Irish potatoes were a staple in my house growing up around this time of year. My step dad and I would fight over them because they were that delicious. They were a treat that I somehow forgot about 99% of the year but absolutely could not live without the other 1%. Since I moved out of my hometown, I couldn’t seem to find them anywhere and they slowly slipped from my mind…until recently. I don’t know what reminded me of them, but whatever it was, I knew I had to make them QUICK.

When these were finished I was honestly shocked by how much they tasted like the real thing. I mean if you put these out on a table and didn’t tell anyone you made them, they would think they were O’Briens Irish Potatoes. I really wanted these to be legit and I think I accomplished it!

What is good about these Irish Potatoes is that they are MINIMAL ingredients with MAXIMUM results. You can make so many of these little guys from just one batch and they’ll keep you going through the season…or at least through the weekend if you can manage not to eat them all. They consist of cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract, powdered sugar, shredded coconut and ground cinnamon. That’s it. 6 ingredients… all of which I can guarantee you have in your fridge and pantry.

6 ingredients that come together in 15 minutes??? Sign me up! The longest hardest part about these is scooping and rolling them into balls. But to make it go a little faster, I scooped a ton out onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment and then rolled them into balls instead of doing one at a time. I feel like this just makes it go faster.

How do I make Irish Potatoes exactly?

The process for these is beyond simple. Hey, I think Im catching a trend here with my recipes! Anyways, you’ll want to combine the softened cream cheese and butter until nice and creamy and one smooth consistency. Next, add in the salt and vanilla and mix to combine. Then, alternating, add in your powdered sugar and coconut flakes a little at a time until it’s all fully combined. I did this a little at a time to make sure the powdered sugar didn’t become one big puffer cloud and get all over the counter instead of in the Irish Potato.

Now, remember when I said that I really wanted these to be legit? Well I think that is because I put my coconut through the food processor! When you bite into an Irish Potato, you want the coconut flavor but you don’t want coconut strings or chunks. These are not the coconut eggs you have at Easter time. These should be one smooth consistency, or as close to one as you can get. The food processor definitely isn’t necessary, but I think it makes them PERFECT!

Once everything is processed, combined, scooped and rolled, you can toss these bad boys into your cinnamon. Thats what gives them the “potato” look and the perfect finish. I mean who doesn’t love the cinnamon sugar combination?

So you’re now equipped with the ingredients and the process…GO MAKE THEM! If there were any time to use up that cream cheese that’s gonna go soon and the coconut flakes that have been shedding on your floor, now is it. Delicious, simple, and just in time for the holiday! What could be better?

Print Recipe

Irish Potatoes

Prep Time20 mins

Course: Dessert, Snack

Keyword: candy, coconut, dessert, Holiday, Irish potatoes, snacks, sweets

Equipment

• Stand Mixer you could also use a hand mixer if you wanted

Ingredients

• 4 oz cream cheese softened
• 4 oz butter softened
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups sweetened coconut flakes
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

• Add the butter and cream cheese into the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on medium speed until fully combined
• Add in the salt and vanilla into the cream cheese mixture and stir to combine.
• Add the coconut flakes to a food processor and pulse until the shreds are fine and small**
• Alternating between coconut and powdered sugar, add slowly in smaller amounts stirring between each mixture until fully combined. The mixture will be thick but not sticky. You should be able to pick it up and roll it between your hands without it falling apart or sticking to you.
• Once combined, scoop by rounded teaspoon full and drop onto a parchment lined sheet. Then roll into balls.
• Finally, toss the balls in the cinnamon to coat.
• Enjoy!

Notes

Step 3 of the instructions is optional. You do not need to process the coconut flakes into smaller pieces but I like to to try to get a smoother consistency.