Italian Peach Cookies (Printer-friendly)

Peach-shaped sandwich cookies with chocolate and jam filling, colored and sugar-coated for a realistic festive appearance.

# What You'll 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 - Pinch of 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 for rolling
15 - Fresh mint leaves for garnish

# Directions:

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 using an electric mixer.
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 small portions of dough, about 1 tablespoon each, into balls and place them on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart.
07 - Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until just set and lightly golden on the bottom. Do not overbake.
08 - Cool cookies completely. Using a small knife or spoon, carefully scoop out a little from the flat side of each cookie to create a cavity for the filling. Reserve the crumbs.
09 - For the filling, melt the chocolate with heavy cream. Stir until smooth. Mix in the reserved cookie crumbs and jam to form a thick paste.
10 - 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.
11 - 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.
12 - Roll the colored cookies in granulated sugar to coat evenly.
13 - Insert a mint leaf into the top of each cookie for a realistic touch, if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • These cookies are showstoppers that make people gasp when they realize theyre edible
  • The chocolate and jam filling creates this perfect balance of rich and bright flavors
  • Theyre actually much easier to make than they look, trust me
02 -
  • The dough will feel quite soft, but resist the urge to add more flour or the cookies become tough
  • Let the cookies cool completely before trying to hollow them out or theyll crumble
  • Less is more with the food coloring, you can always add more but you cant take it back
03 -
  • If your dough feels too sticky to handle, chill it for 15 minutes before rolling into balls
  • Use a small melon baller to create the cavity, it gives you that perfect rounded hollow
  • Warm your filling slightly if it becomes too firm to spread

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