Imagine making peach cookies that are so realistic that on first look people mistake them for real peaches.ย That’s the fun of these Italian peach look-alike cookies or pescheย dolci.ย They are shortbread stuffed with ricotta cheese and coated with sugar.ย You don’t have to be an artist to create them either.ย I made larger cookies to photograph, but found that no one wants to eat a cookie the size of a baseball!ย You should probably make them the size of walnuts or apricots.ย Of course, the larger they are, the more realistic they look.ย ย Click here to jump to theย recipe.ย
Work the dough and then roll it into a smooth ball.ย Place it on parchment paper on a cookie sheet and press down to flatten the underside, while still keeping the dome intact.
Once baked, and still a little warm, turn the cookie over and carefully cut out the bottom.
Then gently remove as much cookie as you can manage.ย Careful, they break easily!
Spoon in the ricotta filling.
Add an almond to represent a peach pit.ย Squeeze two halves together to form a ball.
Dip half the ball into the yellow food coloring mixed with milk.ย Then dip the other half into the red coloring.ย Always go from yellow to red so the red dye doesn’t get into the yellow.
Roll the cookie in granulated sugar and it will help hid cracks and any imperfections.ย It also looks a little like peach fuzz.
Stick a toothpick in between the two halves and make a little hole to stick a leaf or little sprig of mint.
Be prepared for smiles and exclamations and no one eating them because they just like to look at them!
Also, experiment with the filling.ย Add chopped nuts, or go with something different such as peach preserves, cream cheese instead of ricotta, or even add whipped cream.
A little peach liqueur can be added to the dyes to impart a peach taste.
Keep these cookies refrigerated and eat them within a couple of days.

Prep Time | 1 hour |
Cook Time | 15 minutes |
Servings |
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- 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 large lemon
Ingredients
Filling Ingredients
Decoration Ingredients
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- In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla. Stir until thoroughly mixed.
- Cover and refrigerate.
If your cookies crack during baking, the sugar coating helps hide imperfections.
This recipe was adapted from Sugar Salted.ย Click on the name to see those cookies and find other tips.
Makes 22-24 cookies.