Soda bread is Irelands national bread, well suited to sopping up lamb stew. A little sugar transforms bread into cookies. Sure and begorrah, its a St. Paddys day miracle!
Recipe Courtesy of Signe Langford.
Directions for: Sweet Irish Soda Bread Cookies
Ingredients
Sweet Irish Soda Bread Cookies3 cup all-purpose flour
cup white sugar
tsp baking soda
cup butter
cup dried currants soaked in warm apple juice, scotch or whiskey
cup chopped green maraschino cherries
cup buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp molasses
tsp salt
Green hard Icing1 cup icing sugar
3 tsp milk
3 tsp light corn syrup
tsp maple or vanilla extract
a few drops green food colouring
Directions
Sweet Irish Soda Bread Cookies1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Mix in beaten egg. Pour in milk and molasses and mix with a fork to make a soft dough. If too dry, add a few drops of milk until it all comes together.
3. On a floured surface, shape dough into a ball and knead lightly 5 or 6 times. Roll out dough to inch thick and cut into desired shapes of course we suggest a shamrock if possible!
4. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until slightly browned. Transfer to cooling racks and let cool completely before icing. If you dont want to ice, no worries, sprinkle with a little green course sugar before baking.
5. Tip: the cherries and currants can add quite a bit of moisture to the dough drain well!
Green hard Icing1. In a small bowl, stir together icing and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and maple or vanilla extract until icing is totally smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add a little more corn syrup, a drop at a time, mixing in well between each addition. If you want to make different shades of green, divide the white icing into separate bowls, and add green food colouring to each to reach the desired shade.
2. Tip: visit your local bulk or candy shop for fun shamrock or green candies and chunky green sugar to decorate with.
See more: St Patrick's Day, Dessert, Bake, Bread, Snack, Kid-Friendly