Potato Candy
Ooey, gooey, sweet, and chewy peanut butter Potato Candy. You’ve got to give this insanely good pinwheel candy recipe a try!
Mashed potatoes turned into a no-bake candy? YES, PLEASE! This is a 5-ingredient Irish Potato Candy, and it’s absolutely incredible! Peanut butter pinwheels use butter, powdered sugar, and mashed potatoes (instead of wheat flour) to make a sweet, sugar-cookie-like dough. These are fabulous conversation pieces for your party platters!
A Saint Patrick’s Shamrock Surprise!
In addition to traditional St. Patrick’s Day food like boiled potatoes, corned beef & cabbage, soda bread, and Irish coffee, think how much fun you’ll have to share these no-bake candy “cookie” pinwheels. They’re super easy to make and fun to roll out & roll up! (You can also go crazy with additions like green M&Ms, Shamrock sprinkles, pistachios, or even green sugar!)
Other Recipes to Serve for St. Paddy’s!
- You’ll feel the Luck o’ the Irish when you make this delicious, minty Shamrock Shake!
- Leprechaun Snack Mix makes a cute & colorful Pot o’ Gold for your St. Patrick’s Day celebration!
Ingredients
Potatoes: Russet potatoes, cooked, cooled, and mashed to a creamy consistency will make the candy base. (You won’t taste the potatoes!)
Filling: Creamy peanut butter is the simple pinwheel filling (don’t go for organic for this recipe – it’s too oily.)
Dough: Butter, salt, and powdered sugar (icing sugar) are added to the potatoes to get a sugar-cookie-like dough. It’s delicious!
How to Make Potato Candy
STEP ONE: We’re starting this recipe with a peeled, mashed Russet potato that has cooled to room temperature. Add it to a bowl with the butter and salt and beat it with a hand mixer until smooth.
STEP TWO: Mix one cup of powdered sugar and mix until combined. Repeat with a second cup of sugar. Continue adding the icing sugar a cup until the potatoes are doughy and hold together but not sticky.
STEP THREE: Sprinkle powdered sugar on a cutting board or large piece of parchment paper. Lay the dough on the board and form it into a rectangle. Sprinkle the top with more sugar and roll out into a 1/4-inch thick rectangle.
STEP FOUR: Evenly spread peanut butter all over the dough, leaving about an inch on one of the long sides. Starting with the opposite long side, roll tightly into a log. Trim off the ends so they’re neat.
STEP FIVE: Wrap the log in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes. Remove from the fridge, unwrap, and slice into pinwheels about 1/2-inch thick. They’re magically delicious!
Tips for Success
- Instant potatoes will not work for this candy recipe – sorry!
- Creamy peanut butter works best, but you can use crunchy if you prefer. Spread gently so the potato dough doesn’t tear.
- Make your choice of mashed potatoes using Russet potatoes – bake, boil, or microwave.
- Once cooked, the potatoes MUSt cool completely. Don’t refrigerate; just let them cool to room temperature before whipping to a smooth consistency. (If the potatoes are warm, they will be too moist, the dough will be watery, and it won’t work. Trust me!)
- Dust the work surface and the rolling pin with powdered sugar to make the rolling process less sticky.
Can I Make Potato Candy Ahead of Time?
Irish Pinwheels are easy to make in advance. Make the dough, fill it with peanut butter, roll it up like a log, and stop. Wrap the log in plastic wrap and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When ready to serve, remove it from the fridge, unroll it onto a cutting board, and slice it into pinwheels. Arrange them on a platter and let them come almost to room temperature before serving. Enjoy!
How Do I Keep Leftover Potato Candy?
Potato Candy will dry out fairly fast, so store the pieces in an airtight container or zip-top bag to keep them soft and chewy. They should be good in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
Other Peanut Butter Perfection Recipes!
- Peanut Butter Balls
- Peanut Butter & Jelly Popcorn
- Homemade Peanut Butter Cups
- No Bake Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Bars
- Tiger Butter Fudge
- No Bake Peanut Butter Pie
Potato Candy
Ingredients
- ½ cup mashed potatoes at room temp (see note)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 4 ½ cups powdered sugar plus more as needed
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
Instructions
- Add the mashed potatoes, butter, and salt to a large mixing bowl. Beat with a hand mixer until smooth.
- Add 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time to the potatoes and mix until combined. Repeat. You want to use enough sugar so that it's not overly dry (I've used up to 5 ½ cups before). You should be able to pick up a piece and have it stick together in your hand when pressed – like cookie dough. (If the potato dough is too dry you can add a little milk.)
- Sprinkle a cutting board or parchment paper with some powdered sugar. Then, form the potato dough into a rectangle and sprinkle the top with more sugar.
- Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a ¼-inch thick rectangle (as best you can for the shape). You can add parchment paper on top to help roll out or sprinkle with more powdered sugar as needed. Do this step quickly so the dough does not dry out.
- Spread the peanut butter evenly over the dough, leaving a 1-inch along one of the long sides. Spread the peanut butter all the way to the edges of the other 3 sides. Then, starting with long with peanut butter, roll the dough up tightly into a log ending seam side down. Trim off any excess on the ends so you start with a nice edge.
- Wrap the log in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for about 20-30 minutes.
- Remove the candy from the fridge and unwrap it. Cut the log into slices about ¼ to ½-inch thick and enjoy!
Notes
- Nutritional information will vary based on how thick you cut the slices since this can change the recipe yield.
- To make the mashed potatoes: pierce a medium Russett potato all over with a fork. Wrap it in a damp paper towel and microwave for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through the cooking time until fork tender. (Be careful! It will be very hot.) Remove the skin from the potatoes and mash until smooth. Let the potatoes cool to room temperature. The amount of potato I used was ½ cup, not packed but slightly heaping.
- If left in the fridge too long you want it to come closer to room temp before cutting so they don’t crumble too much.
