St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone! Here are a couple of fun recipes for the holiday.

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St. Patrick's Day Cupcakes

▪ 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

▪ 2/3 cup sugar

▪ 1 package (3.4 ounces) instant pistachio pudding mix

▪ 2 teaspoons baking powder

▪ 1/2 teaspoon salt

▪ 2 eggs

▪ 1-1/4 cups milk

▪ 1/2 cup vegetable oil

▪ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

▪ Green food coloring, optional

▪ Cream cheese frosting

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In another bowl, beat eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; add to dry ingredients and mix until blended.
Fill paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 375° for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Add food coloring to frosting if desired. Frost cupcakes. Yield: 1 dozen. (in this photo I used a mini-muffin tin and decreased the time to about 15 min)

BLARNEY STONES

▪ 4 eggs

▪ 1-3/4 cups sugar

▪ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

▪ 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

▪ 3 teaspoons baking powder

▪ 1/2 teaspoon salt

▪ 1 cup milk

▪ 1/4 cup butter, melted

FROSTING:

▪ 2 pounds confectioners' sugar (about 7-1/2 cups)

▪ 2/3 cup milk

▪ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

▪ 1/8 teaspoon salt

▪ 6 cups finely chopped peanuts

In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla until thick and lemon-colored, about 4 minutes. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to egg mixture. Beat on low speed just until combined.
Add the milk and butter; mix well. Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into squares. Cover and freeze overnight.
For frosting, in a mixing bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, milk, vanilla and salt; beat until smooth. (I actually split the required frosting in half and they still worked great!). Frosting the top and sides of frozen cake squares; roll in peanuts. Place on wire racks to dry. Store in a cool place (fridge is ok). Yield: 2 dozen.