Pesche Dolci - Italian “Peach” cookies

By Maverick19

The original recipe called for 20 minute bake time. I have found that a 16 minute bake time works best and it’s easier to remove walnut shells from the cookies. Start removing the walnut shells as soon as you can handle them. It’s easier to remove the shells when the cookies have come right out of the oven. Use a latex glove to help with the heat of the cookies. These cookies are best consumed in 3 days

Ingredients

• For Cookie Assembly:
• 1 1/4 cup sugar, plus more for coating cookies
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 cup butter, softened to room temp
• 1 lemon, zest only
• 1/2 orange, zest only (if you really like orange flavor, put zest of whole orange
• 3 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp milk or whiskey
• Chocolate Pudding and Vanilla Pudding
• Walnut Shell Halves (for molding)
• Peach Schnapps or Peach Torani Syrup
• Sambuca or Anise Syrup (make a simple syrup with anise extract if you can’t find Anise Syrup)
• Red and Yellow food coloring
• Sugar go for rolling the cookies

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Make chocolate and vanilla pudding prior to starting the cookies.
1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together until the mixture is fluffy and thick. You can use hand held or stand mixer.
2. Add the butter to the bowl and continue to whip until it is fully incorporated.
3. Add the lemon and orange zests and mix well
4. Add the salt and 1/2 cup flour at a time, into the cookie dough until the batter is smooth. If the dough is too dry, you can add liquor if needed (or milk)
5. Taking a small amount of dough (Tbsp worth) and mold over a very well oiled walnut shell (use non-stick spray and spray the walnut shells VERY WELL!). Place onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
6. Bake in a preheated oven for 16 minutes. When 16 minutes are up, you can place the cookies under a LOW Broil, if you would like them to be browned on the tops (about 2 minutes. I do NOT put them under the broiler.
7. Allow to cool, until you can handle cookies, with a knife, trim any dough on the bottom of the walnut shells, off.
8. Pair up similar sized halves and set aside until ready to assemble

Cookie Assembly:
1. In a small bowl, fill with Peach Schnapps and yellow food coloring. In a second small bowl, fill with Sambuca and red food coloring. In a third bowl, fill with granulated sugar.
2. Fill one half (one cookie) with the vanilla pudding and another half with chocolate pudding. Press the cookies together to form a peach.
3. Dip 1/2 peach cookie in red food coloring and the other half in the yellow food coloring. Roll the entire cookie in the sugar and then place the cookie in a cupcake liner.

These cookies are best consumed in three days