These Irish soda bread cookies are soft and chewy with highlights of caraway seed and raisins. Reminiscent of Irish soda bread, these bite-sized cookies are a sweet twist on this classic bread. They will be the perfect addition to your St. Patrick’s Day celebration.
With St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner, I've been looking forward to some traditional Irish desserts. Usually, my favorite go-to recipe is Irish soda bread. With hints of caraway seed and lots of raisins, this bread never disappoints. However, this year I wanted something... different. It’s a pandemic after all, right?! The cookies that I’m sharing today are even better!
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Why you’ll love this recipe
Taste and Texture: These cookies are not overly sweet. They remind me somewhat of a biscuit. The lemon glaze on top adds a punch of needed sweetness. The caraway seed leaves a pronounced spicy flavor. The raisins are sweet and delicious. There’s a lot of flavors competing in these cookies, but they all meld together in the end.
Level of Difficulty: This is an easy recipe to follow! You mix everything for the cookies in two bowls and have to shape them before baking. Add a little glaze and the end and, voila! Nothing too complicated here.
Key ingredients and why we use them
- Flour: Use your basic all-purpose flour in this recipe. Either bleached or unbleached will be fine.
- Shortening: We use shortening as opposed to butter in this recipe. Shortening has a higher melting point than butter, which gives this cookie a higher rise and allows it to hold its shape during baking.
- Raisins: I like the plump texture of raisins in this recipe. You could easily substitute currants, which would be more traditional.
- Caraway Seed: Caraway seeds have a distinctive mild anise flavor to them. Some people describe their earthy taste as peppery or slightly sweet. They pair well with cabbage, pork, or roasted potatoes. Try using them to flavor beef goulash or kielbasa stew. In this recipe, the caraway seeds provide a lovely subtle sweet taste. My husband immediately honed in on the taste and asked why the bread tasted like cabbage stew! It was the caraway seeds!
- Sugar: Sugar obviously adds sweetness to this recipe. Granulated sugar adds a fairly neutral sweetness to this cake.
- Baking Soda: This is how traditional soda bread gets it's name. If it's been in your pantry for a while, remember baking soda does go bad, so be sure to check the expiration date before using it.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use currants instead of raisins?
You can use raisins or currants interchangeably in the recipe. However, if you're wondering what the difference is between the two, here's my explanation! Raisins are familiar to most people and bring a lovely sweet flavor to your baked goods. Dried currants are tiny grapes that are naturally dried, much like raisins. Dried currants are smaller and have a slightly tart flavor. You'll see them featured in scones or hot cross buns.
Does substituting butter for shortening impact the flavor?
It does indeed! There's no way around the fact that cookies made with butter simply taste better. Shortening has no flavor, although it can make baked goods rise higher and be lighter. You can purchase shortening that has butter flavoring which will get you closer to the real thing.
HEATHER’S HELPFUL HINT
If you like the taste of butter in your baked goods, opt for a butter-flavored brand of shortening. It's the closest to the best of both worlds that you can get for this recipe!
Step-by-step: How to make Irish soda bread cookies
In a medium pot, combine raisins with water. Bring mixture to a boil on the stove. Reduce to simmer and cook until the liquid is absorbed. Remove pot from heat and let cool
In a large bowl, cream together shortening and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.
Add raisins and the flour mixture alternately. Mix well, the dough will be crumbly.
Shape the dough into small balls, about 1-inch wide. Slightly flatten the cookies to shape them into a disc. Bake on a parchment covered cookie sheet for 12-15 minutes.
Remove when the edges of cookies are slightly brown. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the glaze, mix confectioners' sugar, milk, and lemon extract together in a bowl. Drizzle over the cooled cookies.
Make ahead and storage tips
- You can make this cookie dough in advance and then store it in the freezer (up to three months) to bake later. Simply shape the dough into balls and pop them into the freezer for one hour on a baking sheet. Transfer them to a zip-top bag and squeeze out the extra air.
- You can store these cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- If you plan to freeze your cookies, do so the same day you bake them. Store them in a zip-top plastic storage bag. Remember to put the name and date on the bag so you don't forget about them! Store for up to three months.
Recipe variations
There are a number of different ways to switch up this recipe according to your taste!
- If you're not in the mood for a St. Patrick's Day dessert, leave out the raisins and caraway seed. Try swapping in dried cranberries and white chocolate!
- Feel free to get creative with the glaze on top! Maybe use vanilla extract or a little orange juice instead of the milk. Your options for glaze are endless depending on what flavor combination sounds good to you.
- You can rehydrate your raisins in any type of liquid. Other options include fruit juice or your favorite liqueur. An Irish whiskey might be appropriate for this dessert—although I haven't tested this one out.
Try these other desserts for St. Patricks Day
Recipe
Irish Soda Bread Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- ¾ cup raisins
- 1 cup water
- 1¾ cup flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon caraway seed
- ½ cup shortening
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg large
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract
Instructions
- Place a rack in the center of your oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit 20 minutes before baking your cookies. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
- In a medium pot, combine raisins with water. Bring mixture to a boil on the stove. Reduce to simmer and cook until the liquid is absorbed. Remove pot from heat and let cool
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and caraway seeds. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together shortening and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.
- Add raisins and the flour mixture alternately. Mix well, the dough will be crumbly.
- Shape the dough into small balls, about 1-inch wide. Slightly flatten the cookies to shape them into a disc. Bake on a parchment covered cookie sheet for 12-15 minutes. Remove when the edges of cookies are slightly brown. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
- For the glaze, mix confectioners' sugar, milk, and lemon extract together in a bowl. Drizzle over the cooled cookies.
Notes and Tips
- You can rehydrate your raisins in any type of liquid. Other options include fruit juice or your favorite liqueur.
- If you like the taste of butter in your baked goods, opt for a butter-flavored brand of shortening. It's the closest to the best of both worlds that you can get for this recipe!
- You can use raisins or currants interchangeably in the recipe.
- If you plan to freeze your cookies, do so the same day you bake them. Store them in a zip-top plastic storage bag. Remember to put the name and date on the bag so you don't forget about them! Store for up to three months.
Meredith
These were amazing! Soft, chewy, perfect cookie! Wonderful for an after school treat, brunch menu, dessert bar, or any occasion! I made them for a St. Paddy’s Day tea, and my kids couldn’t get enough of them. Good thing I doubled the recipe! Will for sure be making these over and over. Thanks for a keeper recipe!
Tonia
Recipe will not print for Irish soda bread cookies. Had no problem printing recipe for Irish soda bread
Heather
Hi Tonia, sorry the print feature wasn't working for you. Feel free to give it a try again, I made an adjustment that should help the issue. Happy Baking!
Tamara
I had never tried Irish soda bread before until I found this recipe! It was super simple to put together not too sweet, but definitely a nice treat. I can’t wait to make another batch.
Chenée
These were absolutely delicious! So easy to make and not overly sweet! I love that they're a fun and tasty variation on the traditional Irish Soda Bread recipe! The caraway seeds added fantastic flavor that made these cookies truly unique. I'll definitely be making them again!
Jazz
These were delicious. I added dried cranberries to the dough along with the raisins.
Britney Brown
This is such a fun take on Irish Soda Bread! They were so good, I loved the texture and the taste was so buttery and delicious!
Immaculate Ruému
I’ve been searching for recipes ahead of st. Patrick’s day, I decided to give this a try and it did not disappoint. They were delicious and can’t wait to make them again.
Capri
These cookies are so delicious! I love the bites of caraway and raisins!
Mila
We loved this in cookie version! Super simple, and bite-sized! What a great idea! I liked your take on this.
Crystal DaCruz
I’ve never participated in saint Patrick’s day as an adult but now that I have kids they’re super excited. So happy I found this recipe. The cookies were perfect! Can’t wait to make them again!
Marta
This was a great twist on the traditional soda bread recipe. I studied in Ireland for a while and this reminded me of my tea times.
Renia
The combination of caraway seeds and raisins really made the cookies quite enjoyable. Can't wait to make a bigger batch in a few weeks!
Kate
We really loved the creativity of these cookies! I was at first a bit sceptical about having Irish soda anything with raisins but I guess we have the lovely recipes we have today because our ancestors thought to change things up. They added a great sweet-tart balance. Definitely making these again!
Jessica Lawson
These cookies were not too sweet and very easy to make. The perfect treat for sharing for St. Patrick's day!
Shirley
Hi Heather! Our family gave these cookies a try and really enjoyed them! As you said, they aren't overly sweet, which was nice. I love the creative twist you made on soda bread—such a fun idea! We used currants and I liked them because the cookies are already small so they were perfect.
Mike
Baking soda needs some acid to allow it to cause a rise. Without acid the soda is only going to be a flavor. Try using buttermilk instead of water. You will have to not rehydrate the raisins or at least drain then add to the buttermilk.
Heather | My Sweet Precision
Hi Mike! Creaming the shortening and sugar is what truly creates the rise in these cookies—the recipe doesn’t rely heavily on a leavening agent. I included a small amount of baking soda mainly for continuity with the soda bread theme. And as you mentioned, on its own it does contribute to flavor—slightly salty and tart. I really like your idea of using buttermilk instead of water—ingenious! Let me know if you give it a try and how it turns out!
Tharesa
Any form of sweetening or fruit added to Irish soda bread makes it no longer Irish soda bread. It would be less appropriative to just call it Soda Bread, as all of the additives beyond a 4 ingredient bread were American additions. Traditionally, Irish soda bread is just flour, salt, baking soda, and buttermilk.
Heather | My Sweet Precision
Thanks for your input, Tharesa. While these cookies are sweet and delicious, I definitely agree with you... not a traditional Irish Soda Bread. Feel free to drop a link to your favorite traditional recipe for others to enjoy!