These adorable Pot of Gold Cookies are a chewy cookie, topped with green buttercream frosting, and decorated with miniature pots of gold and rainbows. They’re such a fun way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day!
These Pot O’ Gold Cookies are such a cute cookie and festive treat for St. Patrick’s Day. Decorated with green frosting, and a candy rainbow and pot of gold, they’re such a fun and festive cookie.
These cookies are perfect for semi-homemade bakers. I use a super easy cake mix cookie base for these. But of course you can use your favorite sugar cookie, or grab sugar cookie dough, or a batch from your favorite bakery, or even the grocery store too.
Why Make Pot of Gold Cookies
- Cute and Festive: The cutest cookies for a festive St. Patrick’s Day party or celebrations
- Fun for all Ages: These cookies can be enjoyed by young and old alike. Let the kids help you decorate if you want.
- Super Easy: These cookies start with a cake mix base, topped with frosting and a few easy ingredients to make the perfect St. Patrick’s Day cookies with just a few steps.
Ingredients Needed
This is a quick overview of the ingredients you’ll need for this Pot of Gold Cookie Recipe. Specific measurements and full recipe instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
- White Cake Mix
- Vegetable Oil
- Eggs
- Vanilla Buttercream – You can make your own, or grab store bought icing and tint it green
- Green Food Coloring
- Green Sanding Sugar
- Miniature Peanut Butter Cups
- Gold Candy Sequins
- Rainbow Sour Candy Belts – I used Airheads Xtremes Rainbow Strips
How to make Pot of Gold Cookies
Step 1: Make the cookies. Mix the dry cake mix, eggs, and vegetable oil in a medium bowl. Stir them together with a rubber spatula until combined. Scoop the cookie dough into portions about 1.5 TBS each, and roll dough into balls. Place the balls onto a lined baking sheet. Bake cookies until the tops are lightly crinkled, then let them cool completely.
Step 2: Make the frosting. Make your favorite buttercream frosting, or grab a can from the store, and add a few drops of green food coloring. Beat the food coloring into the frosting until mixed throughout.
Step 3: Make the pots of gold. Spread a little peanut butter onto the top of the mini reeses peanut butter cups. Dip the tops into a bowl of the gold sprinkles, or sprinkle them on top for the pot of gold look.
Step 4: Decorate the cookies. Frost each of the cookies with a layer of green frosting. Place a pot of gold on to the top of each cookie, toward the side. Take a candy rainbow belt and stick each end into the frosting, one next to the pot of gold and the other end on the side of the cookie to make a rainbow shape.
Tips and Tricks:
- Customize – These cookies are so customizable, use your favorite type of cookie for the cookie base, or grab some from the store. Any cookie you prefer should work, drop sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, etc. Instead of Peanut Butter Cups, use Rolos, or other candies, etc.
- Uniform Cookies – Scoop the cookies with a cookie scoop, or weight the dough balls to keep the cookie size consistent. This will make the cookies look uniform and ensure they bake evenly.
- Gold Coins – Instead of a Peanut Butter Cup Pot of Gold, put a chocolate gold coin at the end of the rainbow.
Storage Instructions
These St. Patrick’s Day cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days for the best results.
The cookies shouldn’t be frozen, unless you are freezing the undecorated cookies. The undecorated cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months.
These Pot of Gold cookies are so fun for kids and adults alike. They’re great for a treat that is guaranteed to bring a smile to everyone’s faces on St. Patrick’s Day.
More St. Patrick’s Day Recipes:
- Lucky Charms Cookies
- Green Shamrock Shake
- Chocolate Andes Mint Cookies
- White Chocolate Bomb
- Mint Oreo Trifle
- Fruity Pebble Rice Krispie Treats
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Pot of Gold Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cake Mix Cookies:
- 15.5 oz white cake mix (dry)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
For Decorating:
- 2 cups buttercream frosting
- 5 drops green food coloring
- 24 Miniature Peanut Butter Cups
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup gold candy sequins
- 12 Rainbow Candy Belts
Instructions
For the Cake Mix Cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner, and set it aside.
- Add the cake mix, eggs and vegetable oil to a large bowl. Stir them together with a rubber spatula until they are completely combined.
- Scoop the cookie dough into balls, about 1.5 TBS each, and roll them into balls. Place them each onto the prepared cookie sheet, a couple inches apart.
- Bake the cookies for about 8-10 minutes, or until the tops are crinkly.
- Remove the pan from the oven and allow the cookies to cool for about 5 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
For Decorating:
- Add the buttercream frosting to a large bowl, and add in the drops of green food coloring. Beat them together until the green is mixed evenly into the frosting. Set it aside until needed.
- Add a dollop of peanut butter on top of each of the peanut butter cups. Dip them into a bowl of the gold candy to create the pots of gold.
- Frost each of the cookies with green frosting.
- Place a pot of gold on top of each cookie, slightly closer to the side.
- Cut the rainbow belts each in half. Place one end of the candy belt into the frosting near the pot of gold, and stick the other end into the frosting on the other side of the cookie.
- Allow the frosting to set for a bit, then serve and enjoy.
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