Pesche - Italian Peach Wedding Cookies

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. 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.

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Yields: 100 cookies

Ingredients

• 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!