Cara’s Cuisine: Marshmallow Leprechaun Hats

Top o’ the mornin’ to ya on this very special holiday. While we are all enjoying our spring breaks, the world will be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day — honoring St. Patrick, the missionary who converted us Irish folk to Catholicism and celebrating all things green. There are already four leaf clovers decorating buildings throughout campus and if you look around, you can even spot a leprechaun or two peeking out of a dorm window. To celebrate the one day of the year when everyone wants to be Irish, here are some fun Leprechaun hats you can make — made from chocolate, a bit of cookie and a marshmallow.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons of salted butter

¼ cup of sugar

1 egg

½ teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

¾ cup of all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon of baking powder

¾ cup of (about 6 ounces) green chocolate melts

15 large marshmallows

Step 1: The Cookie

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together until pale, then beat in the egg and vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, thoroughly combine the flour and baking powder.
4. Gently mix the contents of both bowls together until the dough is consistent.
5. Wrap the dough in plastic, let it chill in the refrigerator for one hour.
6. Roll the dough out until it is completely flat and 1/4 of an inch thick.
7. Cut the flattened dough into circles about 2 ½ inches in diameter.
8. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes until they are golden around the edges, but still soft in the middle. The cookies continue to bake once removed from the oven.

Step 2: The Marshmallow

1. As soon as the cookies are removed from the oven, take a marshmallow and gently press it onto the top of the cookie so that the bottom begins to melt and they attach.
2. Let them cool for three minutes before transferring the cookies off of the cookie sheets.

Step 3: The Chocolate

1. Take the green chocolate melts and melt them in the microwave by putting them in for 30 second intervals, then stirring vigorously. Once the chocolate is smooth, use a spoon to drip it over the cookie and marshmallow “hat,” and use the back of the cookie to smooth the edges.
2. Now: decorate! You can take some clear green sprinkles and coat the cookie in them, use a yellow M&M to create a buckle and a thin strip of licorice, cut thinly lengthwise to make a belt or you can enjoy them for the little top hats they are.