St. Patrick's Day or Feast of Saint Patrick (Lá Fhéile Pádraig) is a cultural and religious celebration held on March 17th for Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland; who is believed to have died on March 17th and was buried at Downpatrick, over the centuries many legends grew around Patrick and he became Ireland's foremost saint. It was made an official Christian feast day in the early 17th century and the day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland and celebrates the heritage and culture of the Irish. Celebrations generally involve public parades, festivals, céilis and the wearing of green attire and or shamrocks.
Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated in more countries than any other national festival and is regarded as a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, the Canadian provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador and the British Overseas Territory of Montserrat. It is also widely celebrated in Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, Brazil, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand.
To mark the day I made buttery vanilla Celtic biscuits using Bakerlogy cookie cutters and their Vanilla Sugar Cookie recipe. The recipe is shared below however do visit Bakerlogy (bakerlogy.com) for other recipes and to view of their unique artisan cookie cutters.
Bakerlogy Vanilla Sugar Cookies
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Ingredients
- 250g Unsalted butter (9oz)
- 200g Granulated Sugar (7oz)
- 1 Large Egg
- 2 Teaspoons of Vanilla Extract
- 450g Plain Flour (1lb)
Steps
For best results, mix ingredients at room temperature. Prep and baking time: 20 minutes. Chill time: 1.5 hours.
- Mix softened butter and sugar until mixture is smooth.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract into the mixture and beat to combine.
- Add half of the flour and mix well. Then add the rest of the flour, mix and knead until you have a soft dough mixture.
- Split the dough equally in two and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Once chilled, roll out your dough onto baking paper to 5mm thickness and cut out your designs. Use a small amount of flour to dust over the dough surface, cutter and rolling pin. For best results further chill for half an hour before baking.
- Bake at 170C for 10 minutes. Leave to chill before decorating and serving.
Extra notes on this recipe
- You can switch the vanilla extract for almond for a different flavour
- For citrus fruit cookies you can add orange, lemon or lime (the zest of 2 and juice of 1) at step 2.
