Peach Cookies

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These adorable Peach Cookies look just like little fruits and they are so simple to make and decorate. While Italian peach cookies are often made with a pastry cream filling, these are filled with peach jam and brushed with peach schnapps to give them a delicious peachy flavor.

Two peach cookies in the foreground with a basket of cookies in the background
These homemade cookies are flavored with peach schnapps for a delicious and refreshing fruity taste!

Serve these cookies in a basket and you may have people thinking you’ve brought them real peaches!

Ingredients for Fruit Cookies

Unlike traditional Italian peach cookies, these fruit cookies are made with a jam filling and peach liqueur.

The cookies themselves are made with basic baking ingredients like flour, butter, eggs, a lot of baking powder for a nice dome, and sugar. There are a few things to know:

  • I highly recommend using peach schnapps for these cookies. It gives them a really nice peach flavor. I use it in two ways, but both can be substituted if you prefer to avoid this ingredient:
    1. In the cookie dough – It won’t have a huge impact on the cookies if you replace this with additional vanilla extract.
    2. To decorate the cookies – Brushing peach schnapps on the cookies gives them a big boost of flavor. You can substitute with milk or peach nectar.
  • Any peach jam or jelly works well for the cookies’ filling. You could also use peach whipped cream or pastry cream.
  • You’ll need red and yellow food coloring and some paint brushes to get the perfect peach color.
  • You’ll need two small paintbrushes to decorate the cookies. Any clean brushes will work.

How To Make Peach Cookies

  1. Start by creaming butter and sugar until they are light and airy. It takes about three minutes with an electric mixer. Then, mix in egg, vanilla, sour cream, and optionally peach schnapps.
Adding sour cream to kitchen aid mixing bowl
Sour cream is a fantastic addition to homemade cookies as it will provide extra moistness without thinning out your batter!
  1. Mix in the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt) until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
Adding dry ingredients to mixing bowl
When making your peach cookies, be sure not to overmix the dough or you’ll end up with cookies that fall flat and don’t achieve the intended shape.
  1. Roll tablespoon-sized dough balls with your hands and place them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
Rolling cookie dough ball between two hands
This homemade cookie recipe is a great way to get the kids involved -have them help roll out the dough!
  1. Bake for about 15 minutes. The bottoms of the cookies will be lightly browned, but the tops won’t be browned at all.
  2. Cool cookies to room temperate on a cooling rack.
  3. Once they are cool, sandwich two cookies together using a small amount of peach jam.
Two cookies being sandwiched together with jam
This one had a bit too much jam. I recommend using slightly less than that to keep jam cookies from overflowing.

How to Decorate Jam Cookies

  1. Pour a little peach schnapps into two separate bowls. Add red food coloring to one and yellow food coloring to the other.
One bowl of red liquid, one bowl of yellow liquid, two cookies, and bowl of sugar
Use food coloring and more peach schnapps for a distinctly peachy look and flavor.
  1. Use a paintbrush (one that hasn’t been used for non-food purposes) to paint the cookies red and yellow. You can experiment with different patterns on these. I found that a full coat of red, topped with a full coat of yellow, and then a few more red splotches on top was the most realistic.
  2. Lastly, dip both sides of the cookies into a bowl of sugar.
Painting peach cookie
These homemade jam cookies are perfect for fans of peach or any kind of delicate and fruity desserts!

Expert Tips and FAQs

What’s the best way to serve these?

I love putting these cookies in a basket! They look just like a basket of peaches. Stick a couple of mint leaves or other edible leaves (like lemon balm) into the cookies to add to the look!

How long do they last?

They last for 3-5 days at room temperature in an airtight container.

Do I have to use peach schnapps?

No – you can add more vanilla in the cookies and use milk or peach nectar for brushing when they are done.

Can I dip the cookies in the food colored liquid instead of painting it on?

Yes! While it does save some time, the more splotchy look that you get from painting ends up looking more realistic.

Do I have to use food coloring?

If you don’t like to use artificial food coloring in your baking, you can substitute in natural food coloring or just leave it off entirely.

Can I use different kinds of fillings?

Absolutely! More traditional Italian peach cookies usually have a light pastry cream filling. You could even do a combination of half pastry cream and half peach jam.

Can these cookies be served immediately?

You can serve your fruit cookies just after decorating, but if you give them a few hours the liqueur will soak into the cookie and give it a softer and more tender texture.

Close up of a group of peach cookies
Use a mint leaf to give your fruit cookies a final touch and up your presentation game.
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Two peach cookies in the foreground with a basket of cookies in the background
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5 from 4 votes

Peach Cookies

These adorable homemade cookies look just like peaches and they are so simple to make and decorate. They are filled with peach jam and brushed with peach schnapps to give them a delicious peachy flavor.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American, Italian
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Cooling Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 14 cookies
Calories 349kcal
Author Stefani

Ingredients

Cookie Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup sour cream full-fat
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon peach schnapps optional; if not using, add an additional 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

Filling and Decorating Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup peach jam
  • 1 cup peach schnapps divided; substitute with milk or peach nectar
  • 6 drops red food coloring
  • 6 drops yellow food coloring
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar

Instructions

Cookie Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 F.
  • In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  • Cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes on high).
  • Mix in eggs, one at a time until fully combined.
  • Mix in sour cream, vanilla, and peach schnapps until fully combined.
  • Mix in dry ingredients until just combined.
  • Roll tablespoon-sized balls of cookie dough into balls using your hands. Place onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet, leaving about 1 inch between the cookies.
  • Bake for 15 minutes or until the the bottoms of the cookies have browned.
  • Cool cookies on a cooling rack.

Filling and Decorating Instructions

  • Sandwich sets of two cookies together with a small amount of peach jam in between.
  • Divide the peach schnapps into two small bowls.
  • Add red food coloring to one bowl and yellow food coloring to the other bowl. (Use more or less food coloring than recommended depending on your personal preference.)
  • Paint a thin layer of red on one half of a cookie. Top with a thin layer of yellow and then a few more splotches of red.
  • Dip in a bowl of sugar.
  • Repeat with the other side of the cookie and then repeat all steps for remaining cookies.

Video

Notes

  • For the best look, serve in a basket. Stick a couple of mint leaves or other edible leaves, like lemon balm, into the cookies to add to the look!
  • They last for 3-5 days at room temperature.

Nutrition

Calories: 349kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 52mg | Sodium: 100mg | Potassium: 124mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 363IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 1mg
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