11 Classic Irish Dessert Recipes You'll Love

Keep your pot of gold. We want one of these desserts at the end of our rainbow.

Lemon-Thyme Rhubarb Bread Pudding
Photo: VICTOR PROTASIO

If you're celebrating St. Patrick's Day (perhaps by wearing green or making an Irish coffee), you ought to try one of these satisfying, traditional Irish dessert recipes as well. You could even sample one after serving classic slow-cooker corned beef and cabbage. Keep in mind that you can indulge in Irish desserts year-round, whether you have Irish heritage or not. Trust us, there are plenty of other occasions to serve chocolate truffles.

01 of 11

Irish Soda Bread

Traditional Irish Soda Bread Recipe
Lisa Hubbard

Studded with raisins and spiced with caraway seeds, this classic bread is great toasted and served with butter. The best part of the recipe? It only requires 10 minutes of hands-on time to whip up this traditional Irish food.

02 of 11

Chocolate Truffles

chocolate-truffles-recipe
Samantha Seneviratne

Ireland is famous for their excellent chocolates, so a few truffles would be the perfect dessert to share on St. Patrick's Day. You can whip up a batch of the basic recipe and dress it up with green sprinkles or bits of toffee, or try a variation by infusing the ganache with Irish cream, whiskey, or stout.

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Lemon-Thyme Rhubarb Bread Pudding

Lemon-Thyme Rhubarb Bread Pudding Recipe
Victor Protasio

Custardy bread pudding is the perfect sweet treat for a cold evening—and it's so easy to put together. (Just soak chopped pieces of bread in a sweet, eggy batter, and bake.) It's a popular Irish dessert—especially when paired with a hearty ice cream topping.

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Slice-and-Bake Lemon Shortbread

Slice-and-Bake Lemon Shortbread
Victor Schrager

Buttery shortbread cookies are another Irish dessert staple. This tweak on the classic cookie is infused with lemon and is just the right thing to pair with a cozy cup of tea and a good book.

05 of 11

Chocolate-Earl Grey Cake

Chocolate-Earl Grey Cake
Susie Cushner

This Earl Grey chocolate cake has a rich, moist flavor profile. This is the perfect grand finale for your St. Patrick's Day dinner (or the satisfying sweet after a hearty beef stew).

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White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Scones

EXTRA SHARP: White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Scones

If you've ever been to Ireland, you probably sampled a scone or two. In this recipe, the popular Irish baked good gets a sweet twist by adding a combination of white chocolate and macadamia nuts. Covered in a buttery caramel glaze and sprinkled with sea salt, these elegant scones are a delicious spin on a classic Irish treat.

07 of 11

Easy Irish Iced Coffee

St Patty's Day Cocktails: Irish Iced Coffee
Wendy Granger

This Irish coffee is both boozy and heavily caffeinated, making it a doubly indulgent treat. It features coffee, whiskey, simple syrup, and heavy cream. To make it even sweeter, add some homemade whipped cream on top.

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Croissant and Chocolate Bread Pudding

Overhead view on chocolate croissant bread pudding in a white casserole dish.The bread pudding is perfectly golden brown and studded with chocolate chips.
Allrecipes Magazine

Is there anything more delicious than bread pudding? Why yes! Bread pudding made from croissants! The Irish love their puddings, and this decadent chocolatey one comes together in just three steps. Combine all the ingredients, bake, and enjoy!

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Mini Irish Soda Bread

Mini Irish Soda Bread
Dawn Perry

This recipe may dole out Irish soda bread in pint-sized portions, but the winning flavor remains the same—especially if you slather yours in creamy Irish butter. If you've got lots of little leprechauns to share a snack with, this might be the way to go.

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Shortbread Wedges

Shortbread Wedges
David Prince

While shortbread is technically a Scottish creation, the Irish have their own take on it. Often, that involves using soft and creamy Irish butter. But you can use any butter you like in this easy recipe, which involves pressing the dough into a round cake pan and slicing it into wedges.

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Chocolate Peppermint Shortbreads

Chocolate Peppermint Shortbreads
Johnny Miller

Start with that Irish favorite: shortbread. Infuse it with cocoa and peppermint extract. Then coat it with chocolate and sprinkle it with crushed peppermint candies. If you're making this for St. Patrick's Day, use green-colored peppermints.

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