These are some goodies I've made for years for our St. Patrick's Day Hoolies (parties). -Grainlady

McCann's Irish Oatmeal Cookies
(Source: box of McCann's Quick Cooking Oatmeal)

Cream: 1-1/4 c. margarine (I use butter), 1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar, 1/2 c. granulated sugar, 1 egg slightly beaten, 1 t. vanilla

Combine together: 1-1/2 c. all-purpose flour, 1 t. baking soda, 1 t. salt (optional), 1 t. cinnamon (optional) 3 c. McCann's QUICK Cooking Oatmeal (don't use steel-cut oats), 3/4 c. raisins (I omit), 1/2 c. walnuts.

Cream margarine and sugars. Add egg and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, add to shortening mixture. Mix well. Stir in oats, raisins and walnuts. Drop rounded teaspoons of batter on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes at 375-degrees F. Cool 1 minute before removing to wire cooling rack. Yield: 4-1/2 dozen. [Grainlady note: these are crunchy cookies, not chewy, and any brand of quick oats will work.]
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Broonie (Irish Gingerbread)

2 c. flour
1-1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. ground ginger
3/4 t. salt
1/2 c. butter or margarine, softened
1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. molasses
1/2 c. quick-cooking oatmeal
1 c. hot water

Measure flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Sift together onto waxed paper. In mixing bowl, combine butter with sugar until well blended. Add the eggs. Pour mixture into greased 9x13-inch baking pan. Bake in a 350-degree F. preheated oven 25-30 minutes. Test with a toothpick for doneness. Cut into squares and serve warm.
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Kerry Apple Cake

1-1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. ground cloves
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. butter or margarine
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/3 c. milk
3 medium size apples, peeled and thinly sliced, (about 2-1/2 cups)
1/4 c. brown sugar

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and spices. Cut in butter or margarine with a pastry blender until mixture is coarse crumbs [Grainlady note: use an electric hand-held mixer for this step.]. Add egg and milk and blend well to a stiff batter. Mix in apple slices and spread in a greased 9-inch square baking pan. Sprinkle top with brown sugar, bake in a 375-degree F. oven 25-minutes. Serve warm, with whipped cream if desired.
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KILLARNEY CHERRY CAKE

(I've posted this recipe so many times on the Internet over the years that you can now Google it and find the recipe. I found this recipe in a cookbook that was compiled by Home Ec. Teachers in the "Foreign Section". How authentic to Ireland it is is somewhat doubtful - although cherries are an Irish favorite - but this cake is always a hit and easy to make.)

1-lb. 2 1/2 oz. pkg. chocolate fudge cake mix
1/4 c. plus 3 T. creme de menth or 1 1/2 t. peppermint flavoring (I use peppermint flavoring)
1/2 c. chopped red or green Maraschino cherries
1 1/2 c. heavy cream
2 T. confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)
1/4 c. whole green (or red) Maraschino cherries
Chocolate curls (take a potato peeler to a cold or frozen Hershey Chocolate Candy Bar)

Prepare cake according to package directions, substituting 1/4 c.creme de menthe for 1/4 c. water or adding 1 t. peppermint flavoring and using the same amount of water as called for on the box (Grainlady note: I prefer the peppermint flavoring to the creme de menthe - creme de menthe tends to burn the cake). Stir in chopped cherries; pour into two greased 9-inch layer pans. Bake as directed on cake mix package. Cool.

Whip the cream with remaining creme de menthe or 1/2 t. peppermint flavoring and confectioners sugar. Spread one-third of the whipped cream between cake layers. Heap
remaining whipped cream on top. Arrange whole cherries on the top of the cake (Grainlady note: drain and blot the cherries on paper towels first to prevent cherry juice dripping on the whipped cream), add chocolate curls over whipped cream.

Note: If you want to save time and money, frost the cake with a tub of Cool Whip (regular or Extra Creamy, the Low-fat stuff doesn't hold up well) with either creme
de menthe or peppermint flavoring in it instead of whipping the cream. Make sure this cake is refrigerated until time to serve.

It's not authentically Irish but it caught my eye as very teen friendly and green. :)

I think you could get away with plain Oreos or add some peppermint extract.

Mint Oreo Ice Cream Pie

I know it's hard to find Mint Oreos anytime except during the Christmas holidays. This year as soon as you see them, buy some to eat and some to freeze. When the warm summer months come, you can make this amazingly refreshing recipe for Mint Oreo Ice Cream Pie.
Prep Time: 25 minutes

Freeze for at least: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours, 25 minutes

Yield: Makes one 9-inch pie

Ingredients:

1 package Mint Oreos (chocolate wafer cookie with creamy mint center), divided
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 quart chocolate chip mint ice cream*, softened
1 package Andes Candies (chocolate candy with creamy mint center)
Preparation:

Make Mint Oreo cookie crust by crushing 22 cookies. Add butter and mix thoroughly. Press into 9-inch pie plate. Chill in fridge for 15 minutes. Spoon ice cream into crust. Melt one half box of Andes Candies in the microwave, 30 seconds at first. Stir and then 10 seconds at a time until melted. Drizzle over pie. Roughly chop remaining Andes Candies and sprinkle over pie. Freeze for at least 2 hours.

Here is a link that might be useful: Recipe link.

I saw this the other day on the Yankee Magazine Recipe site. You can use a boxed brownie mix, which makes it pretty easy.

I cut brownies and congo squares into shapes all the time. They are good and sturdy.

Here is a link that might be useful: Leprechaun Hat Brownie Bites

Shamrock cut out sugar cookies with green sugar sprinkles....

Or any old chocolate brownie recipe with green tinted frosting.

Of all the possible desserts I make when the teens are around, the most popular are cookies, brownies or angelfood cake. You can always dye an angelfood cake green and serve it with either lime sherbet or pistachio ice cream.
Linda C

LindaC, I agree, even though sugar cookies cut out like shamrocks and frosted green are relatively commonplace, they were always the favorite of my girls and their friends. They always said the only time they got cut out cookies with frosting was on holidays, probably because they tend to be somewhat tedious.

If it needs to be "green", you could always bake a dark chocolate cake and serve it with mint chocolate chip ice cream, or you could make the old fashioned grasshopper pie, green with a chocolate cookie crust. You could take the mint ice cream and make brownie sundaes with a brownie square for the base, green ice cream and fudge topping.

Grandma also used to make "Irish potatoes" every year, which are really candy. Cream cheese, powdered sugar and coconut, rolled in cinnamon or cocoa powder and shaped to look somewhat like a potato:

Irish Potatoes

1/4 cup butter, softened
4 ounces regular cream cheese, softened (don't use low fat or whipped)
1 pound powdered sugar, plus extra for coating hands
7 ounces sweetened coconut flakes
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon or cocoa powder

With mixer, cream together cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl. Mix in sugar and vanilla, being careful to add sugar slowly. Stir in coconut flakes. Put cinnamon into small bowl.

Coat dry hands with a little powdered sugar and using your hands take small pieces of mixture (about 2 teaspoons apiece) and form into potato shape. Drop potatoes into cinnamon or cocoa powder and roll to coat. Place on baking sheet. When all the potatoes have been formed and dipped in cinnamon,refrigerate for several hours until firm, then eat.

Grandma also made "Blarney Bars", because nothing is more Irish than oatmeal. We usually had them with strawberry jam because that's what we had a lot of, but I liked them best with raspberry or cherry.

Blarney Bars

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
3/4 cup preserves (any flavor you like)

Combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, salt and baking soda. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Press half of the mixture into a greased 8-in. square baking dish. Spread with preserves. Sprinkle with remaining oat mixture; gently press down.

Bake at 350� for 38-42 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into squares. Yield: 16 bars

I've also seen a recipe for a Guinness cake, it's a bundt type cake, very dark chocolate. The kids would probably like that just because it has beer in it!

Annie

Mint brownies, always a request of my teen niece when going to Nana's house. Nothing fancy, can use a box mix and then frost with mint. Top with a thin layer of chocolate. There was never any left at family dinners.

Thanks everyone - you've given me lots of great options!