This post will teach you how to decorate shamrock sugar cookies with a delicious vanilla buttercream frosting along with a video tutorial.
These are some crazy times we’re living in right now. COVID-19. You can’t get away from it. Everywhere you turn people are talking about it. It’s basically crippled the U.S. at this point and the trickle down effects can have so many implications. It’s scary and stressful. But a good defense is the best offense!
Truth be told…I’m glad I’m not doing patient care anymore. I respect & praise anyone out there on the frontline of Coronavirus.
I don’t want to focus on that now. Other than to tell everyone to take this seriously and do everything you can to social distance yourselves right now. You’re probably here for some stress relief and a recipe so let’s get right into the recipe.
These buttercream Shamrock sugar cookies will take your mind off of all the craziness at least for a little bit. I’ve started incorporating some video tutorials with my posts. I honestly don’t know why I’ve resisted it for so long.
It takes countless hours to make and edit videos, but I have to keep up with the times and how people like to consume their content these days. I’m catching on the more videos I make so I hope you will go to YouTube and subscribe to my channel.
Shamrock Sugar Cookies Recipe:
These sugar cookies are so soft and buttery. And just the right amount of sweet buttercream. You can switch out the vanilla for peppermint extract if you’d like. In the cookie or the buttercream…or both.
Shamrock Sugar Cookies: Buttercream Video Tutorial
Ingredients
- SUGAR COOKIE INGREDIENTS:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter (room temperature)
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 + 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 eggs (room temperature)
- VANILLA BUTTERCREAM INGREDIENTS:
- 1/2 cup salted butter (room temperature)
- 2 cups confectioner's sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 Tablespoon heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- SUGAR COOKIES:
- In a medium sized bowl add flour, baking, powder, cornstarch & tiny pinch of salt. Whisk together and set aside.
- Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment or hand mixer cream together room temperature butter and sugar until well combined. About 2 minutes on medium speed.
- Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.
- If using a stand mixer switch over to dough hook attachment. Or if your hand mixer has dough attachment use it. Otherwise hand mix dry ingredient with a wooden spoon or spatula until dry ingredients are well incorporated.
- Add dry ingredients in 1/3 increments until well incorporated.
- Dough should be a bit tacky but not stick to the sides of the bowl. If dough is too sticky add a bit more flour a tablespoon at a time until it no longer sticks to side of bowl.
- Bring dough together in a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Overnight is best. But if you're in a hurry the addition of the cornstarch should stop your cookies from spreading.
- When ready to bake Preheat oven to 330 degrees F.
- Roll cookie dough out on lightly floured surface to about 1/4" thickness
- Press Shamrock cookie cutters into dough. Use desired size.
- Carefully peel away dough scraps and carefully transfer cookies to a baking sheet lined with parent paper or silicone baking mat.
- Bake on center rack just until the edges are light brown (very light)
- Remove from oven and transfer to cooling rack.
- When cookies are completely cool. Frost the cookies.
- VANILLA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:
- In a stand mixer using paddle attachment or hand held mixer. Add butter, confectioner's sugar, vanilla & heavy whipping cream.
- Turn mixer on slow and increase the speed to medium once powdered sugar gets more incorporated. Whisk until mixture is no longer grainy. Consistency should be smooth yet hold it's shape.
- If too thin add a bit more powdered sugar a tablespoon at a time until you get the consistency you want. If too stiff add a teaspoon at a time of heavy whipping cream until desired consistency.
- Frost cooled sugar cookies
- Watch the below video tutorial on how to frost the cookies and what items you will need.
- You can also check out the consistency of the frosting.
Shamrock Sugar Cookies Baking Tips:
Why Use Cornstarch in Sugar Cookies?
Cornstarch will prevent your cookies from spreading out. So in a pinch if you don’t want to chill them before rolling and baking, this addition to the recipe should solve that problem. I usually chill the dough for a couple of reasons:
- It let’s the gluten relax which makes for a more tender softer cookie when you bite into it.
- It allows the cookie to develop more flavor. Whenever you just let flour chill and hang out it develops those wonderful yeasty flavors in your baked goods.
Do I Need Baking Powder in Sugar Cookies?
No. It’s optional. Baking powder helps to make the cookies rise. I like to use it because it makes the cookies soft & pillowy. If you prefer a flatter sugar cookie, just omit it.
How Thick Should I Roll My Sugar Cookies?
I usually prefer a thicker sugar cookies so usually about 1/4″ thick is a great starting place. Make sure to lightly flour your surface before rolling out your cookie dough.
Can I Re Roll the Sugar Cookie Dough Scraps?
Yes, but keep in mind the more you work the dough and re roll it, the tougher the gluten in the flour gets. So try to not roll it more than twice. Get your cookie cutters as close together as possible to get the maximum amount of cookies and tenderness out of your first roll.
Why Bake at 330 Degrees Fahrenheit?
These cookies are best when they are soft and pillowy. You don’t want to bake them at 350 degrees. In my experience they bake and brown too fast, so I bake them at a lower temperature. I barely like to see the edges starting to turn brown before I pull my cookies out of the oven. I usually bake on the middle rack anywhere from 6 to 8 minutes depending on the amount on the tray. Once they are out of the oven I immediately transfer them to a cooling rack.
What Flavor Frosting is Best for Shamrock Sugar Cookies?
I used vanilla extract because that’s what I had on hand. A peppermint extract would be delicious in the buttercream to give that green frosting a minty flavor. I’m definitely going to do that next time I make them. I also used Wilton gel coloring in Leaf Green and Juniper Green and layered them onto a piece of plastic wrap and then just slipped that into my piping bag and used Wilton petal tips #102, #103, and #104. Refer to the video above to see how I frosted the sugar cookies.
You could also do a mint chocolate chip cookie recipe variation.
If you love this cookie recipe you may also love my Valentine Heart Sugar Cookies.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone!! I’ll leave you with this Irish Blessing. “May good luck be with you Wherever you go, and your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow.”
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