7 Easy Irish Baking Recipes to Make for St. Patrick’s Day

What goes better with Ireland's famously delicious butter than a warm, rustic scone, soda bread, or shortbread?

Irish Soda Scones
Photo: Raymond Hom

Visit Ireland, and you'll fall in love with their incredible baked goods, from soda bread and scones to brown bread. After all, what goes better with Ireland's famously delicious butter than a freshly baked treat?

The recipes we've pulled together here showcase the best of Irish carbs and are ones you'll want to make all year, not just March 17. They're mostly quite rustic, with an emphasis on quality over perfection. Follow the rainbow to this pot of gold, where flour, butter, and sugar are the real treasures.

01 of 07

Irish-Style Brown Bread

irish style brown bread with cured salmon
JONATHAN LOVEKIN

Like soda bread, brown bread is a quick bread made with buttermilk and baking soda—there's no yeast needed. Pair your loaf with stew or smoked salmon, or spread a slice with Irish butter and jam.

02 of 07

Irish Soda Scones

irish-soda-scones-103284800
Raymond Hom

These delicate morsels are made with buttermilk and currants, but there are caraway seeds mixed in, too. Plus, they're scooped into mounds which is easier than cutting them out or forming large circles and scoring. The finishing touch is a glaze made with confectioners' sugar, milk, and orange zest

03 of 07

Foolproof Irish Soda Bread

slices of foolproof irish soda bread on cutting board
Matthew Hranek

This classic bread's hallmarks include caraway seeds and raisins. It's a bit crumbly, a bit tangy, and delicious, toasted or not—but definitely don't skip the butter.

04 of 07

Treacle Brown Bread

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Martyna Szczesna

Treacle is a type of syrup made during the sugar refining process. Here, the sweetener is unsulfured molasses, which is similar and lends a rich depth to this delicious bread.

05 of 07

Brown-Butter Shortbread

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Ngoc Minh Ngo

These brown-buttered beauties have a slight nutty flavor and the texture will make them melt in your mouth. Make sure to use high-quality Irish butter (with a high-fat content) for a rich, delectable result.

06 of 07

Cream Scones With Currants

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Andrew Purcell

Simple and perfect, these traditional scones call for heavy cream. Be sure it's nice and cold so it keeps the butter from melting, which results in scones with a wonderfully flaky texture.

07 of 07

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes

chocolate stout cupcakes
Chelsea Cavanaugh

Guinness brings out the deep tones of the chocolate, or is it the other way around? Either way, the rich, creamy stout is a natural pairing for chocolate. In Ireland, we fancy they'd skip the frosting and pair these gems with a glass of stout.

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