Despite the name, these treats do not contain any potatoes and also do not originate from Ireland. These confections are a Philadelphia tradition for Saint Patrick’s Day. Sweet cream cheese and coconut are rolled in cinnamon to bring you some delicious bite-sized fun! I grew up in the Philly area and these were one of my favorite March traditions growing up. Recently I moved to NC and had to learn how to make my own. Whether you’ve never had an Irish potato or you just want to make your own, I hope you love this recipe as much as I do!
Ingredients:
4 oz Cream Cheese
1/2 c Butter
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
4 c Powdered Sugar
2 1/2 c Sweetened Coconut Flakes
2 tbsp Cinnamon
1/2 c Brown Sugar
Mini Cupcake Liners (optional)
The first thing you need to do is make sure your butter and cream cheese is softened. If it isn’t, they will not mix together well and your candies won’t be uniform creamy balls.
Add your cream cheese and butter to a medium mixing bowl and beat well until combined and creamy. Add in the vanilla and mix well.
Slowly add in your powdered sugar. I did this a half cup at a time to help reduce the mess. You could add it faster if you’d like!
Add the coconut flakes and fold in with a spatula until mixed well.
Let the cream cheese mixture chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up. This makes it easier to form the balls for your potatoes.
While the mixture chills, create your cinnamon and brown sugar mixture. Add 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 2 tbsp of cinnamon to a small bowl. (ironically, I needed to get a bigger bowl for this…)
Remove the cream cheese mixture from the fridge. If using the mini cupcake liners, you can line them up on a baking sheet or cutting board to make it easier on you.
Scoop the cream cheese mixture and round into a ball using your palms. There’s no need to make them perfect- after all they’re supposed to resemble potatoes. Roll the cream cheese ball through the cinnamon mixture until full coated. If using the liners, place each Irish potato into a liner.
Repeat until all of the cream cheese mixture is used up. Enjoy! The Irish potatoes can be served warm or cold, but make sure to store them in the refrigerator for longer storage.
Irish Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 oz Cream cheese softened
- ½ cup butter softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2½ cups sweetened coconut flakes
- 2 tbsp cinnamon
- ½ cup brown sugar
Instructions
- In a medium sized bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and butter together until creamy.
- Add vanilla and mix until combined.
- Add powdered sugar slowly and combine well.
- Fold in the coconut flakes with a spatula. Allow mixture to cool in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Mix the cinnamon and brown sugar together in a small bowl.
- Spoon the cream cheese mixture and round into a ball with your palms. Coat in the cinnamon and brown sugar mixture.
- Store the Irish potatoes in the fridge. They can be served cold or at room temperature, but they should be kept cold for long term storage.
