34 Easy Irish Desserts To Bring To Any St. Patrick's Day Party
By Camille Lowder of Delish |
Though St. Patrick’s Day is known for being a bit of an adult holiday, what with all the booze and strong flavors (hello, corned beef and cabbage), we’re here to tell you—it can also be totally family-friendly. We think one of the best ways to do that is to add some desserts to your holiday spread. Whether you go with light-hearted, fun options or more traditional Irish-inspired fare, these 34 St. Patty's Day desserts are sure to be beloved by all, kids and adults alike.
When it comes to conventional Irish desserts, we’ve got to admit we’re taking some liberties. Our fave on this list, Irish soda bread, doesn’t usually contain any add-ins, much less the chocolate chips we’ve included (but they’re delicious!). What’s more standard is our Bakewell tart or our Irish apple cake—we love fruit desserts because they feel slightly lighter, so we’ve included scones, apple crumble, and apple crisp too. They’re great for a little something sweet after a hearty Irish-themed dinner.
Speaking of dinner, while the green in our main meals often comes from spinach and kale this time of year, for dessert we’re turning to green food dye. If you’re like us, you’ve got some kicking around just waiting to be put to good use (maybe from making some green beer last year?). Lucky for you, it pairs perfectly with rainbow-hued or minty desserts. Our St. Patrick's Day cake or cupcakes take full advantage of the full array of colors, but feel free to get creative. As for mint, we think it and chocolate are a classic combo that's not just for Christmas anymore. We’re using it here in everything from our mint chocolate chip pie to our mint chip "lasagna” (where chocolate pudding + Oreos replace ricotta and noodles 😍).
And don’t worry, we’ve snuck in plenty of alcoholic desserts in here too. Baileys Irish Cream and Guinness are the classics this time of year–try them in our skillet fudgy brownie pudding, our Baileys cheesecake, our chocolate Guinness cake, or our Baileys truffles, then get creative. A little booze can add depth of flavor to almost any dessert you can imagine.
Looking for something over-the-top cute for your celebration? Everyone will love our shamrock cookies, our leprechaun bait, our pot o' gold cups, or our Irish potato candy (coconut truffles that just look like potatoes). Kids will flip over them, and even miserly adults who don't care for adorable can enjoy—they count as something green, so there's no fear of getting pinched!
