San Francisco is one of those cities that has somehow become synonymous with Irish Coffee thanks to the Buena Vista and its place in the drink’s origin stories. The real, lesser known tale, tells the story of Joe Sheridan–the bartender who brought Irish Coffee to the Buena Vista–and the passengers of a Pan Am flight that was forced to turn around and land due to bad weather. Cold and tired in Foynes, Ireland, Sheridan was called in to warm the passengers up; he slipped some Irish whiskey into their coffee, topped it off with a pouring cream. When someone asked him if the coffee was Brazilian, Sheridan said, “No, it was Irish coffee!”
I’m a big fan of Irish Coffee. Take a small amount of sugar, place it in a glass with the coffee, a good (heavy-handed) pour of Jameson, and top with some whipped cream or cool whip and I’m in for a night of catching up on all my favorite tv shows. It’s my go-to drink in the winter but, unlike cocoa, it has a place in my day all year round, especially on St. Patricks Day.
Nowadays, there’s more than one way to make your coffee Irish. You can keep it traditional, with the whiskey and the pouring cream, or amp up the alcohol levels with some Baileys Irish Cream. Either way, it’s delicious. When my friends and I popped into an Irish pub in Chicago during a cold December afternoon, we were met with shot glasses of Jameson and Baileys to pour into our glasses of coffee.
That’s the kind of Irish coffee these shortbread cookie sandwiches were modeled after. Espresso grounds are mixed into the cookie which uses powdered sugar and almond flour to achieve an even softer and more tender variety of shortbread. They’re filled with a generous amount of Baileys buttercream and a healthy dollop of Jameson chocolate ganache to create a boozy treat fit for any St. Patrick’s Day celebration or food-based gathering of friends.
The cookies can either be made in a mixer or by hand. They get rolled up in plastic wrap to create a slice and bake cookie which makes them perfect for storing in the freezer whenever you need to whip something up at the last-minute. Even the buttercream and ganache can be stored for later–the quantities below make a lot, so you just might want to save them for next time–they just need to be brought to room temperature so you can pipe or spoon them onto the cookies.
The amounts of alcohol in both the ganache and buttercream can be customized to fit your taste. Personally, I like a lot. Funny story: the first time I made these I intentionally tried to tone down the alcohol, only to be told that I could amp it up a bit more! Guess I’m not the only one who likes my baked goods boozy when they’re supposed to be!
| Cook Time | 11-13 minutes |
| Servings |
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- 300 grams butter cold (2 sticks + 1/3 cup)
- 75 grams granulated sugar (1/3 cup)
- 75 grams powdered sugar (1/3 cup)
- 350 grams flour (2 cups)
- 100 grams almond flour (1 cup)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp coffee grounds
- 1 cup dark chocolate chopped
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 3-4 Tbsp Jameson Irish Whiskey based on your taste
- 1/2 cup butter softened, room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4-6 Tbsp Baileys Irish Cream based on your taste
Ingredients
Coffee Shortbread
Jameson Ganache
Baileys Buttercream
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- In the bowl of a stand mixer, or with an electric mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar together for about 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add in your vanilla and coffee grounds and mix until incorporated. Add the flour and almond flour and mix until the dough begins to come together. The mixture will be crumbly.
- Pour half of your dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Using your hands, knead the dough a bit until it comes together and you can roll it into a log about 1 1/2"-2" in diameter. Roll your log in the plastic wrap either refrigerate for 2 hours or stick it in the freezer for about 40 minutes until firm. Repeat with the other half of your dough.
- When the dough is firm, preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet or two with parchment paper. Using a serrated knife, cut your dough into 1/4" thick slices. Your cookies may crack a bit as you're cutting them but it's easy to piece them back together--don't be afraid to do so!
- Lay your slices on the baking sheet and bake about 11-13 minutes. The bottom should be a light golden brown. If they're too blonde, leave them in for just a minute or two longer.
- Transfer to a wire rack and let cookies cool before filling.
- Place your chopped chocolate into a bowl. In a small sauce pan, heat the heavy cream and the Jameson until it just comes to a boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let it sit for 5 minutes. Using a spatula, stir from the center out until the chocolate has all melted. Let the ganache firm up until you can pipe it or spoon it onto the cookies.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, or with an electric mixer, beat the softened butter until it's light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, mixing to incorporate between each addition. Add the vanilla and Baileys, mixing until fluffy.
- Assemble your sandwiches: pipe a thick layer of buttercream around the edge of half the shortbread cookies, leaving an empty space in the center. Spoon or pipe your ganache into the center of the buttercream. If the ganache is still thin, give it time to firm up. Cover with the other half of the shortbread cookies.
If you don't have a mixer, you can always rub the butter into the flour, sugar, and coffee grounds by hand and knead in the vanilla to bring it all together.
There will be a lot of ganache and buttercream left over. You can always store these in airtight containers in the refrigerator or freezer until you want to use them again (if it won't be for another month, go for the freezer!). These cookies are great to have prepared ahead of time--leave the logs in the freezer, slice, and pop them into the oven when you need them.
These will keep for about 5-7 days in an airtight container. Make them ahead of time for your St. Patty's Day celebration