup sugar
3 large egg whites - room temperature
1 pkg mint Oreo cookies

1. Preheat oven to 350F and insert liners into a medium cupcake pan.
2. Twist apart 24 Oreos and place filling side up in the bottom of each paper liner.
• Cut other cookies in half, and save 24 halves to place in frosting.
• Crush the other cookie halves, also for garnishing.
3. Cut the remaining Oreos into quarters with a sharp knife, then toss with 2 Tbsp of flour and set aside.
4. In a large bowl cream the butter until fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the milk and vanilla and mix to combine.
5. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt
6. Add the dry ingredients to butter mixture and mix until integrated
• stir in sugar, then beat on low speed for 30 seconds.
• Turn the mixer up to medium speed and beat for 2 minutes.
• Add the egg whites and beat for 2 more minutes.
• Stir in the quartered cookies.
7. Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 cull and bake for 20 minutes, then cool cupcakes in the pan.

Icing
1 cup + 2 Tbsp butter - room temperature
5 1/2 cup icing sugar - sifted
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 to 1 tsp mint extract (it depends on how strong you want the flavor)
2 - 4 Tbsp milk
Green food coloring

1. In a large mixing bowl cream butter and 1/2 cup of the icing sugar together until well combined.
2. Continue adding the icing sugar to the butter mixture 1/2 cup at a time.
3. Once the buttercream mixture starts to get stiff, add the vanilla and mint extracts, and 2 Tbsp of the milk.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until all of the icing sugar is incorporated into the butter mixture.
• you may want to add in more milk 1 Tbsp at a time until you reach a desired consistency.

St. Patrick's Day: Shamrock Soft Pretzels

Alright, basically I plan to use the soft pretzel recipe found [here] that I have already made and LOVE.

All that I would change are the shapes to make the pretzels, and maybe add some green food coloring or find some green sugar or salt!

Enjoy!