Italian Peach Cookies (Pesche Dolci)

Italian Peach Cookies are a classic Italian cookie commonly served for special occasions like weddings. These cookies are known for their unique peach shape and can be made with a variety of flavors. Here, I use a ricotta filing but see the notes for different variations.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Keyword peach cookies, pesche dolci

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 15

Total Time 45

Servings cookies

Calories 214kcal

Author Angela Allison

Equipment

baking sheet
wire cooling rack

Ingredients

Cookie Dough Ingredients

4 cups all purpose flour (520 grams)
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup milk (whole or 2%)
½ cup unsalted butter (melted and cooled)

Filling Ingredients

15 ounces ricotta cheese (drained well)
½ cup granulated sugar

Assembly Ingredients

½ cup red liqueur like Campari
¼ cup granulated sugar
mint leaves

Instructions

To Make the Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In a separate large bowl or stand up mixer fitted with paddle attachment, combine the sugar, eggs, milk, and melted butter. Mix together until well combined. Add in the flour mixture and mix until the dough comes together and is just combined.
Use a small cookie scoop to measure out about a tablespoon of dough. Roll the dough into balls and place on prepared baking sheet pressing down slightly on the dough (you should be able to fit about 24 balls of dough on each sheet).
Place into preheated oven and bake, rotating pans halfway through, until cookies are just cooked through, about 13-15 minutes. (Note that the cookies won’t change color much.) Remove from oven and let cool on pan for about 5-10 minutes.
While the cookies are still warm, use a small knife with pointed tip to carve out the bottom of the cookie so they can be filled with the ricotta mixture. Set aside to cool completely.

To Make the Filling

In a bowl, combine the well drained ricotta and sugar. Use an electric mixer to mix together the filling until smooth. Transfer the filling to a piping bag and chill until ready to use.

Assembling the Cookies

Before filling the cookies, match up cookies that are similar in size and group them together. Then, pipe filling into the cookie halves so that it fills the half completely. Then, sandwich the cookies together removing any excess filling that seeps out the sides.

Dip and Decorate

Place the liqueur in a small bowl. Dip the cookie into the liqueur and let the excess drip off. (You can also brush on the liqueur if you’d like.) Place the cookies on a wire rack and sprinkle with sugar on both sides. Continue until all the cookies are dipped and coated in sugar.
Add a mint leave to make the "stem" of the peach. Let the cookies set before serving.

Notes

These cookies can be made 3-4 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Make sure your ricotta is very well drained before using. You can fill these cookies with the ricotta mixture, or use an Italian pastry cream, Nutella, or peach jam as the filling.
If your dough is sticky, spray hands with nonstick cooking spray before rolling into balls.
Be sure you carve out the bottom of the cookie while it is still warm so the cookies don’t break apart as much.
If you want a deeper orange color, add red and yellow food coloring to the liqueur until you reach your desired shade.
The original recipe for Italian Peach Cookies uses Alchermes liqueur, which can be difficult to find. I suggest using another red liqueur like Campari. You can also use a peach liqueur and dye it red with food coloring.

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