Gluten Free Irish Potato Candies

A month ago if you had asked me what Irish Potatoes were, I'd tell you they were more than likely a method of cooking potatoes. A few weeks ago though, two of my friends brought me to a candy shop in Northern Virginia that has these delicious treats and I really wanted to try making some. Irish Potatoes are coconut and cream cheese nuggets that are rolled or dusted in cinnamon. Its a wonderful combination of sweet and creamy that's balanced out by the cinnamon. I've tried rolling these in cocoa powder, but they simply aren't as delicious as ones rolled in cinnamon.

Earlier this week I posted a recipe with virgin coconut oil in it, and mentioned that I would discuss it more in the latter half of this week. Virgin coconut oil is a great substitute in recipes that use butter or margarine, especially when you want a slight taste of coconut. Its high in antioxidants and can be a healthy addition to recipes.

Also in my preparation I use my mechanical pastry bag that I purchased from Williams-Sonoma that made the molding part rather easy. I tried finding it online, but had difficulty finding the model. Regardless, you could use any large pastry bag as long as the tip is between 1/4-1/2 inch thick, or else the candies will not turn out well.

I hope you like this recipe as much as my friends and I do!

Yields: ~3 dozen
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter, room temp
2 tbsp virgin coconut oil
4 oz cream cheese
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners sugar
2 1/2 cup shredded coconut
2 tbsp cinnamon

Steps: 
1. In a medium bowl beat the butter and oil until combined. Beat in the cream cheese until fluffy.

2. Add the vanilla, and then beat in the sugar by the half cup (this prevents clouds of sugar flying everywhere and makes a more consistent batter). Beat in the coconut flakes until it forms a consistent mix.

3. Roll the dough into a ball and place into a refrigerator for 20 minutes for it to harden up a bit.
4. Either roll the dough into small logs with your hands, or use a icing bag or extruder to form 1" logs.

5. Once all dough is formed into balls or logs, roll in the cinnamon and lightly brush off the excess with a pastry brush. Store in an airtight container in a refrigerator, and leave at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.