Foodie Friday - Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy Friday everyone! We are all invited to an early St. Patrick's day bash at Gollum's house! Visit her at http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/ to see what everyone is bringing this week. I am going to bring one of my favorite sweet treats, Irish Potato Candy, usually just called "Irish potatoes". I first had this delicious candy when we lived in Philadelphia. My husband and I had just gotten married and were flat broke, but we would allow ourselves a treat occasionally from one of the vendors at the Reading Terminal Market. These are usually only sold in the spring around St. Patricks day. I've never seen them anywhere else, but I think See's candy may sell a version. I found a recipe on the internet (thank goodness for Google!) that was as close as I've found. I have seen versions that call for Karo syrup, some that use actual potatoes and even some that call for peanut butter (?), but this one is the closest to the candy I remember from "way back when".
Very short ingredient list. Yes, this does call for an entire box of confectioner's sugar.

This is the gooey mess before you roll them in the cinnamon. And trust me on this, when it tells you to add the sugar at low speed, you really want to follow directions unless you enjoy looking like Casper the friendly ghost. Another helpful hint - be careful when grabbing things out of your spice cabinet - ground cumin looks a whole lot like ground cinnamon when you aren't wearing your glasses ! Luckily I caught myself before I made a disastrous mistake!
Look Gollum, I have a delirious kitchen lol!

The fruits of your labor. After the week I've had, I'll give you three guesses as to what I wish was in that lovely glass coffee mug! This really is a delicious treat, hope you enjoy it. Now dance a little jig on over to Gollum's place and see what other Irish delicacies await!



Irish Potato Candy

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
4 ounces whole fat cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
16 ounces (one box) confectioners' sugar
2 1/2 cups sweetened coconut
Ground cinnamon, enough to completely coat the candy ( count on about 3/4 of a 1 oz container)

1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and cream cheese. Beat in the vanilla and then at low speed, the confectioners' sugar. Add the coconut and beat to thoroughly incorporate. Roll pinches of the mixture between hands to form balls (resembling tiny new potatoes). Roll balls in cinnamon to thoroughly coat and refrigerate until firm. Store refrigerated in an air tight container. The candy will keep for up to two weeks.

Yield: 30-36 pieces - I make mine a little larger