Potato Candy Recipe: Easy Irish Potato Sweets with Pecans

https://www.notquitenigella.com/2011/03/31/potato-candy/

Potato Candy

Adapted from Martha Stewart

Makes about 20 x 1 inch "potatoes"

  • 30g /1oz room temperature softened butter

  • 60g/2 ozs cream cheese, softened

  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

  • a pinch of salt

  • 90g pecans, toasted (or walnuts)

  • 250grams/half a pound of icing or confectioners sugar

  • 1-2 tablespoons ground cinnamon for rolling

Step 1 - Beat the butter, cream cheese, vanilla extract and salt with a paddle attachment until combined and smooth, about 2 minutes.

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Blitzed nuts

Step 2 - In a food processor blitz the icing sugar until you get rid of all of the lumps. Add this to the cream cheese mixture. Take out one pecan from the nuts and blitz the remaining nuts and add this too and then mix together until combined. Refrigerate for about 1 hour until firm. While it is in the fridge you can chop up the remaining pecan as this will make your potato "eyes".

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Chop up a pecan finely to make the "eyes"

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The nutty mixture once beaten together and refrigerated

Step 3 - Remove from fridge and sprinkle the cinnamon powder onto a shallow plate or bowl. Take about a teaspoon of the mixture and roll it in your hands to make a rough potato shape and then roll it in the cinnamon and then place a couple of "eyes" on the potato. These need to be refrigerated and are best when chilled as they keep their shape then.

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Did you make this?

© Lorraine Elliott