In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I thought it would be fun to bake some cookies with Irish creme liqueur (which just happens to be one of my favorites and which I tend to somehow always have on hand :)).   I also wanted to use some of the cacao nibs that I have had sitting in my pantry for awhile but had yet to use.  Looking around for a good recipe to try, I found this one which I got from Joy the Baker.  She always has great recipes on her blog so I thought her recipe for Oatmeal, Walnut, Cocoa Nib Cookies would serve as a good base.  And I was right.  The cookies turned out quite delicious.

The flavor of the Irish creme is subtle but definitely present and mixed with the deliciousness and crunchiness of the nibs, I am pretty darn sure I have a keeper.

I am also loving how the cookies are a bit crispy on the outside but still chewy on the inside.  That is how I normally like my oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and these totally fit that bill.  I am already thinking of my next batch and perhaps the addition of some macadamia nuts…oh yeah.

On a side note: usually, I do not like to use much sugar in recipes or I like to reduce the amount of sugar I use  but because of the nibs and the semisweet chips, I knew that there needed to be a decent amount of sugar to help balance out those flavors.  And I also did not reduce the amount of butter.  Bad girl, I know, but what can I say…it’s St. Paddy’s Day.  Hope you are having a great one so far!

Irish Creme, Cacao Nib and Oatmeal Cookies  (adapted from Joy the Baker)
1/2 cup of butter, softened (equal to 1 stick)
1/2 cup of white sugar
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup of old fashioned oats, ground or whole
1/4 cup of cacao nibs
1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup of Irish creme liqueur.

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is fluffy.  (About 3 minutes).

2.  Add the egg and beat for another minute.

3.  Add in the vanilla and Irish creme and beat until well mixed.

4.  In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Then add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix just until incorporated.

5.  Fold in the remaining ingredients making sure everything is mixed well.  The dough should be pretty firm.

6.  Scoop out the dough and place on either a parchment covered cookie sheet or on a greased cookie sheet.  Make sure to space them out well as these cookies do spread.  *My dough balls were about 2 tablespoons each and I fit nine on a cookie sheet.

7.  Bake for about 12-15 minutes, until golden on the outside.  The amount of time to bake will also depend on how crispy you like your cookies.  *I went about 13 minutes and had a nice light crunch on the outside.

8.  Devour!

And in honor of my great-great grandparents, a little Irish poem:

St. Patrick’s Day is here, you see.
We’ll pick some shamrocks, one, two, three.
We’ll count the leaves and look them over,
And maybe find a four-leafed clover.
I’ll sew green buttons on my vest,
Green for St. Patrick is the best.
I’ll wear a green hat, very high,
And dance a jig–at least I’ll try!
~Author unknown