Irish Potato Candy for St Patrick's Day

Happy St Patrick's Day! Not sure how many people associate St Patrick's Day and Ireland with the Great Potato Famine anymore, but some must because See's Candies always makes Irish Potatoes for the holiday! This candy might not look great --well they look like potatoes and that's part of the charm-- but they taste great! These potato candies are hand-shaped and robed in milk chocolate. The filling is the same fluffy nougat that is inside See's Divinity Truffle. Yum!! They're only available for a short time, so I hope there are some left for you.

Want to make your own Irish Potato Candy for the holiday? This Potato Candy is made with 'real' potatoes! It's a Philadelphia tradition. I've adapted this recipe from Food52. I use cocoa for rolling, but the cinnamon will work too.. or better yet, what about a blend? I also add toasted pine nuts for eyes!

IRISH POTATO Candy

Ingredients
1 potato (medium)
4 cups confectioners sugar
2 -1/2 cups shredded coconut
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp Madagascar vanilla extract
cinnamon or cocoa powder for rolling
Optional: Toasted pine nuts for eyes

Directions
Bring medium pot of water to boil and add potato. Lower heat and cook for 30-45 minutes or until potato is fork tender. When cool enough to handle (but still warm), peel potato and mash along with coconut oil, making sure to get it as smooth as possible. Stir in sugar, coconut and vanilla extract until everything is evenly distributed and well combined. Mixture will be soft, but at this point it should be able to hold it's shape, if not add a bit more coconut and/or sugar.
Using small scoop or teaspoon, portion mixture into balls and let them chill for about an hour.
Once candies are firm, pour about 1/4 cup of cinnamon and/or cocoa into medium bowl.
Form chilled balls into potato-like shapes and roll each in cinnamon and/or cocoa, adding more cinnamon or cocoa to the bowl if necessary.
Want to have some 'eyes' on your potatoes?  Add some toasted pine nuts
Serve immediately or store well wrapped at room temperature or in the fridge.

Makes about 24-30 'potatoes'.

Chocolate Guinness Cake for St Patrick's Day: 3 Recipes

1938 Guinness Poster

I post a lot of Guinness recipes for St. Patrick's Day. No big surprise because when I think of Ireland, I think shamrocks and leprechauns...and Guinness. Guinness Beer was founded in 1759 when Arthur Guinness signed a 9000 (!) year lease on a brewery in Dublin. That brewery is still the center of Guinness operations, and all the Guinness sold in the UK, Ireland, and North America is brewed there! FYI for those of you in the U.K., Guinness is served chilled in Ireland, and the bottles read "Serve Extra Cold."

St. Patrick's Day calls for a Chocolate Guinness Cake! So here are three recipes! My all time favorite Chocolate Guinness Cake Recipe is from a recipe printed in the New York Times (12/8/04), but there are several recipes I also like, including an "Easy" Chocolate Guinness Cake made from a cake mix--and a whole bottle of Guinness. The final one on today's post is from Chef Brian Leth of Vinegar Hill House and appeared in People Magazine a few years ago (see below). My friend Loanne Heavey Slapar swears by it. It's pretty similar to the one from the NYT, but I'll bet it all comes down to the cocoa used.. and a bit of technique.

CHOCOLATE GUINNESS CAKE

Recipe from NYT (see above)

Ingredients

Butter for pan
1 cup Guinness stout
10 tablespoons sweet butter
3/8 cup unsweetened DARK cocoa
2 cups superfine sugar
3/8 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon Madagascar vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 9-inch springform pan and line with parchment paper.
In large saucepan, combine Guinness and butter. Place over medium-low heat until butter melts, then remove from heat. Add cocoa and superfine sugar. Whisk to blend.
In  small bowl, combine sour cream, eggs and vanilla; mix well. Add to Guinness mixture. Add flour and baking soda, and whisk again until smooth. Pour into buttered pan, and bake until risen and firm, 45 minutes to one hour. Place pan on wire rack and cool completely in pan.
Remove cake from pan and place on platter or cake stand.
Ice the top with cream cheese icing..

The NYT recipe uses a white cream cheese icing. If you use a white cream cheese icing, you can ice the top of cake only, so that it resembles a frothy pint of Guinness. If you use chocolate, well.... you'll be eating more chocolate!

Don't have the time or inclination to make a cake from scratch? This Chocolate Guinness Cake is even easier and calls for more Guinness!!! This recipe is from Canela and Comino.  Don't worry about the taste or smell of the Guinness because you're using the whole bottle. You'll only have a tang from the Guinness and no yeasty smell, just great chocolate aroma!

EASY CHOCOLATE GUINNESS CAKE

Ingredients

1 box of dark chocolate cake mix (one with pudding in the mix)
1 bottle of Guinness Stout
1/2 cup of Canola oil
3 eggs
4 oz. Bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine cake mix, Stout, oil, and eggs in mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed just until combined. Add bittersweet chocolate and gently stir in. Divide between two 8” cake pans, coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when stuck in middle.
Remove from oven and cool in pans for about 15 minutes, then transfer to  cooling rack. Once cooled, frost with a rich Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting.  (see recipe above or use canned)

CHOCOLATE GUINNESS CAKE

From People Magazine/Vinegar Hill House:

Falling in Love Chocolate Mousse Pie: Happy Pi(e) Day!

Today is Pi Day, and for this Chocolate Blog that means Pie Day! The other day I posted the recipe for Marshmallow Mermaid Pie from the movie Waitress. Waitress (2007) was written and directed by the late Adrienne Shelly. Jenna, played by Keri Russell (The Americans), is a woman trapped in a life she dreams of escaping. Jenna bakes this pie--Falling in Love Chocolate Mousse Pie -- for a friend before a date, and the friend winds up marrying her date! This pie is easy to make and delicious.It's a great one to celebrate Pi(e) Day!

Falling in Love Chocolate Mousse Pie

Ingredients
9-inch baked pastry shell
1 1/4 ounce can condensed milk (not evaporated)
2/3 cups water
1 (4 serving) package chocolate pudding mix (not instant)
1 1-ounce square unsweetened chocolate
2 cups (1 pint) whipping cream, stiffly whipped

Directions
In large saucepan, combine condensed milk, water, and pudding mix; mix well. Add chocolate. Over medium heat, cook, and stir rapidly until chocolate melts and mixture thickens. Remove from heat; beat until smooth. Cool. Chill thoroughly; stir. Fold in whipped cream. Pour into prepared pastry shell. Chill 4 hours until set.

Guinness Chocolate Cherry Bread & Guinness Brown Breads

With St. Patrick's Day just a few days ahead, this is the perfect post for today--and, it's all about bread! If you want to make your own Irish Soda Bread, try this recipe. But if you want to try something new, try one of these dark breads.

The first recipe for Stout Chocolate Cherry Bread is a yeast bread, so because it has several rises, you'll want to get started early.

Moving along, I thought I'd post come classic Irish Brown Breads. You can use a Guinness Bread Mix or make your own from scratch. With the Brown Bread Guinness Mix, you usually would add raisins, but I think it works well with chopped dark chocolate (or dark chocolate chips). You add treacle (yes, you can substitute molasses, but you can find treacle online or at specialty food stores).

The Guinness Brown Bread from scratch recipe doesn't use chocolate chips, and I would spread Nutella on the bread to keep with the theme of this chocolate blog. Your choice. It's a lovely brown bread.

GUINNESS CHOCOLATE CHERRY BREAD

This recipe first appeared in CookingLight in January 2003. Thanks to the Internet, it's still available to all. I've made it about four times, and it's really delicious. The Guinness adds a special flavor. Chocolate and dried cherries are staples here at my house!

Ingredients
4 1/4 cups bread flour, divided
1 (12-ounce) bottle Guinness Stout
1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dried tart cherries
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon water
1 large egg white, lightly beaten

Preparation
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 2 cups flour, beer, and yeast in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
Remove mixture from refrigerator; let stand 1 hour.
Add 2 cups flour, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, and salt; stir until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 8 minutes); add enough of remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel tacky). Knead in cherries and chocolate.
Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size. (Gently press 2 fingers into dough. If indentation remains, dough has risen enough.)
Punch dough down; cover and let rest 5 minutes. Shape dough into a 9-inch round; place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Lightly coat dough with cooking spray. Cover and let rise 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 350°.
Uncover the dough. Combine water and egg white, stirring with a whisk, and brush over dough. Make a 1/4-inch-deep cut down the center of dough using a sharp knife.
Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until bread is browned on bottom and sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from pan; cool on a wire rack.

GUINNESS BROWN BREAD MIX 

Thanks to The Nibble, I was alerted to this Guinness Bread Mix. You have to add a few delicious ingredients, but it's worth it. As I mentioned above, I add chopped chocolate instead of raisins, but that's up to you. Since I add chocolate chunks to the bread, I suggest serving it with mascapone or goat cheese or plain. This mix is available in specialty food stores and online. There are 3 packets in each Bag which is a good value. The ingredients in the mix include Whole Meal Flour, Plain Flour, Oatmeal, Baking Soda, Brown Sugar and Salt. You need to add Butter, Black Treacle (dark molasses), Chopped Dark Chocolate (instead of raisins), milk, and a 1/2 cup of Guinness.

No time to get the mix, try this recipe from Jump into Ireland (Discover Ireland) for Guinness Brown Bread. It's not as sweet as the recipe above, so instead of adding chocolate chips or chunks, serve it with a Hazelnut (Nutella) spread.. just to keep it in the chocolate family! I've changed a few things in the recipe, but I know you'll like it.

GUINNESS BROWN BREAD from Scratch

Ingredients
4.5 cups Bread Flour
1.1 cups Steel Cut Oats
A pinch of salt
A pinch of sugar
3.5 ounces sweet butter
34 ounces buttermilk
12.3 ounces treacle (molasses)
5 ounces Guinness Stout
1 level teaspoon of baking soda

Directions
Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix together well and set aside.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan, add the buttermilk, and heat until tepid.
Now add the treacle to the saucepan and stir slowly until well combined through the buttermilk.
Remove the pot from the heat.
Add Guinness and stir.
Make a well in the middle of  dry ingredients, add the liquid and stir gently to make a moist paste.
Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare baking pan by brushing inside with butter and dusting with flour.
Pour mixture into pan and place in preheated oven for ten minutes, then reduce heat to 275°F and bake for 40 more minutes.
After removing bread from oven, allow to cool on a bread rack for 10 minutes.
Serve with Nutella.
  
Happy St. Patrick's Day!