St. Patrick’s Day Dessert: Leprechaun Hamburger and Fries

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My second grade teacher created incredible arts and crafts projects for us. I remember stitchery was my favorite activity, especially when we got to stitch whimsical bookmarks with our own initials on them. Another time we got to use scented markers to color our own plastic dinner plates, which were then polished and sealed for actual home use. I still have that plate! It’s sturdier than any Corelle dish I’ve ever owned.

Click here for the recipe to ‘Leprechaun Hamburger and Fries’

The most special thing she did for us makes me nostalgic every year on March 17. For St. Patrick’s Day as a second grader, I made a complete miniature hamburger meal with fries and soda. For who? For the leprechauns! We learned leprechauns are small little old guys who love green things. ALL green things, including food! My genius teacher gave us 3 things to make our mini burgers: Nilla Wafers for buns, SnackWell’s Devil’s Food Cookies for the patty, and green-dyed shredded coconut for the lettuce (because kids gotta eat their vegetables). For the fries, we got shoestring potatoes from a huge can. And lastly for the drink, we got a tiny little cup filled with green 7-UP. I specifically remember seeing my teacher add a gajillion drops of green food coloring to a 2-liter soda bottle.

It must have been this day that made me love St. Patrick’s Day desserts, not to mention miniature foods. I guarantee that if you make these mini dessert burgers for a child, adult, or leprechaun, they’ll have the biggest smiles on their faces. Making green food for St. Patrick’s Day is as mandatory as wearing green. Otherwise, you’ll get pinched. Don’t get pinched. Pinch your mini food instead. You can eat it, too!

Here’s what you need:

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Vanilla wafer cookies (like Nilla Wafers), shoestring potatoes, shredded coconut, green food coloring, lemon-lime soda, and sesame seeds. For the burger patty, you can use any chocolate-covered cookie. I used Girl Scout Thin Mints, but you can use Peppermint Patties or SnackWell’s Devil’s Food Cookies.

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Let’s make some lettuce. Add some shredded coconut to a bowl along with a few drops of green food coloring.

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Mix that around with a fork until the color is evenly distributed.

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Looks like shredded iceberg lettuce to me. What do you think?

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Let’s make a burger. Flip a Nilla Wafer so the flat side is facing up. Stack a chocolate cookie on top.

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Pile on some lettuce. We gotta make this thing healthy somehow.

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Top it off with another Nilla Wafer to complete the burger. If you want additional ingredients, you could try colored fruit leathers to make cheese or tomatoes. Or, you could stack two burgers on top of each other and make a Big Mac!

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So who doesn’t like sesame buns?! Let’s sprinkle on some sesame seeds.

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Obviously the seeds will roll off the bun. To secure them, you can add tiny drops of honey on the wafer with a toothpick, then place on the seeds.

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A hamburger meal isn’t complete without fries…

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Or a soda! Pour lemon-lime soda in a clear cup, and add a tiny bit of green food coloring. Stir it around.

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Looks like it’s been marked by a leprechaun! Enjoy your meal!

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Leprechaun Hamburgers with Fries and Green Soda

Total time: 5 minutes
Prep: 5 min
Cook: 0 min
Yield: Varies
Level: Easy

Ingredients:
Vanilla wafers (recommended: Nilla Wafers)
Girl Scout thin mint cookies (substitutes: SnackWell’s Devil’s Food Cookies or York Peppermint Patties)
Shredded coconut
Green food coloring
Shoestring potatoes
Lemon-lime soda
Sesame seeds
Optional: Honey

Directions:
To prepare the lettuce for the hamburger, place shredded coconut into a bowl and add a few drops of green food coloring. Mix with a fork until coconut is completely green.

To prepare a hamburger, place one vanilla wafer on a plate with the flat side facing up. Place a thin mint cookie or peppermint pattie on top of wafer. Add some dyed shredded coconut on top. Complete hamburger by placing another vanilla wafer on top, round side facing up. In a small cup, add a few drops of green food coloring into lemon-lime soda and mix until soda is green. Serve hamburger and soda with shoestring potatoes. If desired, sprinkle top of hamburgers with sesame seeds. Using a toothpick, dab tiny drops of honey on the hamburger buns as “glue” to secure sesame seeds in place.
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