Italian Peach Summer Cookies
Peach Summer Cookies
Soft Italian peach-shaped cookies filled with peach jam and mascarpone cream, brushed with peach liqueur syrup, and rolled in sugar for a festive summer dessert.
Italian peach summer cookies, often inspired by pesche dolci, are little sandwich cookies shaped and tinted to look like ripe peaches. The shells bake up tender and cakey rather than crisp, which makes them perfect for soaking lightly with peach syrup and holding a creamy fruit filling.
This version keeps the flavors bright and summery with peach jam, mascarpone, lemon zest, and vanilla. A spoonful of peach liqueur gives the syrup a classic pastry-shop aroma, but peach nectar works well for an alcohol-free batch.
The shaping takes a little patience, but the process is straightforward: bake small domed cookies, hollow the undersides, fill and sandwich them, then brush each side with colored peach syrup before rolling in sugar. Once chilled, the cookies soften into a delicate dessert that looks special on a platter.
Serve them after an Italian meal, bring them to a summer party, or make them a day ahead for a dessert table. A small mint leaf tucked beside each cookie is optional, but it makes the peach shape instantly recognizable.
Nutrition (per serving)
Directions
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1
Heat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
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2
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl until evenly combined.
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3
Beat the butter and 3/4 cup granulated sugar until pale and fluffy, then beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the milk, vanilla, and lemon zest.
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4
Mix in the dry ingredients just until a soft dough forms; if the dough is sticky, chill it for 10 minutes before shaping.
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5
Scoop level tablespoons of dough, roll into smooth balls, and place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.
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6
Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, until the bottoms are lightly golden and the tops spring back when touched; cool completely on a rack.
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7
Use a small spoon or paring knife to hollow a shallow pocket from the flat side of each cookie, saving the crumbs in a bowl.
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8
Stir the peach jam, mascarpone, powdered sugar, and 2 tablespoons of cookie crumbs until thick, then spoon a little filling into each hollow and press two cookies together.
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9
Divide the peach nectar between two small bowls; stir peach liqueur and red coloring into one bowl, and yellow coloring into the other.
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10
Brush one side of each sandwich with red syrup and the other side with yellow syrup, roll in sugar, add a mint leaf if using, and chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour:3 cups
- Baking powder:2 tsp
- Fine sea salt:1/2 tsp
- Unsalted butter, softened:1/2 cup
- Granulated sugar:3/4 cup
- Large eggs:2
- Whole milk:1/3 cup
- Vanilla extract:2 tsp
- Lemon zest:1 tsp
- Peach jam:1/2 cup
- Mascarpone cheese:1/2 cup
- Powdered sugar:2 tbsp
- Peach nectar:1/2 cup
- Peach liqueur or additional peach nectar:2 tbsp
- Red liquid food coloring:4 drops
- Yellow liquid food coloring:6 drops
- Granulated sugar for coating:1/2 cup
- Small mint leaves for serving:18
Tips & Notes
- For the neatest shape, keep the dough balls close to the same size and do not flatten them before baking.
- Use only enough syrup to tint the cookies; soaking them heavily can make the shells collapse.
- The filled cookies are best after a short chill and can be refrigerated in a covered container for up to 2 days.
