These soft and chewy St. Patrick's Day cookies are the perfect recipe for any St. Paddy's gathering, school party, or potluck. This classic sugar cookie is easy, no chill, and gets topped with Lucky Charms marshmallows.
These sugar cookies come together in less than 30 minutes from start to finish and stay soft for days! And, who doesn't love a themed cookie?
If you're looking for more recipes to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, try:
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Easy - these St. Patrick's Day cookies couldn't be more simple. They come together easily with a hand mixer or stand mixer and bake up in just ten minutes.
No Chill - there's no refrigeration time required for these cookies, which makes them even more appealing!
Classic sugar cookie - this is a very standard sugar cookie recipe, with just a touch of green food coloring added in to make them festive for St. Patrick's Day. These cookies are made without icing or frosting.
They can be rolled in sugar, topped with Lucky Charms marshmallows, doused in sprinkles, or left plain. See the Variations & Substitutions section for ideas on how to mix these up!
Ingredients
- Sugars. Brown sugar, granulated sugar, and turbinado sugar are all used to create these St. Patrick's Day sugar cookies.
- Baking powder and baking soda. Both leavening agents are used to help these cookies rise and spread.
- Vanilla paste or extract. This is truly the only flavoring agent in the sugar cookie, so it should not be omitted.
- Green food coloring. I love to use Americolor gel food coloring, as it doesn't add any extra liquid to the dough and provides a nice, vibrant color.
- Lucky Charms marshmallows. These are optional, but make them ultra festive for a St. Paddy's theme and also give a bit of extra crunch!
See recipe card for full ingredients list and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Add ½ cup of mini chocolate chips or white chocolate chips to the cookie dough.
- Add an additional ½ teaspoon of flavored extract. Some delicious ideas would be an almond extract, peppermint extract, and orange or lemon extract.
- Add edible metallic stars after baking or roll the sugar cookies in festive sprinkles (rather than sugar) before baking.
How to Make This Recipe
One: Cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
Two: Add the egg, vanilla extract and green food coloring and mix until combined.
Three: Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Finish folding in with a rubber spatula, if necessary.
Four: Use a cookie scoop to scoop out flush balls of dough.
Five: Add the cookie dough to a sheet pan until all have been scooped.
Six: Either roll in coarse sugar or top with a few Lucky Charms marshmallows. Add 8 cookies to a large baking sheet and bake one sheet at a time until done.
Hot tip! If rolling in sugar, do so immediately after scooping, otherwise, the cookie dough starts to dry out and it makes the sugar difficult to stick.
Baking Sugar Cookie Dough from Frozen
To bake the sugar cookies from frozen, flash freeze the cookie dough balls on a sheet pan for 30 minutes, then transfer to a zip top bag. Freeze for up to three months.
When ready to bake, remove the cookie dough (as many as you'd like to bake) to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Preheat the oven according to the recipe instructions.
Once preheated, bake the cookies according to recipe instructions, adding an additional minute, as necessary, until the cookies have mostly flattened and are set around the edges.
Expert Tips
- Use a digital scale to measure the flour. Adding too much flour to this recipe will prevent the cookies from spreading appropriately. If you don't have a scale, follow the fluff, spoon, and level method.
- Scrape the cookie scoop on the edge of the bowl to remove excess dough before dropping a dough ball onto the pan.
- Gently press the marshmallows into the dough balls prior to baking so they don't fall off.
- Bake one pan at a time for the best results.
Recipe FAQs
Use good quality, European butter, and vanilla bean paste. This will give you the most flavorful, classic sugar cookie!
Butter will provide the best taste in sugar cookies since there are no additional flavor profiles (other than vanilla) that get added to the cookie dough.
Definitely! Add the cookies to an airtight container and freeze for up to two months. Allow the cookies to thaw at room temperature before enjoying them.
Sure! Use store-bought or homemade frosting and add it to the tops of the cookies. Note that this will be a pretty sweet combination, but still delicious!
Storage
Store the St. Patrick's Day sugar cookies in a sealed container at room temperature for one week.
To freeze, place the cookies in an airtight container or zip top bag and freeze for up to two months. Allow the cookies to thaw at room temperature before enjoying them
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📖Recipe
St. Patrick’s Day Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment, or handheld mixer
- 2 large sheet pans
- Digital scale for best results
Ingredients
- 2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup coarse sugar
- green food coloring gel based is best
- ½ cup Lucky Charms marshmallows optional
Instructions
- In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugars together until light & fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides.¾ cup unsalted butter, ¾ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup light brown sugar
- Add the egg, vanilla, and green food coloring and beat until fully incorporated.1 large egg, green food coloring, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Scrape down the sides again, then add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Using a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop, portion the cookie dough and place on one baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roll the cookies in sugar, or top with a few lucky charms marshmallows (without rolling in sugar), if using. Push them into the dough slightly.⅓ cup coarse sugar, ½ cup Lucky Charms marshmallows
- Preheat the oven to 350℉, and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place the cookie dough on one prepared baking sheet placed about two inches apart (about 8 per pan) Bake the cookies for 9-10 minutes. Allow cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet, and enjoy!
Shelby
These were super easy to make and so tasty! They are soft and chewy, and such an adorable St. Patty's Day treat!
Stef
Okay, these are the most fun! So simple to make but lots of opportunities for the kids to help out. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to make a “regular” sugar cookie again. Thanks for making our St Patrick’s day extra delicious!