Irish potato candies are cute little confections that look just like little potatoes! This recipe does not contain potatoes; they are made using cream cheese and coconut.
This recipe yielded 40 potato candies, each was about 2 bites. Chilling in between steps is the key! Chill them for about 30 minutes after you mix in the coconut, then chill them another 30 minutes after shaping them, chill them about 20 minutes after rolling them in cinnamon. I used 1/2 tbsp of cocoa with every 1 tbsp cinnamon for the coating. After letting it set for about 20 minutes, I brushed the excess off with a basting brush.. I HIGHLY reccomend doing that, otherwise the coating is overwhelming. If you're not a cinnamon lover, I would suggest rolling them in just cocoa, I think I am going to try that next time. As is, the cinnamon taste is WAY to strong, for kids, I would definitely try the cocoa route.
Read Moregood taste but way to gooey and messy to roll. I even added more 10x sugar and that didnt help. I dont know if I did something wrong.Took to long wont be making again. Sorry.
Read More This recipe yielded 40 potato candies, each was about 2 bites. Chilling in between steps is the key! Chill them for about 30 minutes after you mix in the coconut, then chill them another 30 minutes after shaping them, chill them about 20 minutes after rolling them in cinnamon. I used 1/2 tbsp of cocoa with every 1 tbsp cinnamon for the coating. After letting it set for about 20 minutes, I brushed the excess off with a basting brush.. I HIGHLY reccomend doing that, otherwise the coating is overwhelming. If you're not a cinnamon lover, I would suggest rolling them in just cocoa, I think I am going to try that next time. As is, the cinnamon taste is WAY to strong, for kids, I would definitely try the cocoa route.
These are so cute! I surrounded a plate of Irish Soda Bread with them. I had to explain what they were, since they do look a little odd, but once the group knew what they were they dove right in until they were gone. The taste is different and good, and they are a great touch for St. Patrick's Day. I would recommend chilling the mixture for about five minutes before forming the potatoes, then chilling them again for a few minutes before rolling them in the cinnamon. They keep their irregular potato shape better that way.
This recipe is great! It's just as good as the one's you can buy at See's candy. I did what See's did, though, and instead of just cinnamon, I mixed cinnamon with cocoa powder. Perfect!
This recipe is very easy to make. I like to toast the coconut - it makes the candy much more flavorful. For a cute gift - make small burlap sacks and line with wax paper, fill the sack with the potato candy and tie the top with twine. I gave these to my Irish relatives for Christmas and they loved them!
My husband was having a St. Pats potluck at work and I was looking for something "Irish" and "different" to send. I stumbled across this recipe and decided it looked easy, fast and good so I tried it. I just finished emailing him the recipe - there were a lot of requests for it! I added 1/2 Tablespoon of cocoa to the cinnamon and they were DELICIOUS!!! I will DEFINATELY be making these again!!
This was a big hit in my holiday candy tins. Be sure to allow time for them to dry out a little so they won't be so squishy. Also, next time I'm going to roll them in cinnamon and a little sugar instead of just cinnamon. The cinnamon alone is slightly bitter when you first pop it into your mouth.
good taste but way to gooey and messy to roll. I even added more 10x sugar and that didnt help. I dont know if I did something wrong.Took to long wont be making again. Sorry.
My son's class were supposed to be farmers, so I put a bunch of these in a little crate, with a sign saying "Potatoes for Sale". They were a big hit.
This is pretty good. Pretty good indeed. How can you go wrong with cream cheese, butter, and cinnamon? You can't! The only thing I would change in the recipe is I would throw the coconut in a food processor and give it a whirl to make the mouth feel a little less.. stringy. And instead of 'rolling' it in the cinnamon, I dunked them in a plastic sandwich bag to coat. Easy peasy!
Very good. I let cream cheese mixture chill in fridge over night before rolling in hands to form individual candies. Came out great. Cute presentation for St. Patty's Day!
This is a great recipe. After reading the review I made some of the alterations suggested and they turned out perfect. I used 3 cups instead of 4 cups of powdered sugar and did the cocoa powder/cinnamon combo just to take a bit of the bitterness off the cinnamon. Electric beaters to mix are a must and keeping the mix chilled makes all the difference. Also, spraying your hands with Pam helps it not to stick too. I made these for our Bunco group and it was a huge hit. One of the ladies actually owns a bakery and she asked for the recipe and a few days later was selling it in her shop! That says it all! :)
I have been making this fun candy for 50 years. I use potatoes instead of the cream cheese and add almond flavoring and Irish Whiskey. I also make eyes for the "potatoes" with small slivers of almonds.Wish I could post a picture but am computer challenged.
Adorable. Made these for the pastry buffet at the casino I work for; St. Pat's Day menu. For our tasting I toasted the coconut and added 2T. Bushmills Irish whisky plus chopped toasted pistachios...added depth of flavor and cut the sweetness a bit. Added powdered sugar and cocoa powder to the cinnamon coating to cut the bitterness.
tried & everyone loved it! i have a stand mixer so was super simple for me to make a double batch. i did as many reviews suggested & mixed to the 1 Tbsp cinnamon a half Tbsp cocoa & 2 tsp powdered sugar.i also did the chilling in btwn steps i mixed, then chilled for 60 min (because double batch)then formed with latex gloves on (made this step a breeze) then chilled again & coated by shaking 5 at a time in a gallon ziplock, chilled again, brushed off excess coating (i feel this is a must, otherwise the coating will choke you!! lol!!!)then stored in frig. soooo cute, they look just like little potatoes!!
These are totally easy and worht the time. I've made them for years and whether I take them to work or church, eveyone eats them till they're gone. NO changes needed. And chocolate doesn't belong in Irish potatoes.
These were delicious. I rolled mine in cinnamon sugar instead of just cinnamon as I was afraid pure cinnamon might be too much. Very rich and creamy and, most importantly, a breeze to make.
Hint for success with this recipe! Use a beater to combine the mixture of butter, cream cheese and vanilla., but try working the sugar into this mixture with a heavy spoon, pressing down to combine the ingredients and mixing until pretty well distributed. Then add the coconut and work it by hand. The heat from your hands softens the mixture enough to combine softly and makes rolling the candy easy. I made two batches rolled in cinnamon to serve St. Patty's Day at our Red Cross Blood Drive! Treat for the donors. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
These are yummy, but much better if you roll them in cocoa powder instead. If you use the cocoa powder and stick an almond in the middle, they taste like Almond Joys.
I made these last night, and they turned out wonderful, just like the wonderful irish potatoes my neighbor used to make when I was a child. My family loved them too, especially my son, he keeps going back for more. I followed the recipe exactly and had no problem with consistency or rolling them. The only problem is they're addiciting, I couldn't stop eating them! Will definately make again.
I grew up in Philly and looked forward to eating these every year! This receipe is the closest I've found to the original Oh Ryan's Irish potatoes. Absolutely delicious! And it's supposed to be sweet, however...those that say it's too sweet and those who get less than 60 "potatoes" out of this recipe are making them too big. They should be the size of extra-large marbles. This way, the taste of the sweet filling and the cinnamon coating is balanced and tastes perfectly blended when you eat it. Also...the ingredient list isn't very clear about the amt of cream cheese. You should use 4 oz. of cream cheese, which is half of a packet. And yes, the full 4 cups of POWDERED sugar is needed so it's not too sticky. I greased my hands w/ a tiny bit of butter about 3 times total while rolling balls. If you roll them using your palms instead of your fingers, it won't stick as much. I got about 67 potatoes, but I made them smaller than usual. Thank you for posting this delicious reminisance of my childhood!
Pretty good recipe, but, 4 cups 10x sugar was way too sweet. Threw away the first batch and only used 2 cups 10x sugar second time around. A little softer consistency, but after chilling in the fridge it was easy to roll into balls. Tasted much better with less sugar!!
These are absolutely adorable! Think that one time I may try a drop of orange food coloring in the dough and make them little "sweet potatos". They were very easy and very good, but I was suprised at how much time it took to roll them out and coat them in cinnamon. Took me almost an hour. But it was worth it they are so cute. Thanks for sharing.
I've made A LOT of Irish Potatoes in my day, and I have to tell you these turned out the best!! Recipe was simple enough to follow!! A co-worker said she tried this recipe and hers came out to soft, but she also did make them ENORMOUS and tends to use "low fat" butters and cream cheeses(which I learned the hard way makes for runny potatoes. Thanks for sharing this recipe!!
In my opinion before wasting valuable time and resources, I made the mistake of following the above directions only to come out with a gooey mess. Here's the deal people, you must chill the mix at least 30 mins. before attempting to roll these guys in cinnamon if you don't there will be more cinnamon inside than outside. Just my two cents here but I strongly advise doing it this way because I made that mistake already.
i actually halved the confectioner's sugar and they were a perfect consistency (just barely sticky, but it helped the cinnamon to stay on!). i think they would have been WAY too sweet with the total 4 cups of the c-sugar. i took them to our neighbor's for a corn beef & cabbage party for St. Patty's day...to my surprise they were devoured! i drew a cute little sign to stick out of the bowl they were in saying they were Irish "potatoes." it really drew in the crowd--cracked me up to see people's reaction to the strange-looking "candy." hehe! many people asked for the recipe--they were definitely a hit :)
I used an enormous bowl to catch overflow, made recipe with an extra teaspoon of butter.After mixing, put into 2 sandwich bags,put in fridge for over an hour, and then used 3/4 teaspoon to portion and roll them into another sandwich bag filled with cinnamon to shake/coat them. quick and easy that way,the kids had a ball making them, without a huge mess.
This recipe was what I was looking for! I've made these candies since I was in the second grade and now being a grown adult I had misplaced it during a move, so I searched on other websites and including this one and found that this recipe came the closest to what I lost. I added a little more coconut. Also for those of you that say it's too messy or sticky to roll...well it is! And that's how it's supposed to be. Just use your palms, roll quickly and then plop about three or four in a bowl of cinnamon and swirl them around until coated. Then use your clean fingers to pick them up and put them on a try to be refrigerated. And I also needed a lot more cinnamon than what was recommended. Enjoy!
So this is pretty much a heavy butter cream frosting with coconut. It's pretty dang yummy as is. I only gave the recipe 4 stars, because it requires a LOT of chilling in-between stages in order to keep the dough workable and not a pile of goo, so the prep time/ready time isn't even close. I mixed a little powdered sugar (1/2 tsp per tablespoon) with the cinnamon to keep it less bitter for the kids. Next time, I may reduce the powdered sugar to see if it tastes a little less like frosting and more like cheesecake. I've also considered adding a box of sugar free pudding mix to it for flavor. I'll let you know how it goes! Thanks for the good starter recipe!
I made these for an Irish-themed birthday party, and they were definitely one of the highlights. It took me a while to figure out that the reason they were disappearing so quickly was because my husband kept sneaking some when I wasn't looking! I only used about 3/4 of the confectioner's sugar called for, and got delicious cheesecake-like candies as a result. Thanks, Saundra!
Recipe is poorly worded in regards to how much cream cheese to use so I wound up adding too much then doubling the rest of the ingredients. Not sure if I got the consistency exactly right in the end, but they were VERY good anyway and I will be making it again. Also, I added sugar to the cinnamon coating.
Next time I'm going to use Cinn. and Sugar, not groung Cinn. The ground Cinn. was too much!
I grew up on irish potatoes around March and was so glad to finally tasted like the same thing I ate as akid. Its a simple recipe but I have tried others but they're not nearly as delicious. This is a must during st.pattys day even if you're not irish.
After mixing all the ingredients together, I chilled for about 30 min to harden it up and not be so sticky. The cinnamon coating went on well. Be sure not to make them too big. Irregular shape, two bite size is perfect. Keep refrigerated.
Interesting and yummy, but very rich! I made them for St. Pat's Day and they tasted similarly to an Almond Joy but richer because of the cream cheese. I took some reviewer's advice to use cocoa powder and cinnamon for the outer layer and I am very thankful that I did -- otherwise, the cinnamon would have been way to over-powering for my taste. I will probably make these again next year, but will definitely halve the batch since you can only eat a few bites of these rich little suckers.
These are very sweet and rich and yummy. We preferred them without the cinnamon, rolled into small balls. They would probably be great dipped in melted chocolate. I served them after dinner to our guests on St. Paddy's Day with homemade Irish Cream. We wouldn't eat them very often because of all the sugar and fat, but they make a great special treat.
Very cute and yummy. Putting them in the fridge for a while before rolling them definitely helped!
This is a great recipe, very easy and looks just like little potatoes, so cute. I took advice from the reviewer who said to chill between steps. That worked really well. I got about 48-50 (someone kept stealing them before I could count) I mixed icing sugar with the cinnamon before rolling them. These are great. Thanks for the recipe.
It tasted of pure sugar to me. Loved the look but it didn't taste that great. Sorry!
These Irish potatoes were so delicious! I did have to chill the batter prior to rolling them into balls or they would have been sticky, messy, balls of mush. I will defiantly make these again. This batch goes to school w/ my daughter on Friday for a St. patty's day treat.
Very fun and easy to make. I am not a huge fan of cinnamon so I did do half Cinn. and half cocoa. My husband just loved them. I do have to say they are so cute.
To me these were nothing special tasted like cream cheese frosting w/coconut.. wont make again
Family and I thought they were great. Took the advice of chilling in between steps and adding cocoa. After I formed them I held each one and lightly sprinkled cinnamon/cocao mixture on them, then rolled them again in hand to give even coat. Next time I might put an almond in each one to cut the sweetness.
Just made these with the kids. Here's what I want to remember for last time. Every few minutes I had to stop and put the mix back into the fridge to firm up a bit before I could continue forming the balls. I think with these mods it will be a 5 star. It is too sweet (which is something I very rarely say). I will cut the sugar down to 3 cups - 2 and 1/2 cups into the mix and save about 1/2 cup to mix with the cinnamon to help cut it.
OK...so I almost gave it 4 stars because it is not easy to use and handle. My 10 year old little girl needed something for "culture" day at school...we chose this. Best advice? Put in freezer or fridge between each step! I read that and was so glad I did! Also...I mixed together cinnamon, cocoa, and powdered sugar for the end step. I tried to throw them in a ziplock bag and shake like someone suggested but they came out looking like poo. I spread them out on a large cookie sheet and "sprinkled" the mix all over them...turning them a few times. THEN they looked more like potatoes instead of poo. I HAD to keep them cold...or they became a mushy mess. By mid-day...even in a cooler with an ice block...they were all mushed together. What was left at the end of the day...my family and I dug in with spoons! ;-) Tastes great...just hard to handle.
I made these for my daughters heritage day at her pre-school. We're Irish and proud! The whole school loved them. In my opinion, they taste even better then the ones sold in stores. Great recipe!
The recipe was very tasty for the adults and kids. My tip is to add a pinch of sugar in the cinnamon. Also to mixed the cinnamon and sugar then in a seperate bowl (small) I put a pinch of the cinnamon & sugar then put the a ball into it and tossed it around, this seemed to coat them the best.
I made it just fine, everything had the right consistency and there were not issues with process, but no one, and I mean no one liked them. I ended up throwing out the whole batch because the people who tried them didn't go beyond their first bite. Yuck!
I made this recipe for St. Patrick's Day. My family loved the taste. The only thing I changed was the cinnamon to cocoa powder. It gave the candy a hint of chocolate without the calories.
My daughter loves to cook, and I like the idea of "No Bake" recipes for her. She enjoyed making this and got rave reviews from her two brothers and my husband and me! Of course, the guys thought it cool how they looked like real potatoes! Thanks for the recipe!
I made this recipe and it was really very good, I used a 1/2 tsp measuring spoon to form the little potato's and they where great. My husband loved them
I made these for St. Patrick's day, my husband loved them. He loves coconut and these were so easy because you dont have to cook them. I did add cocoa powder with powdered sugar and cinnamon for the coating and it really gave them a realistic potato look.
My family is as Irish as can be and this is by far their favorite irish potato recipe ever!!
My daughter needed to take something to school(middle school) for a Christmas celebration. We made 2 batches of these and she said it wasn't enough, everyone wanted more. Two of her teachers asked for the recipe. They are wonderful. I would not change anything when making these.
Very Tasty! The potatoes are much easier to work with if you let the mixture chill in the fridge until it's cold and then assemble them. I also found that using just ground cinnamon did not work well for rolling. Instead, I used a cinnamon/sugar mixture; this worked perfectly and tasted much better.
Got a 3 stars because of all the compliments they (I !) received while I would have given only 2 little stars : FAR too sweet for my taste ! I did use only 3 cups of sugar though, which is already plenty to make 50 "potatoes". No problem for making the balls after puting the dough for only 20 minutes in the fridge, but then I preferred presenting the potatoes in little paper cups as they had to travel on the next day. It all turned perfect this way. I agree with some comments about the flaked coconut being too "stringy", if a next time I'll use smaller flakes. I also followed the advices of the mixed cinnamon and cocoa. My own tips : if you are not completely sugar addicted, the dark cocoa coat is a must do, and don't spare on the spices you'd add to it. I also added 2 or 3 spoons of whisky in the cream-sugar dough, as when you decide to go Irish let's REALLY go ! May be this helped my friends to give their high rate....
I feed a about 80 Veitnam Veterans and their significant others Saturday night. Besides the corn beef/cabbage this was the hit. Was quite comical because they all were expecting your tradional potato candy with peanut butter. They were pleasantly surprised. Very easy recipe would be great for a kid just starting in the kitchen. Taste is wonderful!!!*****
My mom has made these for years. I decided to make them myself this year and these came out great! I took the suggestion of another reviewer and added some confectioners sugar to the cinnamon. I also let the mixture sit in the fridge over night TIGHTLY covered and it was not sticky AT ALL! The kids love them!
Novel idea, they really look like little potatoes!! I took them to work and received a lot of positive reviews on taste! Personally though, I thought the taste was a 3 out of 5.
These were a big hit with my husband's co-workers. I added red and green sugar for a festive Christmas appearance.
Everybody who tried these loved them!! Really easy recipe to put together. I rolled the "potatoes"in pure cacao powder in place of cinnamon because I was out. Instead of rolling out balls using my hands I used a mini ice cream scoop, dropping them into the cacao powder. I had no problems with the mix at all, didn't even chill it.
These are delicious. They are not too buttery at all just very sweet. I bought them into work and they were a hit. I found if you spray your hands with Pam they are easier to roll.
Very good and very easy to make! Just dont put too much cinnamon on them. A little over powering.
This recipe is great and I use it all the time! Sometimes I add a little fresh nutmeg in the cinnamon or not. And most times I split mixture in half and make adult version by adding a little coconut rum! My favorite
This was always a favorite in Philadelphia on St. Patty's day. I had no idea that it was so well known outside of that area. I make them every year, but only in the last few years have I added the cream cheese. Before that I was quite happy without it, but I like it with too. After chilling (and I have already left them in the refrigerator overnight), I have always simply shaken them in a bag containing cinnamon. I will have to try including cocoa with the cinnamon this year.
Little sugar balls, the cinnamon makes them. I tried with cocoa on the outside and still good but not as striking for sure. I also made some with the cocoa and mint extract, but the mint flavor wasn't strong enough, maybe next time I'll just mince the mint and make "potatoes with chives" candies!
I made these yesterday for St.Patrick's Day and they are so good! I would definitely recommend this recipe. I used reg salted butter and reg cream cheese (not low fat) for the recipe. Very easy to make. I did not roll the "potatoes" in cinnamon after they were chilled. There was plenty on there and I have heard from others that the cinnamon can be overpowering if too much is put on.
I think these are the absolute best Irish Potatoes I've ever had! And soooo much better than prepackaged O'Ryans. I did have to leave out the coconut (son is allergic) and even though it's one of the main ingredients, these were incredible! If I wasn't on Weight Watchers right now, the whole batch would be gone. Refrigerating the mix for a bit before rolling into balls is key to saving you lots of frustration -- it would just be a gooey mess otherwise.
These taste exactly like I remember the ones from Utche's Candy in Medford Lakes New Jersey tasted growing up. My mother would always buy us a small boy on St. Patrick's Day. They are very, very sweet, but so are all of the Irish Lasses!!
I was worried that I wouldn't be able to make them as nicely as the ones I had when I was a kid. They turned out great! Thanks.
Ssssssuuupppper sweet. I love cinnamon and coconut so I really thought that id enjoy it but I just wasn't worth the calories. I enjoy indulging in a sinful snack but it has to be worth it
It seems to have just been me, but the 1/4 cup of butter and 1/2 8 oz cream cheese wasn't NEARLY enough for the 4 cups of 10x sugar! I had to use a 1/2 cup of butter and a whole 8 oz package of cream cheese to get anywhere near a batter-like consistency instead of just lumpy powder. After I figured that out it tasted great! Maybe a little too sweet for some. I might relax on some of the 10x sugar on the next batch. I too chilled the batter in the fridge overnight before rolling them in cinnamon and cocoa. I'm sending them to school with my daughter. I'm sure they'll be a hit.
These have a great flavor, but there are a few things I changed. First, don't roll them in just cinnimon, as others have wisely suggested. Instead, I rolled them in finely crushed graham crackers and they tasted GREAT! Also, since I didn't have the patience to roll them into mini potatoes (way too time consuming), I simply made truffles. They still looked cute and were super yummy!
O M G! These are a diabetic coma waiting to happen, but oh my goodness they are WONDERFUL. I toasted the coconut like someone mentioned and they turned out great! Thank you for sharing!
Excellent Treat! I also made these to "garnish" irish soda bread at a work function. They were so sweet & so delicious - just like the ones I used to have straight from the candymaker in NYC. Make sure you use an electric mixer to mix the beginning ingrediants. Using a utensil for the coconut flakes is fine. Also I had to put the dough back in the fridge every so often to firm up. I also threw in a dash of confectioners sugar with the cinnamon.
Awesome recipe. People that don't normally enjoy Irish Potatoes loved these. I'll be using this again ;]
You can also roll out the dough and spread peanut butter on it and roll it up and cut about quarter inch slices to make small pinwheels. It's delicious!
So good - I made these candies for a St. Patrick's Day party. Everyone (who liked coconut) loved them. I will definately make them again.
They turned out looking SUPER cute! The recipe itsef was fine but it was a little too rich and sweet for my taste. All in all the recipe was fine just not my prefered treat, and served as more of a st patricks day decoration :)
There is way too much sugar in this recipe, so I had to throw out the entire thing. Probably 1/2 the recommended sugar would suffice.
This recipe makes Irish Potatoes exactly as I remember them tasting. It's quick and easy and soooooo good.
I had never tried irish potato candy but decided to try them and they were great! I loved them rolled in cocoa powder or just plain.
I made these last night and took them to work for a potluck. Everyone that tried them loved them. I cut back on the confectioners sugar by about a 1/2 cup, though. I also mixed in some cocoa power and confectioners sugar with the cinnamon. Chilling the mixture before rolling and then chilling again prior to coating them seemed to help a lot. I tapped each candy on the edge of a bowl to get the excess cinnamon mixture off so that it wasn't too overpowering.
Mine came out perfect! I hand mixed everything (which is a little time consuming) and mine didn't turn out sticky at all. I mostly sprinkled the cinnamon and didn't completely cover them, which didn't really make the cinnamon overwhelming, it's just right. My roommate's father is Irish (he is the first generation born in America) and he used to eat these as a kid with his dad, who recently passed away. I made these specially for him, and he was so excited and said they came out great! Follow the recipe exactly, and maybe adjust the amount of cinnamon you can handle/prefer, and they come out awesome! I will be sharing this recipe with friends :)
I thought these were delicious. Taste better than the ones you buy at the store. I see some users said they were to sweet, but what do you expect when you are using mostly powdered sugar!? TIP If you add more coconut they stiffen more so you can roll them better, no need to add extra powdered sugar.
Way too gooey and sticky to roll.. Even when I chilled them constantly. They would have been good if they werent so messy.
These were great and so easy. I don't think they taste at all like See's, but they're wonderful in their own way. Like a little ball of frosting with coconut wrapped in cinnamon. I thought the cinnamon might overwhelm me, but it didn't at all. Delish! (And I agree to refrigerate between steps - so much easier.)
The taste is great! But the consistency is all WRONG. Even if you refrigerate you cant get it into a ball because its so mushy. Even if you keep letting it harden in the fridge over night. Never works as good as the stores are. I have seen other recipes for this using Marzipan as an ingredient and I think that is probably more accurate. But like I said it tastes delicous but you will be eating it with a spoon LOL
These are so cute! They really look like potatoes, even after you bite into them the inside looks like a potato too LOL! These were super easy to make with my stand mixture, even with very cold butter. These are gluten free too, provided you make sure the coconut and the icing sugar is a reliable brand. I ran out of coconut, so I pounded some almonds into a chunky powder and it seemed to work well too, nice crunchy bits added to the "potato" nature without compromising taste. Great recipe! Will definately make again, I plan to use these as stocking stuffers this year.
