Irish Triple Threat Cookies

Yesterday was St. Patrick’s Day and I while I don’t think that it is much of a baking holiday, I still was curious if there were any cookies I could try. I came across a couple of different recipes, which claim to be Irish in a few different ways. Some recipes made cookies that looked like potatoes, others called for Irish Cream or whiskey. I think we have Irish Cream, but I know for certain that we have Irish Whiskey.

I have to say that I am not the most experienced whiskey drinker. When my husband and I traveled to Scotland, the host where we stayed welcomed us with Scottish whisky. It was very strong! I tried to drink it but had better luck with my whisky-infused tea. I had Irish whiskey at home for this recipe, with the same name as an old family name. It’s a blended whiskey and very nice!

This recipe is called a triple Irish cookie. Yes, you have Irish whiskey, and I actually bought Kerrygold butter to make this. At first, I thought that the third Irish ingredient was Irish Cream, but it wasn’t. I guess the third Irish ingredient is oats. I use oats all the time and don’t think of them as particularly Irish, but I suppose they are. These cookies, since they contain whiskey, burn quite readily, so I refrigerated the cookies before baking and that seemed to help. These cookies have a wonderful flavor, the whiskey mellows and pairs perfectly with the oats and Irish butter.

Irish Triple Threat Cookies
6 tablespoons Kerrygold Irish butter, room temperature
6 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons Irish whiskey
¾ cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup oats

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

In a large mixer bowl, combine the butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Beat on medium to combine. Add the egg and Irish whiskey and stir again to combine. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt and stir on low until almost combined. Add the oats and stir with a spatula to combine.

Shape the dough into 1-1/2 inch balls. Place 6 cookies on each baking sheet. Refrigerate the shaped cookies for 15 minutes.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden around the edges. The cookies burn easily, so watch them carefully. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe from Dessert for Two