Make your own Blarney Stone bars for a tasty St. Patrick’s Day dessert!
An Irish tradition takes on a tasty edible form in these delicious Blarney Stones!
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For centuries, a stone in an Irish castle, known as the “Blarney Stone,” is said to bestow the gift of gab to those daring enough to place a kiss on it.
According to legend, kissing the Blarney Stone, which is part of Blarney castle, improves a person’s persuasiveness and eloquence. In fact, the word “blarney” itself is often used to mean nonsense or flattery.
However, kissing the stone is no easy feat! Once performed by dangling toward the stone while trusting someone to hold your ankles, there is now an iron railing you can hold onto for safety.
The good news is, you can celebrate without the risk! Instead of taking your chances with the famous Blarney stone, why not make your own blarney stones at home for a sweet St. Patrick’s Day dessert?
Easy Blarney Stones Recipe
These blarney stones are sort of a cross between cookies and cake bars. They’re a popular St. Patrick’s Day dessert in the Midwest.
Tender cake is covered in a sweet frosting, then coated with chopped peanuts for some crunch, giving it the roughened texture of the castle’s block.
It’s such a simple treat, but a delicious one–and it’s perfect for celebrating an age-old Irish tradition this St. Patrick’s Day!
More St. Patrick’s Day Desserts:
How to Make Blarney Stones
It’s really easy to make these simple cakes!
Ingredients You’ll Need:
- All purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Eggs
- Granulated white sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Milk
- Butter
- Confectioner’s sugar
- Peanuts
How to Make It:
Make the cake batter. First, you’ll whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla, until it’s nice and fluffy.
Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, mixing just to combine. Then add the milk and melted butter, mixing to combine.
Bake the cake. Next, you’ll pour the batter into a prepared 13×9″ pan.
Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool completely.
Coat in frosting. Next, you’ll cut the cooled cake into squares and place them on a wire rack.
Prepare the frosting by mixing confectioner’s sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and salt until smooth.
Pour the frosting over the cake squares to coat all exposed sides (do yourself a favor and place the rack over wax paper or a baking sheet for easy cleanup afterward).
Add peanuts. Before the frosting sets completely, gently roll each cake cube in crushed peanuts (you can chop them with a knife or run them through a food processor), coating well.
Return them to the cooling rack so the frosting can set.
Notes and Adaptations:
- You can make the blarney stones larger or smaller, depending on your preference. Just cut the cake into the size cubes you like!
- Salted peanuts give this dessert a “salty sweet” flair, but you can use unsalted peanuts if desired.
Recommended Equipment:
Blarney Stones
These delicious Blarney Stone bars are a simple salty-sweet dessert for St. Patrick's Day!
Ingredients
- For the Cake:
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 eggs
- 1 ¾ cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup milk
- ¼ cup butter, melted
- For the Frosting:
- 2 pounds confectioners sugar
- ⅔ cup milk, plus 1 more tablespoon if needed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- For the Coating:
- 6 cups coarsely chopped peanuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 13x9" baking pan with parchment paper and lightly spray with nonstick spray.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract until fluffy.
- Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture, mixing just to combine. Add the milk and melted butter, mixing to incorporate.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cake to cool completely.
- Once the cake is cooled, lift from the pan and cut into squares of your desired size. Place squares onto a cooling rack.
- Prepare frosting by whisking together confectioner's sugar, 2/3 cup milk, vanilla, and salt until smooth. It should be a pourable consistency. If not, add the extra tablespoon of milk to thin its consistency.
- Pour the frosting over the cake squares, covering each exposed side with frosting.
- Place the chopped peanuts in a shallow dish. Before the frosting on the cake squares sets completely, roll the squares in the chopped peanuts, coating well.
- Allow the squares to set completely on the cooling rack before serving.
Notes
- Feel free to cut the squares into larger or smaller pieces, depending on your preference.
- Using salted peanuts gives a salty-sweet combo, but you can use unsalted if you'd like.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
20Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 588Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 362mgCarbohydrates: 82gFiber: 4gSugar: 65gProtein: 14g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is not guaranteed for accuracy.
