I-rish I had time to make some St. Patrick's Day cookies

{Keep scrolling down for some oldies but goodies in the St. Patrick's Day Cookies department.}

Please tell me it happens to you, too. You have a million, ok...three, ideas for cute holiday goodies to make and you just run.out.of.time.

It's happened to me. I have pickle & ice cream cookies drying in the kitchen and not one little shamrock to be found.

{Oh, I did I ever scare some people on twitter today when I tweeted that I was making Pickle & Ice Cream cookies! I got a few "you're making WHAT?" tweets back. That was fun. Shaped, not flavored cookies! }

So...here's an Irish Soda Bread recipe that you can whip up in less than 2 hours, start to finish. No rise time, no kneading....mix it and bake it. I make it every St. Patrick's Day.

Irish Soda Bread
{modified from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook}

4 c. unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp coarse salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 TBSP caraway seeds
4 TBSP unsalted butter, cold
1 c. dark raisins
1 c. golden raisins
1 & 1/2 c. buttermilk
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda
1 egg yolk
1 TBSP milk or cream

Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and caraway seeds.

Cut the butter into about 8 pieces. Using a pasty cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal.

Stir in the raisins.
{Let me add....I am not a raisin lover, but I love this bread!}

In another bowl, whisk the buttermilk, egg and baking soda until well combined. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour and stir with a fork until all the liquid is absorbed and the dough holds together.

On the prepared pan, press the dough into a dome-shaped loaf of about 8 inches.

With a fork, whisk together the egg yolk and milk or cream. Brush onto the dough with a pastry brush. With a sharp knife, make an x-shaped slash in the top of the bread.

Bake about 70 minutes, tenting with foil after about 50 minutes if necessary. Cool on a wire rack.

Alright...ready for some St. Patrick's Day cookie ideas?

From last year....sparkly shamrocks and pots o' gold:

{This is the post where I go on and on about how I wasn't to add a Mc to our last name. I'm not closer to that dream this year....but I'm not.giving.up.}

Next, Beer cookies:

{How can there be a St. Paddy's Day celebration without beer? Even if it is in the form of decorated cookies?}

And, Shamrocks with heart:

{Actually, these were for a friend's anniversary. Hi Terri & Pat! They had a St. Patrick's wedding.♥ I took the picture years ago when I thought one picture was enough and I then cropped & resized the heck out of it. I'm over that now.}

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!