Buttercream Irish Potatoes 03/16/00

The tried & true Lockhart recipe - very easy.  I learned how over 80 years ago from a Baltimore elementary school classmate.   

Hope you had a happy St. David''s Day (the patron saint of Wales - March 1), a happy  St. Patrick's Day (right now in Australia, tomorrow in the USA) and a happy St. Andrew's Day (patron saint of Scotland - April 1)!

BUTTER CREAM IRISH "POTATOES"

Bring 1 cup (two sticks) butter or margarine to room temp.  

Sift 3 lbs  confectioners (10-X) sugar into a LARGE bowl.  Work the room temp butter or margarine through with your fingers until it is dispersed throughout, with the largest butter/marg bit no larger than a small pea.  

Make a well and add 1/3 cup whole milk plus 1 tsp vanilla extract, working throughout.  Mixture will be "dry."   

Slowly add more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is creamy but not wet.  We add shredded coconut to taste.  

Pinch off a scant tablespoon of the butter cream, roll into a "potato" and dredge it in either pure cinnamon (as we do) or in a mixture of cinnamon and 10-X sugar (less intense).   

Store in a airtight container in a cool, not cold, place