Irish Soda Bread Muffins

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As much as I love a slice of my Brown Soda Bread to accompany a soup, like Quick Beef and Barley, or a hearty stew, I think I might love these muffins more. They are quick, easy, portable, and delightful. 

Like traditional soda bread, these muffins are made with buttermilk or sour cream and baking soda. The chemical reaction between the soda and acid is the leavening agent, so yeast is not required, making these ever so easy to whip up. Freshly baked muffins in about 30 minutes? Sign me up! Currants are also on the traditional list, but they can be substituted for cranberries, chocolate chips, or other dried fruits. Just don't ask me about raisins. Raisins are an inherent dislike in my family. Caraway seeds are also a common ingredient. Sometimes I use them, sometimes I don't. It depends on when and what I serve them with. A slice of good Irish cheddar pairs nicely with the muffins when caraway seeds are added.

Non-traditionally, these muffins are made with white all-purpose flour instead of a combo of whole wheat and white flour. They are also sweeter than soda bread, which makes them perfect for breakfast, brunch, snack, or anytime of the day.

Only two bowls are needed to make the batter. One for the wet and one for the dry. When folding the wet ingredients into the batter, work quickly and gently. Overworked batter results in tough muffins. The batter will be thick, almost like a biscuit dough, and will mound in the paper muffin liners. Sprinkle a bit more sugar on top and bake until golden. Serve warm, while the tops are crunchy and the middle is tender, with butter, jam, or as I already said, a slice of good cheddar.

These muffins are best enjoyed the day they are made, but they can be frozen for up to three months. It's always nice to have a little baked good in the freezer when a craving strikes!

Irish Round-up of Good Eats

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It is your lucky day for recipes with an Irish flare! ☘️

Guinness and Cheddar Cheese Spread

Leek, Cheddar and Guinness Dip  

Guinness, Shallot, and Blue Cheese Pâté

Whiskey Glazed Corned Beef

Guinness and Cheddar Meatloaf

Sausages with Guinness Gravy and Colcannon

Cabbage Gratin

Glazed Carrots

Whipped Potatoes and Parsnips

Irish Champ

Parslied Potatoes

Caraway Rye Bread

Cloverleaf Rolls

Brown Soda Bread

Guinness Caraway Rye Bread

Irish Soda Bread Muffins

B-52 Cake

Chocolate Guinness Puddings with Baileys Whipped Cream

Chocolate Guinness Caramel Cake

Triple Chocolate Guinness Cookies

Grasshopper Pie

Guinness Ice Cream with Chocolate Covered Toffee Bits

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Sunday Dinner

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Guinness and Cheddar Cheese Spread

Whiskey Glazed Corned Beef

Irish Champ

Glazed Carrots

Guinness and Caraway Rye Bread

B-52 Cake

I've been absent for quite sometime, but the last three Sundays I have felt like a Phoenix rising from the ashes--cue the dramatic visual of regeneration! Since then, I have shared recipes for a savory salad, briny pickles, and now...a bowl or carrots??  I know, I know. I promise that the sugar is coming soon. But glazed carrots have made an appearance on countless Sunday menus and it is high time time for them to make their debut.  

These carrots are simple to prepare and can be made a couple of hours in advance and held at room temperature before reheating and serving.  Feel free to change up the herbs or seasoning according to your taste.  I love to use fresh thyme, but a fresh sprig of rosemary is an excellent essence when the carrots are served with roast pork or beef.  They are a sweet and tender companion to just about main dish.

Printable Recipe

Leek, Cheddar and Guinness Dip

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St. Patrick's Day has come and gone, but that is no reason to put away your stout glasses for another year.  We enjoyed this as an appetizer this past Sunday as part of our toast to the Irish and man, oh man was it a hit.  In fact, my husband and children threw their hands down and had to walk out of the room to compose themselves before returning for another round.

Onions, cheese, and beer? SOLD! But not just any onion.  Sweet spring leeks are the star in this spread.  The original recipe called for Neufchatel cream cheese, but I am not a big fan of that flavor. You know what they say-- "where there is fat there is flavor"☺.  I also added a little mustard and Worcestershire to balance the richness of the dish.  A garnish of parsley provides some freshness and color as well.

I served this with rye crackers, but you could use toast points or pumpernickel bread as well.  And in case you have any leftovers (I highly doubt it, but we did since there are only five of us), it is delicious when spread on the Guinness Caraway Rye bread with thinly sliced leftover corned beef.  Just sayin'.

Sunday Dinner

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Leek, Cheddar and Guinness Dip

Whiskey Glazed Corned Beef

Colcannon

Glazed Carrots

Guinness Caraway Rye Bread

Chocolate Guinness Caramel Cake

Raise your hand if you have tossed back a few green beers this weekend.  My hand is not raised.  Yes I do have a little Irish in my blood, but I'm not one to party in to the wee hours with the leprechauns. However, I will certainly take the opportunity to enjoy a Sunday meal full of some Irish and Irish-American classics.

I have shared a caraway rye bread recipe before, but this one takes that flavor to a whole new level with the addition of Guinness in lieu of plain old water.  It adds a rich chocolate/coffee essence and it gives the dough a deeper, almost amber color.  

Warm with a slather of some good Irish butter (like Kerrygold) is the way to serve this bread.  But it is just as good to snack on at room temperature or to use for some leftover corned beef sandwiches.

Sunday Dinner one year ago

Sunday Dinner two years ago

Sunday Dinner three years ago

Sausages with Guinness Gravy and Colcannon

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"Aye laddie, is there a heartier meal in all the land?"  So said a fellow traveler at the inn tucked into a hollow off a rural road in County Cork.  We dined and then danced into the wee hours, fueled by Guinness and this delicious dish lovingly prepared by Molly, the sharp-tongued yet gracious innkeeper ....OK, that didn't really happen.  But it felt like it did after we ate this meal.

Irish bangers and mash-- this is classic pub fare of the Emerald Isle.  And hearty it is when cabbage and onions are cooked with the potatoes for that Irish classic, colcannon.  Some colcannon recipes call for bacon or ham, but I like to keep it all about the veggies and tubers and let the meat stand on its own.  And in this dish it does. The sausages (Chicago readers-- I use Winston's family market brand) are cooked first, then bathed in the velvety Guinness gravy that puts it over the top.  When accompanied by colcannon, you have a meal that will fortify anyone in need of sustenance to make it through the more "liony" parts of March.  Forget putting hair on your chest.  This meal will make even the most metrosexual man in your life want to shear a sheep and take up hurling (an Irish sport that sounds awesome, look it up).

Guinness Ice Cream with Chocolate Covered Toffee Bits

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'Tis the season for all things Emerald Isle.  If you are a regular around here, you've probably had that point sufficiently (and hopefully deliciously) hammered home.  So let me make another excuse to open some Guinness... and eat ice cream with chopped Heath bars in it.  Got your attention?  Eat a couple spoonfuls of this wonderful concoction and your focus will split apart, then swirl back together while you try to figure out just what flavors you are tasting.  There is a coffee essence.  But wait---there is no coffee in the recipe.  Where does it come from?  Pour a Guinness (or a Jameson) and ponder for a while.  Then have some more ice cream☺.

Looking for more sweets with an Irish twist?  Here are some links from the archives...

Chocolate Guinness Caramel Cake

Triple Chocolate Guinness Cookies

Grasshopper Pie

Chocolate Guinness Pudding with Baileys Whipped Cream

Sunday Dinner

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Guinness, Shallot, and Blue Cheese Pâté

Whiskey Glazed Corned Beef

Irish Champ

Sweet and Sour Cabbage

Chocolate Guinness Pudding with Baileys Whipped Cream

I was in the mood for a roast chicken this Sunday, but the four other voting members of the house had something else in mind.  And with St. Patrick's Day right around the corner, I was willing to oblige☺.  I usually like to start our Irish themed menu off with our favorite-- Guinness and Cheddar Cheese Spread, but I thought I would change things up a bit and serve a variation of the beer/cheese combination.  

Like other recipes that involve Guinness, it is not that the taste of the Guinness is apparent, but it is a flavor enhancer.  This is wonderful as an appetizer, but it is also nice for a picnic lunch, a light meal, or a fruit and cheese platter at the end of a meal.   

You can use your favorite blue cheese or Stilton, but if you really want to keep this Irish, go with a nice Cashel Blue Cheese and some Kerrygold Butter.  A freshly poured pint of Guinness to go with it doesn't hurt either.  Sláinte!

Sunday Dinner one year ago

Sunday Dinner two years ago

Sunday Dinner

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Guinness and Cheddar Cheese Spread

Whiskey Glazed Corned Beef

Cabbage Gratin

Parslied Potatoes

Chocolate Guinness Pudding with Baileys Whipped Cream

I know, I know... St. Patrick's Day was yesterday, but this is the Sunday closest to the holiday and I wanted to get my corned beef dinner fix ☺.  I shared several of the recipes on the menu last year, so there are links to those above.

The last few years, we have enjoyed this cake for our dessert, but the weather as been unseasonably warm and beautiful and I have been spending more time outdoors than in the kitchen.  Having said that, I wanted to have a dessert that was quick to put together and of course it needed an Irish twist.  

At first, putting stout in pudding might not seem like a good idea, but like these cookies, it works.  The stout lends a tasty mocha flavor to the chocolate pudding.  I lightened up the original recipe, which called for 2 1/4 cups of heavy cream.  I used some half-and-half and a bit of cornstarch to keep a nice consistency and to cut the fat and calories. I also feel that a serving size of eight, rather than six, is plenty generous.  Even with the lightened version, it is still rich and decadent. The original recipe also called for Guinness in the whipped topping, but I think a little Baileys Irish Cream in the whipped cream is nice.

Sunday Dinner one year ago

Chocolate Guinness Caramel Cake

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Woah--seems like lots of you enjoy your St. Paddy's Day dinners.  I received many requests for the other Sunday Dinner recipes.  I had not intended to blog about them this week, but I just couldn't say no.  I was going to save this recipe to share next year.  Why? I have many recipes other than Sunday Dinner ones that I want to share; breakfast, lunch, kid-friendly food, snacks, staples, and everyday sweets.  I suppose I will get to them all in due time.  Today, I give the people what they want.

I created this cake years ago for my husband, lover of all things chocolate, caramel, cream cheese, and beer.  Over time it has found its way to the table in many incarnations; double decker, completely frosted, and a version with alternate layers of frosting and caramel.  They all worked in their own way, but I always come back to this version; a simple, one layer chocolate cake filled with caramel and topped with a caramel cream cheese frosting.  I just love the way it looks, too--a simple chocolate cake oozing with caramel (not too much), topped by waves of caramel cream cheese frosting--it makes me want to dive right in.  It is sticky, gooey, and creamy all in one bite.

To create this cake, I make a basic chocolate snack cake, but use Guinness in lieu of the liquid.  I slice it in half and fill it with a homemade salted caramel.  Then I whip up a fool-proof cream cheese frosting that I flavor with a bit of the caramel to create a pillow of goodness on the top.  You will find yourself with more frosting than you need (I use only 1/2-2/3 of the recipe), but I think you can figure out what to do with the rest--frosting shots anyone??

*I received many requests for the Parslied Potatoes as well.  If you are interested, stay tuned--with some small Yukon Gold potatoes and fresh flat leaf parsley on hand. 

Whiskey Glazed Corned Beef

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I just couldn't write another post without first sharing this recipe.  As much as I enjoy the traditional New England boiled dinner, this recipe is a "pot o' gold".  The meat is simmered slowly on the stove top for several hours until it is fork tender (This step can be done the day before).  Then it is glazed with a sweet whiskey sauce and placed under the broiler until it is dark and sticky.  Sliced not too thick, but not too thin--it just melts in your mouth.  My son couldn't believe that he didn't need a knife to cut his meat and my youngest just kept asking for more "ham"--blame that one on the nitrates☺. 

The only downside to this dish is that when you serve it family style in the middle of the table like I do, it disappears way too fast.  It is nearly impossible to keep yourself from going back for more.  It's a good thing I made two, because the one pictured above is all gone and I need leftovers for corned beef hash.  Wait, I also need some for reuben sandwiches for dinner one night this week.  Oh corned beef, is there anything you CAN'T do?