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Home » recipe

How to Make Shamrock Rainbow Sugar Cookies

By Jen

how to make shamrock rainbow cookies
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Could spring really be around the corner? I saw a robin hopping along my neighbours lawn this morning. That has to be a good sign. When the snow starts to melt and the sun starts to warm the air my mind drifts to thoughts of the rainy days of spring. Spring rain brings two wonderful things - rainbows and shamrocks.  These shamrock rainbow sugar cookies are a fun cookie to bake for St. Patrick's Day.

shamrock rainbow sugar cookies recipe

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A few years ago I figured out how to make and bake super cute rainbow sugar cookies. This year time I wanted to find a fun way to incorporate those springtime shamrocks. These delightful cookies are a super fun way to celebrate the arrival of spring and St. Patrick's Day with the kids.

Shamrock Rainbow Sugar Cookies

¾ cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
4 different gel food colouring (red, blue, purple, green, yellow)
shamrock cookie cutter

In a stand mixer, blend together butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla, until smooth.

sugar cookie dough in bowl

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. In 3 batches, add dry ingredients to wet. The dough will come together and pull from the sides of the mixer.

rainbow sugar cookie dough with colouring

Transfer the dough to a parchment paper lined surface and form it into a big ball. Divide the dough into 4 portions.

rainbow cookie dough being coloured

Colour each portion. We used green, blue, red/yellow and violet. To colour the dough, add a dab of food colouring to a divot in the centre of the dough. Knead the colour into the dough until you reach the colour you like. We went for darker, more intense colours. 

rainbow cookie dough

Now, divide each portion of coloured dough into 4 portions. Roll each portion into a long "snake" of dough.

rolls of coloured cookie dough

Line up the rolls of dough on a sheet of parchment paper.

flattening coloured dough with hands
pressing rolls of coloured dough together

Use your hands to press the rolls into each other.

rolling out rainbow cookie dough with rolling pin

Place another sheet of parchment paper on top of the dough and use a rolling pin to roll the dough to ¼ inch thickness. 

cookie cutters in rainbow cookie dough

Because you've been working with the dough and warming it up with your hands, it is important to place the sheet of dough in the fridge to cool before cutting out the cookies. This will help the cookies keep their shape. I placed the sheet of dough on a baking sheet and placed it inside the fridge. Let the dough chill for at least an hour.

After the dough has chilled and is firm, it is time to cut out those shamrocks!

rainbow cookie dough with cookie cutter
rainbow sugar cookie dough

Cut out your cookies as close together as possible. You can roll up the scrap dough, but the rainbows will look more tie-dyed than as crisp as the original cookies. Anyhow, cut out those shamrocks.

I used a small heart cookie cutter to cut up any spaces where I couldn't fit a shamrock.

rainbow cookies on baking sheet
rainbow shamrock cookies

Place the cookies on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake the cookies in a 375°F oven for 8-10 minutes - until the edges are lightly golden.

shamrock rainbow cookies on cooling rack

Once the cookies are baked, let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. 

shamrock rainbow sugar cookies

Then it's time to enjoy the cookies!

How fun are these cookies?! Feel free to change up the colours and the intensity of the colours. You could even experiment with using more than 4 colours. I used 4 because I wanted each cookie to have all the different colours.

shamrock rainbow cookies on cooling rack
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Shamrock Rainbow Sugar Cookies

Bake up a batch of shamrock rainbow sugar cookies. How fun are these crisp sugar cookies - perfect for spring.
Prep Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
Cook Time10 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr 40 minutes mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, canadian
Keyword: rainbow cookie, rainbow recipe, sugar cookie recipe
Servings: 24 cookies
Calories: 133kcal
Author: Jen

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 4 different food colouring red, blue, purple, green, yellow
  • shamrock cookie cutter

Instructions

  • In a stand mixer, blend together butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla, until smooth.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. In 3 batches, add dry ingredients to wet. The dough will come together and pull from the sides of the mixer.
  • Transfer the dough to a parchment paper lined surface and form into a big ball. Divide the dough into 4 portions.
  • Colour each portion. We used green, blue, red/yellow and violet. To colour the dough, add a dab of food colouring to a divot in the centre of the dough. Knead the colour into the dough until you reach the colour you like. We went for darker, more intense colours.
  • Now, divide each portion of coloured dough into 4 portions. Roll each portion into a long “snake” of dough.
  • Line up the rolls of dough on a sheet of parchment paper.
  • Use your hands to press the rolls into each other.
  • Place another sheet of parchment paper on top of the dough and use a rolling pin to roll the dough to ¼ inch thickness.
  • Because you’ve been working with the dough and warming it up with your hands, it is important to place the sheet of dough in the fridge to cool before cutting out the cookies. This will help the cookies keep their shape. I placed the sheet of dough on a baking sheet and placed it inside the fridge. Let the dough chill for at least an hour.
  • After the dough has chilled and is firm, it is time to cut out those shamrocks!
  • Cut out your cookies as close together as possible. You can roll up the scrap dough, but the rainbows will look more tie-dyed than as crisp as the original cookies. Anyhow, cut out those shamrocks.
  • I used a small heart cookie cutter to cut up any spaces where I couldn’t fit a shamrock.
  • Place the cookies on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake the cookies in a 375°F oven for 8-10 minutes – until the edges are lightly golden.
  • Once the cookies are baked, let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Video

https://www.kitchencounterchronicle.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/How_to_Make_Shamrock-1.mp4

Notes

Nutrition Info is to be used as a rough guide only. Nutrition Info is based on the products I am using and you may not be using the same products/brands. Thus, the Nutrition Info may vary.

Nutrition

Calories: 133kcal | Carbohydrates: 18.4g | Protein: 1.7g | Fat: 6.1g | Saturated Fat: 3.7g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 67mg | Potassium: 29mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 8.4g | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 0.2mg
Calories: 133kcal | Carbohydrates: 18.4g | Protein: 1.7g | Fat: 6.1g | Saturated Fat: 3.7g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 67mg | Potassium: 29mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 8.4g | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 0.2mg

So, what do you think? Have I found a delicious way to combine shamrocks and rainbows? I think so!


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About Jen

Jen Farr is a mother living in Toronto, Canada. She has been sharing her DIY crafts, recipes, activities and parenting advice for over 15 years on her blog Kitchen Counter Chronicle. Jen is the mom of 2 lovely daughters. She believes in the power of taking small steps that can make big impacts on the world.

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Hi, I'm Jen!

I’m the creative mind behind Kitchen Counter Chronicle. I’ve been making and sharing activities, crafts, and recipes for 10+ years.

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