A Few Fun Irish (well...mostly) Recipes
I've had a few requests for the recipes used at the St. Patrick's Day Celebration I hosted on March 16th. I figured the easiest way to get these out there was to post them here. Feel free to print them. Some of them I've had for a long time, and am not quite sure where they came from. The barmbrack recipe I printed in my February 2013 newsletter is slightly different than the one I used at the event (I've found my oven is too hot for the recipe in my newsletter to turn out properly). Irish recipes tend to use ingredients that we can't really get here (don't worry, we have nearly the same, and the differences tend to be very slight), different types of measurements, and are in Celsius. I've substituted and changed things where they needed to be changed. All of the recipes are below in the American measurements, ingredients, & temperatures.
Barmbrack (Bairín Breac)
1 3/4 cups brewed tea
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups dried fruit (any fruit will do really, but I prefer to use cranberries & raisins)
1 1/4 cups self-rising flour
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp. spices
Put tea, fruit, and brown sugar into a bowl, cover and let soak overnight. Sift flour into mixture, add egg, & beat well. Pour into an 8 inch round greased cake pan (I have made this in loaves as well). Bake at 350F for 1 hour & 45 min (as my oven gets very hot easily, I check the breac about every 20 minutes). If wrapped in foil and stored in an air-tight container, this can last for up to 2 weeks.
Cranberry-Orange Buttermilk Scones
3 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup sugar 1 cup dried cranberries
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. orange zest
1/2 tsp. baking soda 1 tbsp. milk
3/4 tsp. salt 2 tbsp. sugar
3/4 cup cold butter, cut into chunks 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Combine four, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in buttermilk gently until just combined. Fold in cranberries and orange zest. Turn onto a floured surface and divide into two. Using a round cutter, cut out scones and place them on a baking sheet about an inch apart. Brush with milk, sprinkle with 2 tbsp. sugar and cinnamon mixture. Bake at 400F for 10-15 minutes or until golden. You can store these for 1-3 days (I freeze them ;) ).
Irish Soda Bread
This is the traditional Irish soda bread, not the Americanized kind that contains fruit and sugar.
4 cups of all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda 2 cups buttermilk
Preheat oven to 425F (do not start the recipe until the oven is preheated, the reaction of the baking soda needs to take place as close as possible to when you put it in the oven in order to get the best results). Mix flour, baking soda, and salt. Pour in buttermilk and mix using your fingers only (try not to knead it). Form a 6 inch round. Place on a floured baking sheet. Use a knife to cut an "X" deeply into the top of the round. Bake at 425F for about 40 min. The loaf is done when you knock on the bottom and it makes a hollow sound.
It is a simple recipe because it was made on a daily basis. It should be eaten with the first 24 hours after baking.
Vanilla-Almond Sugar Cookies (Not an Irish recipe)
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup sugar
2 sticks salted butter (Yes, I know that's a lot of butter)
1 egg
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
Combine flour & baking powder, set aside. Cream sugar and butter. Add egg and extracts, mix. Gradually add flour mix and beat until just combined. Put dough in the freezer for 5 min. before rolling. Placed cut cookies onto a baking sheet about an inch apart. Bake at 350F for 10-12 min. These cookies should last 1-2 weeks if stored in an air-tight container.
Lucky Charms Mix (DEFINITELY not Irish)
They don't even have lucky charms in Ireland. In fact, those I've shown the Lucky Charms commercial to have been extremely outspoken about just how un-Irish it really is (I think they're "magically delicious" ;) ). I thought it would be a fun thing for the kids, though.
I found this recipe on Pinterest. To be honest, I didn't follow the recipe. I kinda made it my own. I used 12 oz. white chocolate, mixed it with Lucky Charms (the smaller box) & Chex (6 cups), put it on a baking sheet, sprinkled it with shamrock sprinkles, and left the chocolate set. That's it. The actual recipe has you picking out the marshmallows. When I tried it that way, I noticed the marshmallows don't stay with the cereal mix. They separate and fall apart. The chocolate coating helps them stick to the cereal. Super simple, really yummy, and loaded with sugar!
I think that's all of the recipes! Try them out & let me know what you think! Questions? Comment below. :)
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| Really, really blurry picture of the food at the event. |
Barmbrack (Bairín Breac)
1 3/4 cups brewed tea
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups dried fruit (any fruit will do really, but I prefer to use cranberries & raisins)
1 1/4 cups self-rising flour
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp. spices
Put tea, fruit, and brown sugar into a bowl, cover and let soak overnight. Sift flour into mixture, add egg, & beat well. Pour into an 8 inch round greased cake pan (I have made this in loaves as well). Bake at 350F for 1 hour & 45 min (as my oven gets very hot easily, I check the breac about every 20 minutes). If wrapped in foil and stored in an air-tight container, this can last for up to 2 weeks.
Cranberry-Orange Buttermilk Scones
3 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup sugar 1 cup dried cranberries
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. orange zest
1/2 tsp. baking soda 1 tbsp. milk
3/4 tsp. salt 2 tbsp. sugar
3/4 cup cold butter, cut into chunks 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Combine four, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in buttermilk gently until just combined. Fold in cranberries and orange zest. Turn onto a floured surface and divide into two. Using a round cutter, cut out scones and place them on a baking sheet about an inch apart. Brush with milk, sprinkle with 2 tbsp. sugar and cinnamon mixture. Bake at 400F for 10-15 minutes or until golden. You can store these for 1-3 days (I freeze them ;) ).
Irish Soda Bread
This is the traditional Irish soda bread, not the Americanized kind that contains fruit and sugar.
4 cups of all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda 2 cups buttermilk
Preheat oven to 425F (do not start the recipe until the oven is preheated, the reaction of the baking soda needs to take place as close as possible to when you put it in the oven in order to get the best results). Mix flour, baking soda, and salt. Pour in buttermilk and mix using your fingers only (try not to knead it). Form a 6 inch round. Place on a floured baking sheet. Use a knife to cut an "X" deeply into the top of the round. Bake at 425F for about 40 min. The loaf is done when you knock on the bottom and it makes a hollow sound.
It is a simple recipe because it was made on a daily basis. It should be eaten with the first 24 hours after baking.
Vanilla-Almond Sugar Cookies (Not an Irish recipe)
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup sugar
2 sticks salted butter (Yes, I know that's a lot of butter)
1 egg
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
Combine flour & baking powder, set aside. Cream sugar and butter. Add egg and extracts, mix. Gradually add flour mix and beat until just combined. Put dough in the freezer for 5 min. before rolling. Placed cut cookies onto a baking sheet about an inch apart. Bake at 350F for 10-12 min. These cookies should last 1-2 weeks if stored in an air-tight container.
Lucky Charms Mix (DEFINITELY not Irish)
They don't even have lucky charms in Ireland. In fact, those I've shown the Lucky Charms commercial to have been extremely outspoken about just how un-Irish it really is (I think they're "magically delicious" ;) ). I thought it would be a fun thing for the kids, though.
I found this recipe on Pinterest. To be honest, I didn't follow the recipe. I kinda made it my own. I used 12 oz. white chocolate, mixed it with Lucky Charms (the smaller box) & Chex (6 cups), put it on a baking sheet, sprinkled it with shamrock sprinkles, and left the chocolate set. That's it. The actual recipe has you picking out the marshmallows. When I tried it that way, I noticed the marshmallows don't stay with the cereal mix. They separate and fall apart. The chocolate coating helps them stick to the cereal. Super simple, really yummy, and loaded with sugar!
I think that's all of the recipes! Try them out & let me know what you think! Questions? Comment below. :)
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