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St. Patrick’s Day is one of my favorite holidays, but I haven’t had many projects for it on the blog. This year I am really getting into the spirit, so you can expect a few more fun St. Paddy’s Day recipe ideas coming your way in the weeks ahead! Today I am sharing a recipe for delicious shamrock brownies with a minty cheesecake swirl that are shaped like shamrocks- perfect for a St. Patrick’s Day party or a festive holiday treat. The base of the recipe is a variation on my delicious classic brownies recipe, but this one is prepared a little differently to accommodate the cookie cutter shamrock shaping. Jump to Recipe at the end of this post, or keep reading for my tips and some step-by-step pictures for this easy and delicious Mint Swirl Shamrock Brownies recipe for St. Patrick’s Day.
More St. Patrick’s Day food, drink, party, and travel ideas:
- St. Patrick’s Day Snacks for Kids: Easy, Kid-Friendly St. Patrick’s Day Dessert Ideas
- St. Patrick’s Day Snack Board (St. Patrick’s Day treats for kids)
- St. Patrick’s Day Lucky Charms Treats
- Shamrock Cupcakes (St. Patrick’s Day cupcakes)
- Dublin Kiss shot recipe for St. Patrick’s Day (with Jameson and Baileys)
- Spiked Mint Chocolate Pudding Parfaits (boozy St. Patrick’s Day desserts)
- Let the Shenanigans Begin DIY St. Patrick’s Day Shirt
- Planning the Perfect St. Patty’s Party
- Travel Tuesday: St. Paddy’s Day in Savannah, Georgia
Want more recipes like these mint swirl shamrock brownies? Check out these other delicious brownie variations:
- The last brownie recipe you’ll ever need:Fab Everyday’s Classic Foolproof Brownies
- Snickers Brownies
- Fluffernutter Brownies
- Layered OREO and Biscoff Brownies
- Cookies and Cream Brownies (fudgy Oreo brownies with whipped cream)
- Cheesecake Marbled Brownies
- Caramel Coconut Brownies (Samoas brownies recipe)
- Super Easy Football Party Food Ideas (Football Brownies)
- Football Brownie Bites (and the best brownie bite recipe)
- Valentine’s Day Brownie Bites
- Mint Swirl Shamrock Brownies
- Easter Egg Brownies
- 4th of July Brownie Bites
- Black Widow Spider Brownies (Halloween brownie bites recipe)
- Candy Cane Brownies
- Instant Pot Brownie Bites
How to make St. Patrick’s Day shamrock brownies
The base of this St. Patrick’s Day brownies recipe is foolproof and really simple; you just mix the wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately, then combine them. You can use dark or regular unsweetened cocoa powder depending on your preference.
Usually when I make brownies, I put the batter straight into a greased 9″ square baking pan. However, when I am going to cut shapes out of them (like these shamrock brownies), I like to line the pan with parchment paper and use a 9″x13″ baking pan so the brownies aren’t as thick. I grease the parchment paper just like I would a pan, but this way I can lift the paper (and cooked brownies) right out of the pan and onto a surface for cutting. It’s much easier than trying to cut and pull the shapes out from a high-sided pan.
After creating the brownie part of the recipe, I pour it into the prepared baking pan and set it aside while I make the topping.
To make the mint swirl topping for this brownie recipe variation, I use a stand mixer (though a hand mixer would do) to beat softened cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk, mint extract, and about 4 drops of green food coloring at medium speed until everything is well mixed and the color is nice and even. Note that I recommend using regular mint extract, not peppermint extract.
To make the marbled swirl, I place dollops of the green mint topping on top of the brownie batter in the pan. Using a butter knife held upright, I dip through the dollops and into the batter, then drag the knife to one side of the cake pan to create a swirled marbling effect with the green and brown. Repeat in rows, then do the same going up and down until you’ve got a nice swirl pattern.
Going into the oven like this…
… and this is how the swirling looks after baking!
A tip for making these brownies is to let them cool completely (about 30 minutes) after baking and before cutting. This helps the brownies set completely, and also makes it easier to cut into shamrock brownies.
Using a shamrock-shaped cookie cutter (I used one from this set from Amazon – affiliatelink), cut shamrocks into the brownies directly on the parchment paper…
You can serve these festive St. Patrick’s Day brownies immediately, or store in the refrigerator until ready to eat.
Here’s the Mint Swirl Shamrock Brownies recipe. Don’t forget to pin this one to your St. Patrick’s Day board!
Print Recipe
Delicious shamrock brownies with a minty cheesecake swirl, perfect for a St. Patrick's Day party or a festive holiday treat.
| Course | Dessert |
| Cuisine | American |
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 30 minutes |
| Servings |
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 cup butter melted
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 oz. cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon mint extract (not peppermint)
- 4 drops green food coloring
Ingredients
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|
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 9x13" baking pan with parchment paper, and spray parchment paper with non-stick spray.
Mix 1 1/2 cups sugar, flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder together in a mixing bowl.
Mix butter, the 3 whole eggs, and vanilla extract together in a separate bowl; add butter mixture to the bowl with the flour mixture and stir batter until well mixed.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and set aside.
Using a stand or hand mixer, beat the softened cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, egg yolk, mint extract, and food coloring at medium speed until everything is well mixed and the color is nice and even.
Place dollops of the green mint topping on top of the brownie batter in the pan. Using a butter knife held upright, dip through the dollops and into the batter, then drag the knife to one side of the cake pan to create a swirled marbling effect with the green and brown. Repeat in rows, then do the same going up and down until you've got a nice swirl pattern.
Bake in the preheated oven until edges are brown and center is set, about 30 minutes.
Remove pan from the oven and let brownies cool completely, about 30 minutes.
Remove the brownies from the pan by lifting the parchment paper (with brownies) out of the pan. Using a shamrock-shaped cookie cutter, cut shamrocks out of the brownies. You can serve immediately, or store in the refrigerator until ready to eat.
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