Italian Peach Cookies

OK, we’re not going to sugarcoat things: These peach cookies are a fair amount of work. Actually, we are going to sugarcoat things, but that step doesn’t come for a while. In the meantime, just know that while there are several steps and a lot of hands-on work with this Italian peach cookies recipe, they’re really not that hard to make, it’s just a process.

If you have some free time and you truly want to impress people, then you should by all means undertake this cookie-making project. The resulting treats will be an absolute delight to the eye as well as the tongue. The only problem with these peachy cookies is that they look so good, people might feel bad eating them.

Ingredients for Italian Peach Cookies

• Eggs: You need two large eggs or three small eggs for these cookies.
• Sugar: You’ll find plenty of sugar in this recipe.
• Canola oil: A different neutral oil is fine to use, if need be.
• Milk: 2% milk is the best choice for these cookies.
• Vanilla extract: Just 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract is all you need here.
• All-purpose flour: You need plenty of flour for these cookies.
• Baking powder: The baking powder helps to create the proper texture for these cookies.

Filling:

• Peach preserves: If you don’t have peach preserves, apricot preserves work just fine here.
• Pecans: Make sure the nuts are finely chopped.
• Cream cheese: The cream cheese needs to be softened, so get it out of the fridge early.
• Unsweetened instant tea: There is plenty of sweetness from all the sugar, so stick with unsweetened tea.
• Ground cinnamon: Cinnamon is a potent spice, so don’t overdo it.

Coating:

• Lemon gelatin: Use two 3-ounce packages of lemon gelatin.
• Peach or orange gelatin: Same deal here, you need 6 ounces total.
• Strawberry gelatin: And again, same amount.
• Sugar: Sugar is back again for, quite literally, a sugar coating.
• Mint leaves and additional apricot preserves: These are the graceful garnishes to these cookies.

Directions

Step 1: Prepare the batter

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In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, oil, milk and vanilla together until blended. Separately combine the flour and baking powder, then gradually beat the dry ingredients into the egg mixture.

Step 2: Form the cookies, then bake

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Preheat the oven to 325°F. Roll the dough into 3/4-inch balls, then place these 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten the cookie balls slightly, then bake them for 13 to 15 minutes or until firm. Remove the cookies to wire racks.

Step 3: Slice and scoop the cookies

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While the cookies are still warm, use a sharp knife and small spoon to cut and scoop out about 1/2 teaspoon of crumbs from the bottom of each cookie. Set the crumbs aside (aim for about about 1-1/2 cups total) for making the filling. Then let the cookies cool completely.

Step 4: Prepare the filling, shape the peach cookies

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In a small bowl, combine the filling ingredients, then stir in the reserved crumbs. Spoon the filling into two cookies, then spread a thin amount of filling on the cookie bottoms and press them together to form a peach. Repeat with the remaining cookies and filling.

Step 5: Prepare the gelatin-sugar coating

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In a shallow bowl, combine one package each of lemon and orange gelatin powder. Place one package of strawberry gelatin powder in another bowl, and place the remaining sugar in a third bowl.

Step 6: Coat the cookies

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Working with one cookie at a time, spritz a cookie with water. Then dip it in the lemon gelatin mixture, then in the strawberry gelatin, then in the sugar. Spritz the cookie with additional water and add more gelatin as needed to create the desired peach blush effect. Place the decorated cookies on a wire rack to dry for one hour.

Step 7: Attach the mint leaves and chill

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Repeat the gelatin and sugar coating with the remaining cookies and packages of gelatin, then attach mint leaves to the top of each cookie using additional preserves. Store the finished cookies in the refrigerator.

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Italian Peach Cookie Variations

• Use different preserves: As noted, apricot preserves are a great alternative to peach preserves, but you can really use anything you’d like, from strawberry preserves to fig and beyond.
• Skip the sugar coating: If you want to scale back a bit on the sugar, just use gelatin coating for looks and skip the additional sugar.
• Add peach juice: To amp up the sweetness and the peachy taste of these cookies, add 1/4 cup of the juice from canned peaches as you make the batter, and use just 1/3 cup of milk instead of 1/2 cup.

How to Store Italian Peach Cookies

These cookies will keep fine at room temperature for a day uncovered, and they can be kept in the fridge for up to three days, also stored uncovered. This is because they will already be quite moist, and sealing them up can make them mushy.

Can I freeze these peach cookies?

From a food safety point, yes, you can freeze these cookies, but from a taste and texture standpoint, they’re really best if eaten within a few days of their prep.

Italian Peach Cookie Tips

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Is the instant tea necessary?

While the tea does add some pleasant flavor and balance, it can be left out if you don’t have any on hand. Also, you can use a decaf tea if you don’t want to add any caffeine to the cookies.

What should I serve with these peach cookies?

These cookies need no pairing to be impressive, but they would indeed pair well with fresh fruit, ideally peaches. They also make great cake toppers or serve well beside ice cream.

Is there a way to make these cookies faster?

Aside from preparing your ingredients earlier, such as pre-mixing the gelatins, there’s really no great way to speed up this cookie-making process, so just pop on a podcast and plan to enjoy your time in the kitchen.