These St. Patrick’s Day cookies are uber colorful, super duper easy, and oh so fun to make! This is also a great recipe to make with your kids, so don’t be afraid to let them dive right in. So whether it’s simple gold coins, green clovers, rainbow shapes or just round cookies using all the colors of the rainbow, you are going to love this fun treat.
St. Patrick’s Day Cookies: Rainbows, shamrocks, and gold
These colorful treats are the perfect little St. Patrick’s Day cookies. They’re super fun to make and easy enough for someone who doesn’t have much experience to tackle. What better way to celebrate the Irish holiday then to indulge in deliciously colorful festive cookies?
You might remember this cookie recipe: Valentine’s Play Dough Cookies – but they aren’t actually made with play dough.
They are named that because when the dough is still raw and chilling in the fridge it looks like blobs of colorful play dough. I assure you though, these are 100% edible sugar cookies that everyone will love.
THE RECIPE – First, you’re going to need the recipe. Here’s the printable version or you can see it at the Valentine cookie link above.
Once I made the dough I separated it into two batches. One batch I separated into 4 pieces and the other batch into 6 pieces. The batch of 6 I used paste food coloring to tint each section a color of the rainbow. In case you don’t remember, those colors are:
red, orange, yellow, green, blue and indigo (purple)
For the other 4 pieces I tinted two of them green, one darker than the other, and the other two yellow, again, one darker than the other. In hindsight, the yellows didn’t end up looking any different, so if you want there to be some contrast, add a bit of orange to one of the yellow batches. The green dough is for the shamrocks and the yellow is for the gold coins. After you tint the dough it needs to chill in the fridge for a couple hours.
The gold coins are the easiest. Take your two different yellows, roll a 3/4″ ball of each one, then gently roll the two balls together. Don’t go crazy, just roll them enough to combine the two. Using the palms of both hands, roll into a snake, about 10-12″ long. Start at one end and roll the snake into a spiral cookie.
To make the shamrock cookies you’ll need three green discs.
Use the two shade of green as described in the yellow instructions above.
Next, where the coil ends, pinch the disc into a point.
Use a butter knife or a lollipop stick to create a dent at the opposite end, forming a heart shape.
Place the 3 green hearts together as shown above, insert a lollipop stick.
For the rainbows, simply roll colored dough into snakes. The smallest being purple and the largest red, just curve them around each other and insert a stick.
To make the rainbow twisted coiled cookies, you will need a 1/2″ ball of each rainbow colored dough.
Gently combine them into one ball. From here, you can simple roll into a snake then a coil and be done.
However, if you would like to know how to make these cool striped coil rainbow cookies, you’ll want to watch the video below.
Because the instructions for the striped coils are hard to describe, I made a quick video. I’m really sorry for the cruddy quality. My batteries were almost dead and I had no replacements and I was running low on daylight in my kitchen window. I’m also sorry for the background noise! UGH
Oh yeah, and I don’t talk in it, sorry! Sheesh, not a very good video-er. But hopefully you’ll get the idea of how to do this. Basically, after you roll the dough into a snake shape, then you roll the ends of the snake which twists the colors into a spiral. WATCH…
One last note, when you watch you will see that the snake breaks a couple times, don’t worry! Just pinch it back together it will bake up just fine :)
I hope you enjoyed these St. Patrick’s Day cookies. Now go get busy baking. Your kids, husband, significant other, or coworkers will thank you for it!
If you liked these, you might also like my Rainbow Deviled Eggs and Egg Salad!
Amanda Formaro
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Lindsay @Artsy-Fartsy Mama says
February 24, 2013 at 6:56 pmThese are so cute!! They would be fun at a kids party. I also wanted you to know that I featured this today at http://www.artsyfartsymama.com/2013/02/pinteresting-features-n-shtuff-70.html
Carrie says
March 1, 2012 at 3:59 pmI’m planning the St. Patrick’s Day party for my daughter’s class. I can’t wait to make these..they will be a hit with the kids! I found some cello candy bags from Box and Wrap that have shamrocks on the bags….so cute. It’s the extra special touches that make the party great. Thanks so much for the recipe.
Amanda says
March 3, 2012 at 9:28 amThe kids will love them, sounds so fun! :)
Jamie says
February 19, 2012 at 10:23 pmWow, this such an awesome tutorial you have shared! I love these cookies.. they are so cute. Almost too cute to eat!I hope it’s okay, I’ve featured your colorful cookies on a St.Patrick’s Day creative and colorful foods hub. You can see it here:
http://jamiebrock.hubpages.com/hub/Colorful-and-Creative-Food-Ideas-for-St-Patricks-Day
Thank you so much for sharing!
Amanda says
February 25, 2012 at 7:53 pmThanks so much for the shout out jamie!
anickh says
September 19, 2011 at 9:01 amwhen i press the “read more and get the recipe” icon, the link doesnt work, and therfore it wont give me the recipe):
Amanda Formaro says
September 19, 2011 at 10:46 amThanks so much for telling me! I have corrected it and you should be able to access the full post now :)
Miss cuisine says
August 18, 2011 at 4:23 amA great idea. I put forward on my French blog with a link to this article.
Jenni Price says
March 26, 2011 at 10:25 pmAmanda these are super impressive! I love how the colors twist up and I can hardly believe they are cookies!
Blessings!
Jenni
KM @ This Plate is Full says
March 20, 2011 at 3:02 pmBrilliant!!!
Anonymous says
March 19, 2011 at 9:31 pm:>
Valerie says
March 19, 2011 at 1:26 amI especially love the heart shamrocks. :)
R and N says
March 17, 2011 at 7:05 pmGreat idea! I want to add this to my list of fun activities to do with my girl.
Miz Helen says
March 17, 2011 at 10:25 amCongratulations Amanda!
You are featured on Full Plate Thursday today 3-17-11. Please pick up your Red Plate and enjoy!
Amanda says
March 17, 2011 at 6:02 amHi Anon – If you followed the recipe exactly, I would say yes, add small amounts of flour until well formed. However, if you used liquid food coloring that will adversely affect the outcome of the dough. If you substituted margarine for butter, I'm not sure how that would affect the dough as I have only used butter, but in that case I would think a little more flour would help. In order for the dough to stay soft and crack-free you don't want too much additional flour. You may want to try chilling it a bit first to see how it turns out. I've made this dough three times following the recipe and haven't had an issue, so please make sure all of your measurements were correct first :)
Anonymous says
March 17, 2011 at 2:28 amwhat if the dough is not well formed? should i add more flour?
Amanda says
March 16, 2011 at 10:53 am@Anon – I have made these with both Philadelphia brand and a generic brand, same great results each time :)
Anonymous says
March 16, 2011 at 10:48 amwhat brand of cream cheese did you use?
Huggs and Kisses xo says
March 16, 2011 at 9:28 amI love these cookies! They are so adorable. I loved them so much that I posted it on my blog along with a link back to yours. Thank you for sharing!!
Amanda says
March 16, 2011 at 6:38 amThank you for all your great comments!
Christina @ The Tattered Tag says
March 16, 2011 at 4:34 amYummy cute!! I invite you to link up any & all of your delightful creations to The Homespun Bake Shop @ The Tattered Tag. It's a great new place for delicious inspiration. Also, happy to be a new follower. :)
Drop by The Tattered Tag
Mormishmom @ Funky PolkaDot Giraffe says
March 14, 2011 at 4:11 pmI featured your darling rainbow loveliness in my roundup!
http://funkypolkadotgiraffe.blogspot.com/2011/03/true-confessions-rainbow-addiction.html
Heather - Dollarstorecrafts.com says
March 11, 2011 at 10:32 pmThese are awesome. I'm linking up tomorrow at DollarStoreMom.com
So Domesticated says
March 11, 2011 at 3:06 pmHow creative… love it!
Lolly Jane says
March 11, 2011 at 10:31 ammy son walked by and saw these as i was blog hoppin & said "i want to make those!" so it's on today's agenda. THANK YOU!! (:
Kristen says
March 11, 2011 at 10:18 amSooooo creative!!
Jaime says
March 11, 2011 at 4:04 amThese are so fun!! I featured you on my blog: http://polkadotsonparade.blogspot.com/2011/03/foodie-friday-rainbowlicious.html
Feel free to grab a button!
Miz Helen says
March 10, 2011 at 9:07 pmHi Amanda,
I know that you made these cookies for the kids, but guess what I am going to take them to my woman's retreat next week end. My friends will love them. Thank you for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and you come back!
Jennifer says
March 10, 2011 at 1:19 pmUmmmm WAY too freaking cute. I featured you today on my rainbow round up :)
http://sunshineandchaucer.blogspot.com/2011/03/rainbow-round-up.html
Tammy @ she wears flowers says
March 9, 2011 at 9:29 pmI love these!! Perfect for little ones to help make. You are so incredibly chock-full of creativity! ;) I'm linking to this tomorrow at http://www.she-wears-flowers.com.
Julia says
March 9, 2011 at 8:16 pmAbsolutely the most darling Sy Patricks Day cookies around!!
http://www.sweetserendipity23.blogspot.com
karissas30daysoftruth says
March 9, 2011 at 5:10 pmHow many does this recipe make?
Alison @ mommadidit.blogspot.com says
March 9, 2011 at 3:34 pmLove it! Who wouldn't want one of these sweet cookie suckers for St. Patrick's Day?
Michelle says
March 9, 2011 at 8:31 amOh, those are so fun! They put a smile on my face. Can't wait to make them with my kids.
RedTedArt says
March 9, 2011 at 8:20 amOh my word, these are just too brilliant! We made rainbow cookies once, but they were not quite as spectacular as yours!!! Fabulous!
Maggy
PS thank you for linking up Kids Get Crafty!
Nutmeg Nanny says
March 9, 2011 at 12:29 amThese are so awesome! I loved the little video too. I love being able to see exactly what to do.
Last Minute Mel says
March 8, 2011 at 10:37 pmThese are too cute, it will be a fun weekend project to do with the kids!
Jenni Price Illustration says
March 8, 2011 at 11:37 amThese are just way too cute! I love them!
Deeba PAB says
March 8, 2011 at 10:24 amThese just rock Amanda…cool cookies! I can see your 'crafty' talent sneaking into these beauties! Gorgeous!!
Amanda says
March 8, 2011 at 10:20 am@Outlaw Mom – They do "plump when you cook 'em" (hee hee, sorry couldn't resist that Ballpark Frank commercial blast from the past, I digress). Just insert the stick into the cookie about an inch or so is good! :)
The Outlaw Mom says
March 8, 2011 at 9:45 amThese are awesome! Do you need to push the lollipop stick all the way through the cookie layers/coils, or do the layers just stick together when baked? Can't wait to try these! Thanks for the recipe
Amanda says
March 8, 2011 at 6:35 am@Sophia – I used paste/gel food coloring, Wilton makes one and I have some other brand here as well. They are actually called Wilton Icing Colors, here's an example http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3e30b2d9-475a-bac0-5d5c3db846dfd354
Sophia says
March 8, 2011 at 3:05 amHey these cookies are amazing. I was wondering what type of food colouring you're using. My batch were not as vibrant.
Jenn {Cookies Cupcakes and Cardio} says
March 7, 2011 at 11:07 pmSo beautiful! I love all the bright colours.
Christina of Form V Artisan says
March 7, 2011 at 9:21 pmThis is crazy! I love it.
Christina.
Wilde in the Kitchen says
March 7, 2011 at 4:40 pmThese are so much fun, I love all the colors!
SweetSugarBelle says
March 7, 2011 at 2:36 pmI love everything about these!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOu inspired me to try some different things =) ♥
Amy {The Idea Room} says
March 7, 2011 at 2:24 pmSo fun! I love the shamrocks and rainbows! I made some of these last year and my kids loved them. Never thought to make them for St. Patricks Day. Sharing with my FB fans :)
Jami says
March 7, 2011 at 2:18 pmI think these are so adorable!!
MessyMissy says
March 7, 2011 at 12:52 pmThose are so bright and happy. Adorable!! I would love it if you would link this up to my blog party, A Marvelous Mess. Each party I pick one project to feature for a week on my sidebar!! Here is the link:
http://marvelouslymessy.blogspot.com/2011/03/marvelous-mess-3.html
Tracy says
March 7, 2011 at 10:32 amI love everything about these cookies!!!!
Rachel Harwood says
March 7, 2011 at 9:51 amThese are so pretty!!!
I'd love for you to link up to my For the Kids Fridays Link Party, at http://sunscholars.blogspot.com
Maria says
March 7, 2011 at 9:48 amSo fun! I love the bright colors!
Stefania says
March 7, 2011 at 3:21 amMolto belli, complimenti ciao
marla says
March 6, 2011 at 10:58 pmOh happy day Amanda – I love this post. Those cookies are adorable. Guess I gotta start thinking about St. Patricks Day. When is it anyway??
Stephanie says
March 6, 2011 at 7:28 pmI love these cookies, especially the rainbow ones! I want to do a "you are my sunshine" themed party in the future and those would be perfect!
Leslie says
March 6, 2011 at 7:23 pmOk…those are ADORABLE!
Amanda says
March 6, 2011 at 5:55 pmThank you everyone!
@Vickie – wow, blush! Thank you so much for such a great compliment! :) :)
@Anon – That sounds like a fun idea! Would love to see them if you try it :)
Anonymous says
March 6, 2011 at 5:39 pmOhhhhh my gosh. Inspiration just hit while looking through this post.
I want to take a bunch of colors (like orange-yellow-red or green-blue-purple), run them through a pasta machine on the thickest setting. Then I'd cut out fun shapes, stick them onto partly rolled out plain sugar cookie dough, give it a couple good rolls with a rolling pin, then cut out cookies in heart and flower shapes.
I would call them confetti cookies!
Jennifurla says
March 6, 2011 at 5:05 pmWow, they jump off my screen – kids would flip at such great treats
Vickie from Windsor CA says
March 6, 2011 at 1:44 pmDear Amanda, When I open my email and see that you have sent your latest posting, I am like a kid in a candy store, I have to open it up before anything else. Your cookies look so cheerful on a rainy day in Northern California. Can't wait to try them.
MaryBeth says
March 6, 2011 at 1:21 pmWhen I saw these on Face Book last night I thought they were so darn cute. This would be a great family cooking project.
Cookin' Canuck says
March 6, 2011 at 12:40 pmWhat fun projects to do with the kids for St. Patrick's Day.
Aubrie says
March 6, 2011 at 12:29 pmSo colorful and fun. My daughter would LOVE these!
aubrie @ http://amamab.blogspot.com/
Katrina says
March 6, 2011 at 11:24 amLove! My boys would love to make these.
Kristen says
March 6, 2011 at 10:22 amThose look just as cute as the cut out frosted kind, yet they are SO much easier. I love it!! Thanks for the idea and recipe.
Megan says
March 6, 2011 at 9:54 amWhat fun cookies. I can just hear the children squeal in delight!
Sweet And Crumby says
March 6, 2011 at 9:30 amSuch cool, bright and cheerful cookies! Amazing job on these!
Hollie - TheSevenYearCottage.com says
March 6, 2011 at 9:19 amThey are all amazing!
claudia lamascolo says
March 6, 2011 at 8:47 amThese are so inspiring to make even without little kids running around! I love them!
Beansieleigh says
March 6, 2011 at 7:40 amGood Sunday Morning Amanda! I don't think my morning coffee is kicking in yet, but all these beautiful colors might just be doing the trick! I haven't baked in a while, I've been so busy with other things, but these certainly are an inspiration! I just may have to try out this technique of cookie baking sometime soon!.. Hope you're enjoying the weekend! ~tina
Avanika [YumsiliciousBakes] says
March 6, 2011 at 6:33 amThese are awesome Amanda. It's surprising to see how much the dough really is like play doh. I've never made such a sugar cookie. Bookmarked and stumbled :)
Sue says
March 5, 2011 at 11:24 pmI made some coil cookie pops before, and rainbow cookies, but never rainbow cookie pops! Though these cookies are all adorable and colorful, the rainbow pops are my favorite, Amanda! SO CUTE!
Tami says
March 5, 2011 at 10:38 pmSo darn cute!! :)