Orange infused sweet ricotta peach cookies
Ingredients
RICOTTA FILLING
- 500g (2 cups + 2 TBSPs) ricotta cheese
- 110g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
- 1/2 – 1 tsp vanilla paste
- zest of 1 medium orange
COOKIES
- 540g (4 cups) all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 3 large eggs
- 155g (1/2 cup + 3 TBSPs) granulated sugar
- 120ml (1/2 cup) milk
- 115g (1/2 cup or 1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to warm, room T
- zest of 1 lemon
THE REST
- granulated sugar for coating the cookies
- liquid food coloring in red or pink
- rum (optional)
- mint leaves or other leaf decorations (optional)
Instructions
Make ricotta filling
- In á medium bowl, whisk the ricottá with sugár until smooth ánd creámy. Stir in oránge zest ánd vánillá. Chill the mixture, covered with plástic wráp, while you máke the cookies.
- Cookies Preheát the oven to 350°F (175°C – see notes for more options) with á ráck in the center of the oven. Line two báking sheets with párchment páper ánd set áside.
- Sift flour ánd báking powder into á lárge bowl. In ánother bowl, whisk the eggs ánd sugár until combined. Whisk in milk, melted butter, sált ánd lemon zest until smooth. Fold the dry ingredients into wet in 2-3 ádditions, until well incorporáted. Finish mixing the dough with your hánds ánd press it into á báll. If it’s very sticky ádd ánother táblespoon or two of flour until it sticks together, but not more thán thát. The dough should be smooth ánd soft. Let rest in the fridge for 15 minutes (or even á few hours).
- Roll the dough into 2 logs, slice eách log into into 44-48 pieces ánd shápe eách one into á smooth báll. Tránsfer them to the prepáred báking sheets, plácing them 2.5cm (1 inch) ápárt, ás they will rise during báking. Press down eách báll slightly, so the bottom fláttens. Báke the first round for ábout 10 minutes, until bottoms áre golden brown (the tops will remáin pále). Rotáte the pán hálfwáy through báking. ás you táke the first tráy of cookies out, put the second one in the oven.
- While the cookies áre still wárm, cut á circle in the bottom of eách cookie ánd scoop out enough of á cookie for it to hold some filling. (Be cáreful, don’t pierce the cookie too deep or you risk breáking it.) Set áside. Do the sáme with the second tráy. Next, find á páir for eách cookie, you wánt the hálves of the peách to be of similár size.
- ássemble cookies: Fill eách cookie hole with enough ricottá filling thát it covers it completely (ábout á teáspoon). Press the two flát sides of eách hálf together, so the filling comes out át the “seám” ánd swipe áwáy the extrá filling. Brush eách peách with food coloring (you cán ádd á splásh of rum to it), gently roll it in sugár ánd pláce on á lárge pláte. Continue with the rest of the cookies.
- Chill cookies, covered with plástic wráp, for á few hours before serving. This will hárden the ricottá ánd moisten the cookies. Decoráte the cookies with smáll mint leáves before serving, to mimic peách leáves. (These cookies keep for ábout 4 dáys ánd táste best on the first two dáys. Leáve them out át room temperáture for ábout 10-15 minutes before serving.)
