This St. Patrick's Day there's no need to slide down a rainbow to find riches, you can simply make these peek inside chocolate Pot of Gold Cookies and you'll discover a sweet golden treasure.
I am really excited to share a new St. Patrick's Day recipe with you. Ever since I created my popular snowman cookies with clear candy bellies filled with snowflakes, I have been working on designing other similar cookies.
These pot of gold cookies also have a clear candy window showing gold M&M candy coins inside.
I kept the design pretty simple using chocolate cookie dough for the cauldron/pot. I thought the rough exterior of the cookie made for a rustic-looking pot, so I didn't bother decorating the cookies with royal icing or chocolate.
If you are looking for a treat to make for St. Patrick's Day, these cauldron-shaped cookies are sure to impress.
More pot of gold desserts:
- Chocolate Pot of Gold filled with Dulce de Leche Mousse
- OREO Cheese Ball Pot of Gold
- Caramel Apple Pot of Gold
You could even make these as cauldron cookies for Halloween. Just fill them with Halloween candies or sprinkles so they look like a witch's cauldron. You might also want to check out my Pinata Cauldron Cookies for another fun idea.
Now, let's get baking!
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Ingredients
chocolate cookie (recipe adapted from Lili Loa)
- unsalted butter
- granulated sugar
- egg
- vanilla
- cocoa powder
- baking powder
- salt
- all-purpose flour
candy windows and gold coins
- 12 crystal clear mint candies (I used Arcor candies)
- 1 tube Betty Crocker Chocolate Cookie Icing (royal icing)
- 4 ounces gold or yellow candies (I used gold M&Ms)
Supplies
- optional, 2 silicone mats
- rolling pin
- cauldron cookie cutter
- parchment paper lined baking sheets
- 2 - 2 ¼ round cookie cutter
Instructions
Make the cookie dough.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and sugar.
- Cream until light and fluffy.
- Mix in eggs and vanilla.
- Combine cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and flour in a small bowl.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix just until incorporated.
- Flatten the dough into a disc and wrap it in plastic wrap or place it in a zip-top bag.
- Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Roll out dough.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it rest for 10 minutes.
- Then roll out the cookie dough.
- For the first batch of cookies, roll the dough out so it is just a bit thicker than the candies you will use to fill your cauldrons. I used Gold M&M's, so I rolled my dough out to ¼ inch thickness.
NOTES
- I like to roll my dough out between two silicone mats, that way I don't have to use flour to keep the dough from sticking. You can also use parchment paper, but that gets wrinkled.
- If you don't have either, lightly dust a cutting board with flour, then roll out the dough.
Cut out cookie dough.
- Cut out 8 cauldrons at that thickness.
- Remove the excess dough, leave the cauldrons in place, and place the cut dough in the freezer for 5 minutes. By doing this, the cookies are more likely to keep their shape when you lift them up off the mat and place them on the baking sheet.
Cut the center out of the cookies.
- Set the cutouts on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Cut circles out of the center of these cookies.
- Place the pan of cookie dough in the refrigerator.
- These cookies will become the center cookie once they are stacked and assembled.
Cut more cookies.
- Roll out the remaining dough to ⅛-inch thickness.
- Cut out 8 more cookies, remove excess dough, and freeze the dough for 5 minutes.
- These cookies will be on top of each stack of cookies and you want them thin because they will have the candy glass windows cut out of them.
Cut the centers out of the top cookies.
- Set these cookie shapes on parchment paper lined baking sheets and cut out circles in the center of each cookie and place in the refrigerator.
Cut out the bottom cookies.
- Use the remaining dough, re-rolling as needed to create 8 more 3/16-inch thick cauldron cutouts.
- You will NOT cut holes in these cookies as they will be the bottom layer of the stacked pot of gold cookies.
- Refrigerate.
- You may have some excess dough. I find it's best not to re-roll the dough too many times or the cookies get tough. So just break off pieces of the excess cookie dough and create some small cookies to snack on.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Crush mints into a fine powder.
- Meanwhile, unwrap the crystal clear mints and crush them into fine crumbs. I used my food processor, but you can put them in a heavy-duty zip-top bag and whack them with a meat mallet. I crushed a whole bunch so I'd have lots for other cookies.
Spoon crushed mints into the cookies.
- Start by baking the trays of ⅛-inch thick cookies with holes in them.
- Bake the cookies for 11 minutes, then remove them from the oven and immediately fill each hole with the crushed candies.
- Return to oven and bake for about 3 more minutes. Keep a close eye on the cookies as the candy melts.
- You want it to just melt enough so that all the candy is clear, then remove it from the oven.
If the candy gets too hot, lots of bubbles will form and they will not pop, so your candy windows won't be clear.
Bake the whole cookies.
- Bake the remaining trays of cookies for 10-14 minutes until the tops of the cookies look dry.
- Cool all the cookies completely.
Assemble the cookies.
- To assemble the Peek Inside Pot of Gold Cookies:
- Pipe a line of chocolate cookie icing on the backside of one of the holey cauldron cookies (without the candy window) and press that cookie onto one of the whole cauldron cookies. Pour some gold candies in the hole, making sure the candies don't rise above the top cookie.
- Pipe a row of chocolate icing on that top cookie and set one of the candy window cookies on top.
- Allow the cookies to dry for at least 30 minutes before moving.
Variations
- Fill these cookies with ghoulish Halloween sprinkles to make them look like witches' cauldron cookies. Add some green icing on top and allow it to drip down and add a few green candy pearls so the cauldron looks like it's bubbling.
- Fill your cookies with a single chocolate foil-wrapped gold coin.
Storage
These cookies will stay fresh for at least one week if kept in an airtight container at room temperature. Do not refrigerate.
Get your supplies.
These items used to make this project are available on Amazon.com (commission earned for sales).
Related Recipes
If you're looking for more St. Patrick's Day recipes, be sure to check out these other fun ideas.
Recipe
Chocolate pot of gold cookies with a candy glass window that shows gold candy coins (gold M&Ms) inside.
- 10 tablespoons butter softened slightly
- ¾ cups granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¾ cup flour
- 12 crystal clear mint candies (I used Arcor mints)
- 1 tube Betty Crocker Chocolate Cookie Icing royal icing
- 4 ounces gold or yellow candies
-
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
-
In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and sugar. Cream until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Combine cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and flour in a small bowl. Stir into wet ingredients and mix just until incorporated.
-
Flatten the dough into a disc and wrap it in plastic wrap or place it in a zip-top bag. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
-
Just before the dough is ready to come out of the refrigerator, crush the clear mint candies into a fine powder using a food processor, high-powered blender, or a meat mallet.
-
Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
-
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it rest for 10 minutes.
-
Then, roll out about half of the dough to ¼ inch thickness between two silicone mats, two pieces of parchment paper, or plastic wrap.
-
Cut out 8 pot of gold cookies using a 3-inch wide cauldron-shaped cookie cutter.
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Leave the cutout cookies in place on your silicone mat, parchment paper, or plastic wrap, and place them in the freezer for 5 minutes. This will help your cookies to keep their shape.
-
Peel the cookies off the silicone mat, parchment paper, or plastic wrap and place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
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Then, cut holes in the center of each cookie using a 2-inch round cookie cutter.
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Chill the cookies in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
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Now, re-roll the excess dough into some of the chilled dough and roll it out to ⅛-inch thickness.
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Cut 8 more pot of gold cookies out of the dough, chill in the freezer, then peel off and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
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Cut circles out of the centers of these cookies too then chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
-
Re-roll the remaining dough together, roll it out to 3/16-inch thickness, cut out 8 more pots of gold cookies, chill in the freezer, peel off, set on a paper-lined baking sheet, and then chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
-
Start by baking the trays of ⅛-inch thick Top Cookies. Bake these cookies for 11 minutes, then remove them from the oven and immediately fill each hole with the crushed candies. Return the cookies to the oven and bake for about 3 more minutes just until the candy fully melts and becomes clear. Do not overheat the candy or it can burn and bubble badly.
-
Bake the remaining trays of cookies for 10-14 minutes until the tops of the cookies look dry.
-
Cool all the cookies completely.
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Pipe a line of chocolate cookie icing on the backside of a Middle Cookie and press that cookie onto one of the Bottom Cookies. Pour some gold candies into the hole and spread them into an even layer.
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Pipe a row of chocolate icing on that Middle Cookie and set one of the candy window Top Cookies on top.
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Allow the cookies to dry for at least 30 minutes before moving.
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Repeat until all of your pot of gold cookies are filled with candy and assembled.
Excess cookie dough
You may have some excess dough. I find it's best not to re-roll the dough too many times or the cookies get tough. So instead of making more pot of gold cookies, just make some small cookies to enjoy as a snack.
Melting the mint powder
Keep a close eye on the cookies as the candy melts.
You want it to just melt enough so that all the candy is clear, then remove it from the oven. If the candy gets too hot, lots of bubbles will form and they will not pop, so your candy windows won't be clear.
Storage
These cookies will stay fresh for about a week if kept in a cool dry place. Do not refrigerate.
Originally published March 2nd, 2015.
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Karen
How long will the melted clear candy stay clear.
Beth
I found that if I got the candy to be nice and clear that it didn't lose clarity over time. If I overheated the candy, however, and it got frosty then there was no way to get it clear.
Gail
I found your awesome cookie and finally had time to make them. I tinted regular sugar cookie dough brown as I Knew the kids preferred regular sugar cookies. They loved them. Especially the m&m’s. Took a bit for them to break open, but it was worth it. Thank you for the idea!
Beth
I'm so happy to hear you made these Pot of Gold Cookies and that your kids loved them. Using regular tinted cookies was a great idea if your kids prefer sugar cookies. I've made lots of these types of cookies using a sugar cookie recipe and they turn out great. I'm glad you enjoyed them.
Cathy McInnes
These amazing pot of gold cookies are a feature on this week's Making Memories Mondays! 🙂 Looking forward to you sharing your latest creations at next weeks party! See you Sunday at 9PM EST!
Cathy@ three kids and a fish
beth
Thanks so much for featuring my cookies:)
Traci
What a really unique cookie idea! I love how cute they turned out. I made the mistake of showing the kids the pictures and now they want them. 🙂 Happy St. Patrick's Day!
beth
Thanks, Traci. I'm happy to hear your kids liked them and want to make them. They really are pretty fun to make.
The adventures of Jolly and Happy
You've got some skills! I unfortunately suck in this department! I'm here to admire! Sooo cool!
beth
Thanks. I'm happy you stopped by to check out these cookies.
Muchmore Creative
Very Cool cookies. I am going to pin it!
Cathy McInnes
These amazing cookies are being featured at Making Memories Mondays! Yeah! 🙂 The party is going on now, and I hope to see you there! 🙂
Cathy@threekidsandafish{dot}com
ScrabbleQueen
Love these - going to steal the technique to make train biscuits filled with sweets for my sons thomas the tank engine party but I want vanilla biscuits not chocolate so I can dye them blue easily. Do you think I can do a straight swop of 1/3 cup of flour for the cocoa? Thanks (pinned the recipe too)
beth
Sounds like a fun idea. You can use the recipe I used when I made the Snowman Cookies if you want to be able to color the dough. Here's the link - https://hungryhappenings.com/2014/12/snowflake-filled-snowman-cookies.html
Jerri Birdwell
I'm definitely pinning this. Such a fun and cute idea! I'd love for you to come over and share your post at my linky party!
beth
Thanks for the pin!
Cathy McInnes
This is the coolest cookies I have seen all day, I can not get over how creative this is! And yummy looking! I am in awe! 🙂 I would love for you to share this at my brand new link party Making Memories Mondays going on now! There’s a great giveaway too!
Cathy@threekidsandafish{dot}com
beth
Thanks, Cathy. That's so nice to hear. I'll be sure to stop by your party.
Diana Hansen
Super cute!
beth
Thanks, Diana.
Prash@YummilyYours
This is brilliance! Just WOW!
beth
Thanks!
Brenda @ SweetSimpleStuff
I loved the snowmen, but love the pots of gold even more!!! Happy Birthday to you 🙂 Wow, your "business trip" at Disney World sounds wonderful ... let's just ignore the illness part! Hope you and hubby are feeling better.
beth
Thanks, Brenda. I sure did have an amazing birthday. I'd love to be able to ignore the illness part, and I will as soon as it goes away:( I'm not nearly as bad as my husband. I just have the sniffles and a sore throat. He is going on 11 days and is sick of being sick. I don't blame him.
Sugartown Sweets
My favorite pot-of-gold treats yet..so awesome and unique! I'm excited to hear about your trip but sorry to hear your hubby was sick and now you. Hope you're feeling better soon. I know your blogging friends were feeling "lucky" to get their own pots-of-gold. 🙂
beth
Thanks, these are my favorite pot of gold treats too. I feel so bad that my husband is still really sick. It's been bad. Fortunately I'm feeling a bit better already. I sure hope my illness is short lived. I don't want to suffer like he has. It's been awful for him.
The Partiologist
Oh my goodness, I keep forgetting to tell you how much I loved these. All of your wonderful treats are gone, no surprise, the chocolate didn't last long! 🙂 We loved spending time with you!
beth
It was great to be able to share these treats with you and even better to get to enjoy lots of your treats. I had such a great time with you and your girls. Thanks again for hanging with me!
Lisa@hooplapalooza
awesome! you never cease to amaze Bet! sounds like an amazing vacation despite the illness. hope you get better real soon! :>D
beth
Thanks, Lisa. I did get to enjoy much more of the vacation than my husband did. The conference was amazing and spending time at Disney with Kim, The Partiologist, and her daughters was a blast!