Irish Potatoes (Candy)

Last year I had a flatmate from Philadelphia. He decided to make this originally Phili recipe for a St.Patrick's day party we celebrated at university. The potatoes became the main feature of the party and everyone loved them, so here I am sharing them with you all.

For 12 small potatoes:

120g Cream cheese

30g Butter

250g Powdered sugar

100g Grated coconut: If it's not fresh but dried, then we will need to soak it in milk 200ml to rehydrate it.

Cinnamon: If it's not your cup of tea, then you can also use powdered cocoa.

*Traditionally a few drops of vanilla extract were incorporated to the mixture, but in this case they have not been added*

- First, if the coconut you got is dried, put it in a bowl and pour milk until it's covered. Let it rehydrate for about an hour. Finally, strain it to get rid of the excess of milk.

- Mix the cream cheese and the butter.

- Add the powdered sugar and mix it all well until it's homogeneous.

- Add the coconut and mix. You should get a dough-like consistence.

In order to put the same amount of "dough" in each potato:

- Make balls of the same size (4cm as max). I recommend to put a small amount in each potato because they are very satiating, and I've learned by experience that if they are too big people will only half of them.

- Give them the potato shape and coat them in cinnamon.

**The potatoes do not need to have the same shape or size. I did it this way for aesthetic reasons**

The most impressive way to present your irish potatoes is in a paper or jute bag. In case of Irish themed party, some classic clovers can be added as decorative element.