These cute little cookies are packed with flavor! A combination of Bailey’s, coffee, and a little chocolate on top? You can’t go wrong with these little St. Patrick’s Day treats!
I feel like I am always looking for new ways to use already-perfected flavor combinations. Like coffee and Bailey’s. For these cookies, I used my all-time favorite chocolate cut-out cookie recipe and tweaked it a bit to make these. I have to say, you will *love* how these roll out- they are so smooth! I also have to say that after trying them, I think you could add chocolate chips, roll the dough into balls, and cook them like that too. If you want to avoid cookie cutters 🙂 But for today, we have these delicious little cut-outs.
Anyone curious about the recipe?? Here you go! (Printable version)
INGREDIENTS: (makes 36 medium cookies)
Cookies:
- 2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3 Tablespoons of Bailey Irish Cream (get the little individual serving bottle, if you (like us!) don’t keep this in your house. This recipe will use one little 100mL bottle almost up.
- 3 teaspoons instant coffee granules
- 3 1/2 to 4 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Icing:
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 3 Tablespoons meringue powder
- 4 Tablespoons of Bailey’s Irish Cream
- 2 teaspoons of instant coffee granules
- (optional) Wilton’s Candy Melts in light cocoa for design on top.
DIRECTIONS:
Cookies:
- Cream together butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
- Mix in eggs.
- Place Bailey’s and instant coffee granules together in a small cup until coffee dissolves. Add this mixture to the batter and mix until completely incorporated.
- Gradually add dry ingredients and mix until smooth (use clean hands at the end, to knead into a soft ball of dough).
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
- Roll out cookie dough on floured counter.
- Cut into circles and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 8 to 11 minutes until the edges are firm.
- Gently slide parchment paper off of cookie sheet and onto a flat surface. Cool completely before removing cookies from paper.
Icing:
- Again, place Bailey’s and instant coffee granules together in a small cup until coffee dissolves.
- Beat together all ingredients and add powdered sugar until it becomes a thick glaze consistency.
- Place about 1/3 of icing in a zip-top bag fitted with a small round piping tip.
- Pipe icing around edges of cookie and allow this to harden.
- Add water to remaining icing until it is a little thinner than the edge icing. Place it into a second zip-top bag fitted with a small round piping tip.
- Fill center of cookie with icing, spreading it to the edges that have hardened.
- You can decorate as desired. I used a chocolate mold to make little coffee beans (I would have used *actual* chocolate- covered coffee beans, but I hate them!) Be sure to place it on the icing before it hardens. I also drizzled a little of the same chocolate on the cookies. Be creative! Sprinkles, icing designs, chocolate transfers… decorate as you wish, and ENJOY!!!!
My thoughts: I find it hard to be objective about my own baking (anyone else feel that way??) I am super critical of the flavors. Are they strong enough? Too strong? Too sweet? Too bitter? So I give you the words of my sweet hubby (who is unfailingly honest, and my best taste-tester), “These are better than Starbucks cookies.” Then he ate another one. He says these are just the right balance of coffee and the flavor of Bailey’s, but the best part is the cookie texture- crunchy on the outside and so soft inside. However you end up making these, I hope you love them! ~r
Looking for other fun St. Patrick’s Day recipes? Click on the photo to see the recipe (I *highly* recommend the 1st one- epic cupcakes plus a funny story!)
EASYBAKED 