Coconut-Free Irish Potatoes Candy

I was frantically searching for a non-coconut recipe for Irish Potatoes for St. Patrick's day. I recently became allergic to coconut, so I made this recipe up after not being able to find an alternative online or in any cookbooks I have at home. I think the almonds are a nice twist and help maintain the consistency of the ball instead of just omitting coconut from other recipes I've seen. This is a good no-bake recipe. It is simple to make and easy to eat.

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole almonds
• 0.5 cup ground cinnamon, or more to taste
• 0.5 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 0.25 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (16 ounce) package confectioners' sugar

Steps

1. Place almonds in the bowl of a food processor; process until finely ground. Pour cinnamon into a rimmed plate.
2. Mix cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract in a large bowl until evenly blended. Place the bowl into a large pan filled with ice to help mixture stiffen; make sure butter mixture does not spill out of the bowl.
3. Sift confectioners' sugar into the butter mixture. Add ground almonds and stir until combined. Let mixture rest on ice for 5 minutes.
4. Roll mixture into 1/2-inch balls and roll in cinnamon until coated. Refrigerate until set, about 20 minutes.