Irish Potatoes — the rolled confections of coconut, cream cheese, and cinnamon — are in great demand in the run-up to Mar. 17 and St. Patrick’s Day. The much-loved seasonal confections owe a great deal to Montgomery County, as PA Eats recently reported.

The candies have been around for at least a century. They proliferated in the Philadelphia region thanks to the city’s shipping industry, which made fresh ingredients like sugar, coconut, and cinnamon easy to access.

Who first invented the Irish Potato and when are details that have been lost to history. Some theorize it was immigrants from Ireland who rolled the treats to look like small spuds they knew from home.

Others conjecture it was a savvy confectioner seeking to bridge a post-Valentine’s Day, pre-Easter lull in sales.

Stutz Candy Co. in Hatboro is one of two of the area’s biggest suppliers (the other is Oh Ryan’s in Delaware County).

The Stutz recipe differs somewhat from the norm; its makers add a dash of cocoa powder to the cinnamon coating.

It must resonate with fans; the company sells more than 2,000 pounds of the candy treat each spring.

More morsels of information on Irish Potatoes are at PA Eats.

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Feeling ambitious? Home confectioners can make their own Irish Potatoes.