Italian Peach Cookies (Printable)
Peach-shaped sandwich cookies with chocolate-jam filling, colored and rolled in sugar for a festive, realistic appearance.
# What You Need:
→ Cookie Dough
01 - 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
03 - 2/3 cup granulated sugar
04 - 2 large eggs
05 - 1/4 cup whole milk
06 - 1 tablespoon baking powder
07 - 1 pinch salt
08 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
09 - Zest of 1 lemon
→ Filling
10 - 1/3 cup peach or apricot jam
11 - 1/2 cup dark chocolate, chopped
12 - 2 tablespoons heavy cream
→ Decoration
13 - Red and yellow food coloring
14 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
15 - Fresh mint leaves
# How-To Steps:
01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
03 - Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.
04 - In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
05 - Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, alternating with milk, until a soft dough forms.
06 - Roll tablespoon-sized portions of dough into balls. Place on prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart. Bake for 15-18 minutes until just set and lightly golden on the bottom.
07 - Cool cookies completely. Using a small knife, carefully scoop out a small cavity from the flat side of each cookie. Reserve the crumbs.
08 - Melt the chocolate with heavy cream, stirring until smooth. Mix in the reserved cookie crumbs and jam to form a thick paste.
09 - Fill the cavity of one cookie half with the chocolate-jam mixture, then sandwich with another half, pressing gently together to form a peach shape.
10 - Mix small bowls of water with a few drops of red and yellow food coloring. Lightly brush each peach with the colors to mimic a real peach, blending as desired. Roll in granulated sugar to coat.
11 - Insert a mint leaf into the top of each cookie for a realistic touch, if desired.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The combination of rich dark chocolate and tart peach jam creates this incredible sweet and tangy balance that nobody ever guesses is inside
- Watching peoples faces when they realize these adorable fuzzy peaches are actually cookies is the best kind of kitchen magic trick
02 -
- Overbaking even by two minutes makes these cookies too hard to hollow out without cracking, so set a timer and trust it
- The food coloring needs to be applied while the cookies are slightly damp or it will bead up instead of blending naturally
03 -
- Mix a tiny pinch of cinnamon into the sugar coating for an extra layer of warmth that makes people wonder what that special flavor is
- Use the smallest melon baller you can find to create the cavity, it is faster and neater than using a knife