Peach Cookies
Get ready to fall in love with the ultimate summer treat: Peach Cookies! Imagine biting into a sweet, soft cookie that looks just like a juicy peach, but with a creamy dulce-de-leche center and a delightful almond crunch. These little beauties are not only a feast for the eyes but also a burst of flavor with every bite. Perfect for summer gatherings, holiday parties, or just because, these peach-inspired cookies bring a splash of fun and a whole lot of yum to any occasion. So, grab your apron and let’s turn your kitchen into a peach paradise!
Ingredients
How to make Peach Cookies
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 7 tbsp (100 grams) unsalted butter
- 2 eggs
- 3 tbsp full fat sour cream
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 1/3 cup raw (or lightly roasted) whole almonds
- 1 cup of clear no pulp peach juice or apple juice, divided into ½ cup and ½ cup in separate bowls (you can also use apple juice and fruit punch, or any other no pulp juice of your choice)
- Yellow and Red gel food coloring
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar for decorations
- Fresh mint leaves
Tools and Equipment:
- Mixer with paddle attachment
- Heatproof pot with lid
- Baking pan or cookie sheet
- Parchment paper
- Teaspoon or melon baller
- Small bowls for food coloring and sugar
- Cling film or plastic wrap
- Cooling rack
- Two separate bowls for peach/apple juice
- Fresh mint leaves for garnish
Instructions
Homemade Dolce-De-Leche:
- Place 1 can of sweetened condensed milk into the pot with water (water must completely cover the can of sweetened condensed milk), cover, and bring to boil on high heat.
- Once the water starts boiling, reduce the heat to low (make sure the water is still slightly bubbling on your low heat), keep the pot covered, and boil your can of sweetened condensed milk for 2 hours.
- Once 2 hours has passed, pour out the hot water from the pot (carefully, keeping the can in the pot), pour cold water into the pot making sure the water is fully covering the can, and set aside to cool off.
Cookies:
- Meanwhile, prepare the mint leaves: wash and pat dry, setting aside.
- Place sugar, butter, and eggs into your mixer’s bowl, and stir with pedal attachment on lowest (“stir”) speed, slowing increasing the speed to highest. Mix on high speed for about 5 minutes, until all ingredients are combined and smooth.
- Reduce the speed of your mix to lowest, and add sour cream, one tablespoon at a time. Mix on lowest speed until sour cream is well combined, slowly increase mixer’s speed to highest and beat the mixture for about 1 minute.
- Reduce mixer’s speed to lowest and slowly add baking powder and flour, while still mixing on lowest speed until flour has fully incorporated.
- As soon as all flour is added and has fully incorporated into the wet ingredients – turn off your mixer, be careful to not overmix. The dough should be sticky, pliable.
- Cover the bowl with the dough with cling film/glade and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 395F.
- Line your baking pan/cookie sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
- Add few drops of yellow gel food coloring into one bowl with peach or apple juice, and few drops of red food coloring into another bowl of peach or apple juice (you can use any other no pulp clear juice of your choice). Stir in gel food colors well until they fully dissolve in your juice.
- At this time, our dough has cooled off in the fridge. Prepare your parchment paper lined baking sheet, tea spoon, and small bowl with some water. Dip one hand in water, take 1 full tea spoon of the dough, and roll a small ball (size of whole walnut); place on the parchment paper on baking sheet. Make sure your balls of the dough are at least half an inch apart as they will expand during baking.
- Bake on the middle rack of your oven for 15 minutes, turning around the baking sheet halftime to allow even baking.
- Allow baked cookies to cool off for few minutes.
- Once the baked cookies cooled off, scoop out a center from each cookie by using a teaspoon or melon baller. Optional: reserve the scooped out centers to later mix into the dolce-de-leche.
- By this time your homemade dolce-de-leche has cooled off in cold water.
- Fill each cookie’s with approximately one tea spoon of dolce-de-leche and one whole almond.
- Try to match each half of “peach cookie” in size/shape, stick each half together, forming a “peach”.
- Once all halves of the cookies are matched, freeze them for about 10 minutes – so they adhere together and don’t move much during the decorative time.
- Once filled/matched cookies have chilled in the freezer, it’s time to decorate!
- Set bowls with yellow and red juice, a bowl with granulated sugar, whole almonds, and mint. Dip half of each “peach” cookie into red apple juice, the other half into yellow apple juice, then roll in sugar. Add one or couple of fresh mint leaves.
- Once all peach cookies have been decorated, you are free to enjoy them immediately! They do taste best after being freezed for about 10-15 minutes or refrigerated for few hours, but who’s going to wait!
Tips for Success:
- Chill the Dough: Ensure the cookie dough is well-chilled before baking to prevent spreading and to make it easier to handle.
- Coloring the Juice: Use gel food coloring to achieve vibrant hues. Add a few drops at a time to get your desired shade, stirring well.
- Consistency: The cookie dough should be sticky but manageable. If it’s too soft, refrigerate for a bit longer before shaping.
Troubleshooting Tips:
- Dough Too Soft: If the dough is too sticky to roll, chill it for an additional 10 minutes before shaping.
- Uneven Baking: Rotate the baking sheet halfway through to ensure even cooking and avoid burnt edges.
- Filling Issues: If the dulce-de-leche is too thick to fill, gently warm it to soften before use.
Variations:
- Flavored Fillings: Experiment with other fillings such as fruit preserves or flavored cream cheese.
- Decorative Options: Instead of granulated sugar, you could use colored sugar or edible glitter for decoration.
- Nut Alternatives: Swap almonds for other nuts like hazelnuts or pecans if desired.
Storing and Serving:
- Storing: Keep filled cookies in an airtight container. They can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerated for up to a week.
- Serving: Serve cookies chilled for the best texture and flavor. They can also be enjoyed at room temperature
More Decorating Ideas:
- Peach Blossoms: Decorate cookies with a small dollop of whipped cream and a mint leaf for a fresh look.
- Sugar Variations: Use flavored or tinted sugar for a unique twist on the classic sugar coating.
- Drizzle: Add a light drizzle of melted chocolate over the cookies for extra flair
Pairing Suggestions:
- Beverages: Pair these peach cookies with a refreshing glass of iced tea or a cup of hot coffee to balance the sweetness.
- Desserts: Serve alongside a light fruit sorbet or a scoop of vanilla ice cream to complement the peach flavor.
Fun Trivia About Peach Cookies:
Peach cookies, often shaped to look like real peaches, have their roots in various cultures that celebrate summer fruits. In Italy, there's a similar treat known as Pesche Dolci, which are sweet, peach-shaped cookies made with a blend of fruit and liqueur. These cookies are a delightful example of how traditional recipes can evolve with regional influences.
Often associated with summer and harvest time, the peach is a symbol of warmth and abundance. Making peach cookies can be a fun way to celebrate the summer season or a bountiful peach harvest.
While classic peach cookies might be filled with peach preserves or fresh peaches, modern recipes often include creative twists. Imagine peach-flavored frosting, peach liqueur, or even peach-flavored cream cheese filling. These innovations keep the peach cookie tradition fresh and exciting!
Peach Cookies
Yield: 12 - 15
Ingredients
How to make Peach Cookies
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 7 tbsp (100 grams) unsalted butter
- 2 eggs
- 3 tbsp full fat sour cream
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 1/3 cup raw (or lightly roasted) whole almonds
- 1 cup of clear no pulp peach juice or apple juice, divided into ½ cup and ½ cup in separate bowls (you can also use apple juice and fruit punch, or any other no pulp juice of your choice)
- Yellow and Red gel food coloring
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar for decorations
- Fresh mint leaves
Instructions
Homemade Dolce-De-Leche:
- Place 1 can of sweetened condensed milk into the pot with water (water must completely cover the can of sweetened condensed milk), cover, and bring to boil on high heat.
- Once the water starts boiling, reduce the heat to low (make sure the water is still slightly bubbling on your low heat), keep the pot covered, and boil your can of sweetened condensed milk for 2 hours.
- Once 2 hours has passed, pour out the hot water from the pot (carefully, keeping the can in the pot), pour cold water into the pot making sure the water is fully covering the can, and set aside to cool off.
Cookies:
- Meanwhile, prepare the mint leaves: wash and pat dry, setting aside.
- Place sugar, butter, and eggs into your mixer’s bowl, and stir with pedal attachment on lowest (“stir”) speed, slowing increasing the speed to highest. Mix on high speed for about 5 minutes, until all ingredients are combined and smooth.
- Reduce the speed of your mix to lowest, and add sour cream, one tablespoon at a time. Mix on lowest speed until sour cream is well combined, slowly increase mixer’s speed to highest and beat the mixture for about 1 minute.
- Reduce mixer’s speed to lowest and slowly add baking powder and flour, while still mixing on lowest speed until flour has fully incorporated.
- As soon as all flour is added and has fully incorporated into the wet ingredients – turn off your mixer, be careful to not overmix. The dough should be sticky, pliable.
- Cover the bowl with the dough with cling film/glade and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 395F.
- Line your baking pan/cookie sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
- Add few drops of yellow gel food coloring into one bowl with peach or apple juice, and few drops of red food coloring into another bowl of peach or apple juice (you can use any other no pulp clear juice of your choice). Stir in gel food colors well until they fully dissolve in your juice.
- At this time, our dough has cooled off in the fridge. Prepare your parchment paper lined baking sheet, tea spoon, and small bowl with some water. Dip one hand in water, take 1 full tea spoon of the dough, and roll a small ball (size of whole walnut); place on the parchment paper on baking sheet. Make sure your balls of the dough are at least half an inch apart as they will expand during baking.
- Bake on the middle rack of your oven for 15 minutes, turning around the baking sheet halftime to allow even baking.
- Allow baked cookies to cool off for few minutes.
- Once the baked cookies cooled off, scoop out a center from each cookie by using a teaspoon or melon baller. Optional: reserve the scooped out centers to later mix into the dolce-de-leche.
- By this time your homemade dolce-de-leche has cooled off in cold water.
- Fill each cookie’s with approximately one tea spoon of dolce-de-leche and one whole almond.
- Try to match each half of “peach cookie” in size/shape, stick each half together, forming a “peach”.
- Once all halves of the cookies are matched, freeze them for about 10 minutes – so they adhere together and don’t move much during the decorative time.
- Once filled/matched cookies have chilled in the freezer, it’s time to decorate!
- Set bowls with yellow and red juice, a bowl with granulated sugar, whole almonds, and mint. Dip half of each “peach” cookie into red apple juice, the other half into yellow apple juice, then roll in sugar. Add one or couple of fresh mint leaves.
- Once all peach cookies have been decorated, you are free to enjoy them immediately! They do taste best after being freezed for about 10-15 minutes or refrigerated for few hours, but who’s going to wait!
