Irish Potato Candy
Irish Potato Candy Season
March 5 2013
Most Americans have long since given up making candy at home. Once in awhile we take a stab at baking a birthday cake or a tray of brownies, but candy is left to the experts. In early March one exception is found in churches and school kitchens in and around Philadelphia. Every year, right before St. Patty's Day, groups like the Ancient Order of Hibernians (church ladies) roll up their sleeves, drag out their MixMasters and get down to the messy business of making Irish Potato Candy for scholarship fundraisers.
Irish Potato Candy, a tooth-shatteringly sweet confection with a coconut cream center rolled in cinnamon, is neither Irish nor made with potatoes. In truth they should be called Irish-American Potato candies as they are the invention of Irish immigrants in Philadelphia.
The birth of these St. Patty's' Day confections is unclear. Legend has it the candy was created serendipitously by a penny-wise candy maker who did not want to waste his excess coconut cream. In a moment of inspiration, he rolled the cream into bite-sized balls and dipped them in cinnamon. After positive reviews from his sweet-toothed children, and gentle prodding from his supportive (and brilliant) wife, he decided to sell them in his shop as "Irish Potato Candy."
And while local candy makers such as Lore's Chocolates produce thousands of pounds of Irish Potato candy each year for consumption on St. Patty's Day, Irish Potato Candies are simple enough for the home cook or church group to master. Unlike Chocolate truffles, which mimic expensive French mushrooms and have a sleek, shiny chocolate coating, Irish Potato Candies by design are more lumpy and irregular-- perfectly Philadelphian, rough on the outside and sweet on the inside.
Irish potato tip: Caution--mixing the batter for Irish Potatoes has been compared to mixing cement. Do not attempt if you are fond of your mixer.