Pesche - Italian Peach Wedding Cookies

Kozmic Blues's Note:

Years ago, my grandmother and great-aunt went to Italy for their cousin's daughter's wedding. They ALWAYS tell the story of this glorious table full of these delectable cookies shaped like little peaches. My great-aunt, being the baker of the family, asked her cousin for the recipe. She was told that these lovely little cookies were traditionally served at weddings there in their small Italian village. She brought the recipe home, with the hopes for making them for SOMEBODY"S wedding! I was lucky enough to be the one! The recipe itself is quite simple, however, it is the method in which you assemble the cookies that makes these so unique. My great aunt adapted the original filling. In Italy, the peach cookies were filled with cream custard held together at the crease by dark chocolate. Because she needed to make her's in advance, she changes the filling to peach preserves. If you use the traditional cream for the filling, the cookies must be made and eaten THAT DAY. I've left the recipe in her original words. The number of cookies this makes is an ESTIMATE! Will update after I speak to my great-aunt.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 10 mins
• Prep Time: 1 hrs
• Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 100 cookies

• 2 cups sugar
• 8 large eggs
• 2 cups vegetable oil
• 8 cups flour (you may have to keep adding flour until firm enough to form balls)
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• peach preserves
• peach brandy
• red food coloring
• granulated sugar

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°.
2. Lightly grease cookie sheets.
3. Mix together sugar, eggs and oil. Add flour and baking powder.
4. Form 1" balls (cookies should be "flat" on the bottom where they rest on the cookie sheet) and bake about 10-15 minutes (until lightly browned on the bottom).
5. While still warm, take a small pointed knife and scoop out a pocket on the flat side of each cookie.
6. Fill with preserves & spread a small amount on the flat sides as you join 2 cookies together to form the peach.
7. Color the brandy with a little food coloring & dip the peaches to give them a "blush".
8. Then roll the peach in granulated sugar.
9. You may garnish with artificial leaves for presentation.
10. **Variation--if you have the time to make these lovely cookies on the actual day that they will be eaten, you may fill the pockets with pastry cream, and then seal the two halves together with melted dark chocolate!

Reviews

[Chef #180765]

this are the best thing i have ever put into my mouth...i love them...if i were italian i would get married every year just to have these made at my wedding...last time i went to an italian wedding i took some home in my purse...YUMMMMMMY!!

[MARIA MAC *]

I have made these many times and get great reviews all the time. They have just the right balance of flavor with the barandy and pastry cream that I use when I make them.

[Lise in Indiana]

I coaxed this recipe out of my sister-in-laws mom - she had made them for their wedding. I've since made them for a few weddings and a couple wedding showers and anniversaries, too. What I've learned:use a small cookie scoop to form the ball - then divide the balls in half - this makes a nicer sized cookie in the end; use a pointed serrated grapefruit spoon to scoop out the warm centers; use a commercially prepared pastry cream and they will hold in the fridge for 3 days (don't dip and sugar them till a day before serving); use royal icing for the glue to put the two halves together (though I LOVE the idea of dark chocolate "glue"!); tint the remaining royal icing green and pipe leaves on the finished cookies' tops; use a pastry brush to moisten the peaches - they won't get too soggy that way; change the sugar often, it does get clumpy after a few cookies; place the cookies in white candy papers, they deserve this presentation; for transporting, these fit perfectly in Styrofoam egg cartons - I've even mailed them packed like this and only a few icing leaves were dislodged! These are wonderful! Thanks for posting the recipe so I don't lose it again!