A wee little leprechaun asked for something sweet on St. Patrick’s Day and I have the perfect treat, Mint Surprise Inside Cookies. I have a big obsession with these cookies because they are so much fun to make and even more fun to eat.
St. Patrick’s Day Cookies
Just take a bite to find the surprise inside of these cookies!
The best part about these Surprise Inside Cookies is that you can change the colors of the sprinkles on the outside and make the surprise middle layer different colors and flavors.
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In honor of St. Patrick and my husband’s family the “Cassidy’s” I am making our favorite cookies and they will be wearin a bit of green. These sugar cookies are rolled in green nonpareils and white nonpareils.
I have found you need to buy the white and green separately and mix them, which isn’t so bad since you really need two bottles of nonpareils.
The surprise middle layer is colored green and flavored with mint. Lots of fun colors and flavors in this cookie and they are sure to please the most mischievous leprechaun.
Let’s start baking so we can have a pot of Irish Breakfast Tea and a plate of cookies together.
Cookie Ingredients
- Butter
- Shortening
- Sugar
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Eggs
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla
- AP Flour
- Mint flavoring
- Green food color
- Green and White nonpareil sprinkles
How to Make the Cookie Dough
Step 1. With a mixer add the softened butter and shortening and mix together, then add the sugar, baking and the salt.
Step 2. Mix in the egg and the egg yolks on medium speed until combined.
Step 3. Mix in the flour until a soft dough forms.
Step 4. After you make the easy cookie dough batter, measure out 3/4 cup and tint green with food coloring and add mint flavoring. This dough will be the surprise middle layer.
How to Roll the Dough Balls
Step 5. Measure out 1 tablespoon of the plain dough and roll into balls. You should get 25. Then measure out the mint dough with a teaspoon to get 25 balls.
Step 6. Flatten a large ball in your hand then put the green/mint ball inside the flattened dough and then fold up the dough and roll back into a ball. Here is an important part of making these cookies. You have to roll that just made ball into the sprinkles immediately since the butter in the dough is a bit soft, this way the sprinkles will stick to the cookie dough ball. Make sense?
Step 7. It’s now time to bake the cookies. Heat your oven to 375 degrees F. and bake for 10 minutes.
Just checking, but do you have sprinkles all over your floor and countertop? There is just no stopping these nonpareils from going everywhere.
Meanwhile, this is a good time to brew up a pot of tea.
Surprise Inside Mint Flavored Cookies
Lots of fun colors and flavors in this cookie and they are sure to please the most mischievous leprechaun.
Tips for Making these Sweet Buttery Mint Cookies
- Have plenty of sprinkles to roll the dough balls in.
- Roll the dough balls in the palm of your hands to warm the dough, this way the sprinkles will stick better.
- This dough does not do well chilled.
- These cookies freeze well. After the cookies are baked and cooled place them in a freezer contain for one month.
Mint Surprise Inside Cookies
Ingredients
Cookie Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 egg
- 2 egg, yolks
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 2 1/2 cups AP flour
- 1 tsp. Mint flavoring
- Green food coloring
- 5 oz. or more Green and White Nonpareil Sprinkles
Instructions
Making and Rolling the Cookies
- In a large bowl mix the butter and shortening until fluffy. Then add the sugar, baking powder and salt; mix until combined
- Mix in the egg, egg yolks, and vanilla until combined, scraping sides of the bowl.
- Mix in the flour until combined, forming a soft dough.
- Remove 3/4 cup of the dough to a small bowl and add the mint flavoring and the green food color. Note: I just add a few drops of food color until I get the right color. Mix well to combine
Rolling the dough balls
- Measure out 1 tablespoon of the plain dough and roll into 25 balls. Then measure out 1 teaspoon of the mint flavor dough and roll into the same amount of balls as the plain dough.
- Flatten the plain dough ball and place a mint flavored dough ball in the center and mold the dough around it to make a round ball.
- Immediately roll each ball roll in the nonpareil sprinkles and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat rolling and molding each ball.
- Bake for 10 - 11 minutes at 375 degrees.
Notes
Nutrition
A delicious cookie for an Irish Afternoon Tea
The tea is ready and the cookies are baked and ready for our afternoon tea These cookies are also perfect for a St. Patrick’s Day dessert.
Make sure to check out my other colorful Surprise Inside Cookies~
- Red Velvet Surprise Inside Cookies for Valentine’ Day
- Surprise Inside Easter Cookies
- Firework Surprise Inside Cookies
- Surprise Inside Christmas Cookies
- Halloween Surprise Inside Cookies
Planning a St. Patrick’s Day Tea?
If you are planning on an Irish Tea Party don’t forget the tea. Harney & Sons Irish Breakfast Tea is my favorite. Add a Belleek Irish Blessing Cookie Plate and Belleek Cups and Saucers to your table.
I will leave you with one of my favorite blessing ~
I love mint cookies … these are such a treat! Thanks for the recipe!
These cookies are great. My best friend loves all things mint so I made some for her and she loved them too!
These cookies are so cute! I’m going to make them for my kids this St. Patrick’s day.
I love surprises, especially delicious ones! 🙂 These are perfect for St. Patrick’s Day or any day, actually!
These cookies are absolutely adorable – can’t wait to make these and surprise my little leprechauns on March 17th!
What a fun idea, love the look of these!
I love the look of these and the fact they have a surprise centre!! Such a fun idea, these look totally addictive and I know I would eat too many!
These are perfect for St Patrick’s Day! I love any kind of mint dessert.
These cookies are adorable! Perfect for St. Patrick’s day ♥
Aw Such a gorgeous theme cookie! Love the sprinkles, not to mention the minty surprise inside the cookie! Great Saint-Patrick treat!
These are almost too pretty to eat! I can’t wait to try your recipe!
These look so fun and sounds absolutely delicious! I love how festive they are too!
Thanks, these are the perfect cookie to make for all kinds of festivities.
These are just so cute!!!
St. Patricks day is such an important day here. There is a big feast at the church and these would be so perfect for the kids (and big kids)
I am off to see if I can buy green and white sprinkles.
Hope you make these cookies for your event.
My son is obsessed with all things green – he would go crazy for these! So pretty!
What a fun dessert to make for St Patricks Day! I love the pop of green inside the cookies!
That’s what I love about these cookies, the surprise color inside.