Vanilla Bean Shamrock Cookies
Vanilla Bean Shamrock Cookies are elegant sugar cookies infused with premium Madagascar vanilla and naturally tinted green using spinach or matcha. Delicately sweet, buttery, and aromatic, they’re a refined St. Patrick’s Day treat with pure vanilla flavor at the forefront.
Equipment
- stand mixer or hand mixer
- mixing bowls
- Rolling Pin
- shamrock cookie cutter
- baking sheets
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup superfine sugar (or additional granulated sugar)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped (or vanilla bean paste)
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract (optional)
- 3–4 tbsp natural green coloring (spinach paste or matcha mixture)
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted (for glaze)
- 3–4 tbsp whole milk (for glaze)
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract (for glaze)
- 1 pinch fine sea salt (for glaze)
Instructions
- Prepare natural green coloring using either blanched spinach puree or matcha mixed with warm milk.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.
- Cream butter, sugars, and vanilla bean seeds until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time, then mix in vanilla and almond extracts.
- Mix in natural green coloring until evenly distributed.
- Add dry ingredients gradually, mixing just until combined.
- Divide dough, wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness and cut shamrock shapes.
- Bake at 325°F (spinach) or 350°F (matcha) until edges are set but not browned.
- Cool completely, then glaze with vanilla glaze and decorate if desired.
Notes
For best color, bake spinach-colored cookies at a lower temperature to preserve the green hue. Use both vanilla bean seeds and pure vanilla extract for maximum depth of flavor. Chill dough thoroughly to maintain clean shamrock shapes.