Let these little guys be the stars of your St. Patrick’s Day party. They’re so fun to make and adorably edible.
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cups butter, softened
- 1-1/2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 to 4 cups Royal Icing (recipe also in Recipe Finder)
- Assorted paste food coloring
- Green shimmer dust or edible glitter, optional
- Green shamrock sprinkles, optional
- Miniature semisweet chocolate chips
Directions
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 30minutes or until easy to handle.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-in.thickness. For leprechauns, cut out dough with lightly floured5-in. gingerbread boy cookie cutter. If desired, trim leprechaun’s body for a thinner shape.
- For each hat, cut a 1-1/2-in. square and a 1-3/4-in. x 1/4-in.brim from dough scraps. Place leprechauns 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Place hat squares and brims above heads, shaping gently to touch the heads.
- Bake at 350° for 10-14 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool for 1 minute before carefully removing to wire racks to cool completely.
- Tint small amounts of Royal Icing red, yellow and black. Leave a small amount plain. Tint remaining icing green and orange. Frost leprechauns; decorate with shimmer dust and shamrock sprinkles if desired. For eyes, attach miniature chocolate chips with plain frosting. Yield: about 3 dozen.
Recipes courtesy of TasteofHome.com. Visit TasteofHome.com for more St. Patrick’s Day recipes.
