Happy St. Patrick’s Day! If you ran short of time and didn’t get to make corned beef and cabbage, or soda bread, or stout cake, or any of the other gazillion Irish recipes that have been flooding inboxes for the past week (enough already!), you can still enjoy a little green without any fuss. How about your very own St. Patrick’s Day parade with green animal crackers:
Perhaps a green Snoball will bring you a little luck o’ the Irish on this day:
If you want to make something quick, this Thin Mint Peppermint Icebox Pie fits the bill. Although it needs to chill for about 2 hours, it comes together in no time. If you didn’t get any Girl Scout Thin Mints this year, Keebler makes a nearly identical cookie called Grasshopper Fudge Mint Cookies. Tint the pie as green as you’d like.
- For the crust:
- ¾ cup crushed Thin Mint cookies (approximately 1-1/2 sleeves)
- ¼ cup sugar
- 3 tablespoon butter, melted
- For the filling:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- Green food coloring
- 8-ounce carton frozen whipped topping, thawed, plus another ½ carton for spreading on top
- To make the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together crushed cookies and sugar in a medium bowl. Add melted butter and stir until thoroughly combined. Press mixture evenly into a deep dish pie plate. Bake for 8 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
- To make the filling: Place cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl, and using an electric mixer, beat until light and fluffy. Add peppermint extract and green food coloring and beat until thoroughly combined. Fold in 8-ounce carton whipped topping. Spoon the filling into the cooled crust. Top with additional ½ carton of whipped topping. If desired, decorate with halved or crushed Thin Mint cookies, sprigs of mint, and/or green sprinkles. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.
Thin Mint cookie crust — the highest and best use of Girl Scout Thin Mints
Green enough?
Eat me, I’m Irish
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!
