Japanese Peach Cookies
Peach cookies (peach-shaped filled cookies) as featured in a 'Cooking tree' video (Peach Cookies Recipe / ピーチクッキー / 복숭아 쿠키). The source page contains only a linked cooking video with no written text, so a faithful classic method is reconstructed below. Note: peach-shaped filled cookies are of European (Italian/Balkan) origin; the book presents this version as 'Japanese'.
Ingredients
| 2 | eggs | |
| 1/2 cup | 120 ml | sugar |
| 1 tsp. | 5 ml | vanilla |
| 1/3 cup | 80 ml | vegetable oil |
| 1/4 cup | 60 ml | milk |
| 2 1/2 cups | 600 ml | all-purpose flour |
| 2 tsp. | 10 ml | baking powder |
| — | jam or chocolate/cream spread, for filling | |
| — | colored syrup (red and yellow food coloring), for coating | |
| — | granulated sugar, for rolling | |
| — | fresh mint leaves, for garnish |
Instructions
(reconstructed classic method)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Make the dough. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla until light. Whisk in the oil and milk. Sift in the flour and baking powder and stir until a soft, smooth dough forms.
- Pinch off small pieces of dough and roll into even balls (about a walnut in size). Arrange on the baking sheet, spacing them apart.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until just set and pale; do not let them brown. Cool completely.
- With a small knife, hollow out the flat bottom of each cookie, reserving the crumbs.
- Make the filling. Mix the reserved crumbs with jam (or a little cream/chocolate spread) until it holds together.
- Fill the hollow of one cookie half with the filling and press a second half onto it to form a whole 'peach'.
- Brush or dip the joined cookies lightly in colored syrup (a little red on the cheeks, yellow/pink elsewhere), then roll in granulated sugar to coat.
- Tuck a fresh mint leaf into the top of each to resemble a peach leaf. Serve.