Peach Pastries With Dulce de Leche Filling – Пирожные “Персики”

These popular Russian pastries are typically made around the holidays. Their cuteness wins them the center of attention.

Even though they look like tiny little peaches, they don’t taste like peaches at all. The cookie itself is a tender and perfectly crumbly when you bite into it. The cream cheese dulce de leche filling is made with a bit of rum for flavor and some cookie crumbs. This combination is absolutely delicious. I would eat it just like that. However, dipping the cookie into dyed milk and sugar transforms this pastry into a dainty, fuzzy peach and a small mint leaf in the center gives it a finished look. Enjoy. I was actually surprised how simple it was to make these pastries, so don’t be afraid to give these a try. 

For the cookies:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl with the paddle attachment on a standing mixer or using a hand mixer until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until combined. Whisk the flour and baking powder in a small bowl until mixed. Add to the cookie batter and mix just until incorporated. Form balls about 1 Tablespoon each and place about 1 1/2  inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 11 minutes. Cool. Using a small paring knife or a butter knife, cut out a circle from the center of the bottom of the cookie, leaving a small border on the outside. Scoop out the center. Be very gentle when doing this since the cookie is very fragile and may break if you’re not careful. Save the cookie scraps, you will need them later.

For the filling: 

Mix the cream cheese and dulce de leche until well mixed. Add the rum and mix. Crumble the reserved cookie crumbs and scraps with your hands. Add the cookie crumbs to the filling and mix to combine.To assemble:

Fill the scooped out center of the cookie with the filling using a small spoon or a butter knife, spreading a thin layer of the filling on the rim of the cookie too. Place two of the cookies filling side together and gently press together. Take 3 small bowls and fill one with sugar and the other two with the dyed milk. Use your own judgement as to the color that you want the pastries to be. I counted how many drops of dye I used, but you can make it brighter if you’d like.

If you’d rather use a natural dye, use freshly squeezed carrot juice and beet juice instead of the dyed milk. Dip half of the pastry in the Orange/Yellow liquid and coat in the sugar.

Dip the other side of the pastry in the Red/Orange liquid and also dip in the sugar.

Place the pastries on an aluminum lined cookie sheet and dry for at least 1 hour. The color will become more bright and pronounced as the pastries dry.Right before serving, place a mint leaf in the center of some of the pastries. 

Peach Pastries With Dulce de Leche Filling
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Sweets
Serves: 50 pastries
Ingredients
Cookies:
  • 4½ sticks butter, softened
  • 1½ cups sugar
  • 4 eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 6 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
Filling:
  • 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
  • 1 can dulce de leche
  • ½ Tablespoon rum
  • 1½ cups cookie crumbs
Topping:
  • 1-2 cups sugar
  • mint, for garnishing
Yellow/Orange:
  • 1 cup milk
  • 50 drops yellow food coloring
  • 2 drops red
Red/Orange:
  • 1 cup milk
  • 20 drops yellow food coloring
  • 60 drops red food coloring
Instructions
For the cookies:
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl with the paddle attachment on a standing mixer or using a hand mixer until fluffy.
  3. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.
  4. Whisk the flour and baking powder in a small bowl until mixed. Add to the cookie batter and mix just until incorporated.
  5. Form balls about 1 Tablespoon each and place about 1½ inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
  6. Bake for about 11 minutes. Cool.
  7. Using a small paring knife or a butter knife, cut out a circle from the center of the bottom of the cookie, leaving a small border on the outside. Scoop out the center. Be very gentle when doing this since the cookie is very fragile and may break if you're not careful.
  8. Save the cookie scraps, you will need them later.
For the filling:
  1. Mix the cream cheese and dulce de leche until well mixed.
  2. Add the rum and mix. Crumble the reserved cookie crumbs and scraps with your hands. Add the cookie crumbs to the filling and mix to combine.
To assemble:
  1. Fill the scooped out center of the cookie with the filling using a small spoon or a butter knife, spreading a thin layer of the filling on the rim of the cookie too.
  2. Place two of the cookies filling side together and gently press together.
  3. Take 3 small bowls and fill one with sugar and the other two with the dyed milk. Dip half of the pastry in the Orange/Yellow liquid and coat in the sugar.
  4. Dip the other side of the pastry in the Red/Orange liquid and also dip in the sugar.
  5. Place the pastries on an aluminum lined cookie sheet and dry for at least 1 hour. Right before serving, place a mint leaf in the center of some of the pastries.

104 Comments

    • olgak7

      Hi Alla,
      I’ve never made them more than a few days in advance, so I can’t say for sure, but you can certainly make them a few days before you’re planning on serving them.

      • Olga

        Dear Olga
        I was trying to bake those today and didn’t come out correctly
        In oven all balls roztopilis ;(((
        Mozhet eto iz za to much butter ?

        • olgak7

          I’m sorry to hear that it didn’t work out for you. I’m not sure what the issue might be.
          The cookies are supposed to spread out just a bit as they bake. That’s why they will have the shape of a peach when you put them together, however they shouldn’t spread out too much.

  • angelina

    I was jumping when i saw this recipe. My mom makes them but l live in different state and really never learned how to make them. She did send them to me once when i was in college and i passed them around in my girls dorms and they were gone in minutes. I am so excited to learn how to make them with your wonderful instructions and pictures. Thank you so much olga!

    • olgak7

      Hi Angelina,
      I’m so glad you like these pastries and you’ll be able to make them yourself now. I jump when I find a recipe I’ve been looking for too:).

  • Nadia

    Ohh my these look so pretty 🙂 and I’m sure very delicious….Ahh I got something new to make for my kids birthday party’s:). Thanks Olga!

  • Svetlana

    I was super excited to see these pop up on your blog! Thank you for posting them. Finishing them right now, came out really nice looking and super yummy. The only thing is, it took me much longer then 1 hr 45 minutes to make them (you are truly a super cook to make them that fast!) Planning to make them for Thanksgiving! Love your blog, thank you for all the yummy recipes, keep posting more please! God bless you for all the wonderful work you do!

  • Adi

    Hi Olga, I grew up with these little peaches, thank you so much for reminding me to make them again. My mom also used to make some walnut-shape cookies but she had a special form to make them. Was a round one and she “baked” them on the gaz stove. No way to get that form here, but I saw some electric forms on-line or in the Russian stores. Do you make walnut cookis as well? If so, I would realy appreciate if you could post them one day.Thank you so much for your blog. It’s one of my favourite food blogs.Adi

  • olga

    hi olga!! Thank you for all your work! I always wanted to know how to make these peaches! You seriously dip the peaches into colored milk?? i never knew that..

    • olgak7

      Hi Olga,
      Yep, you dip the cookies into dyed milk. However, as I wrote in the post, you can use carrot juice and beet juice instead if you want a more natural approach.

    • olgak7

      I would just store them at room temperature in a sealed container. If you’d rather store them in the refrigerator, they may become a little damp from the condensation.

  • olga

    Hi Olga,
    how long do you boil the condensed milk in water for a recipe like this? If boiling two cans, one can to use later. ??

  • Tanya

    I’m making them as we speak, are the cookies supposed to be soft? I haven’t filled them yet of made the cream. Just wondering if I’m doing the right thing.

    • olgak7

      Hi Tanya,
      Yes, the cookies will be soft. As long as they are baked through, it should be the correct consistency. They are much more tender than any other peach pastries that I’ve tried. We created this recipe specifically to have a softer texture. They are delicate, so be gentle with them when you fill them.

      • Tanya

        I made them, my bro and sis liked them and said they tasted much better than the ones they’ve tried before. Good thing I checked back because I forgot about the last step of leaving them out to dry. Hope it’s not too late hehe. And I have a feeling they will be gone by the time Thanksgiving comes around. Need to find a better hiding spot 🙂

      • Tanya

        To tell you the truth, I was a bit skeptical at first. All that butter scared me. Then somehow it all turned out. And I tried the cookies on their own, they didn’t even taste buttery. Thank you so much for posting this recipe.

    • olgak7

      Hi Olga,
      If they tasted moist and raw, then most likely you didn’t bake them through all the way. They shouldn’t taste moist at all. The cookie dough is a type of shortbread, which is dry. Even though for this recipe the cookie is very tender, it shouldn’t be moist at all.

  • olga

    I think I was in a hurry or something too. I had a hard time sticking the sugar on evenly too. =( it was just bad. Though, I will retry again.

    • olgak7

      When you check the cookies for doneness, press lightly on top with your finger. If there is an indentation and it stays there, the cookies are not ready. If it bounces back and doesn’t indent, the cookies are done. Good luck with the next batch!

  • Oksana

    Hi Olga,

    I have been checking your blog a few times now, and am very excited to make many of your recipes! These cookies I sure do want to make for our thanksgiving dinner. One question, the condensed milk in the cream is raw, not cooked right? Cause the color in your pic made me question whether it was cooked condensed milk..

    • olgak7

      Hi Oksana,
      Dulce de leche IS cooked condensed milk. The color of raw condensed milk is a creamy white, not brown, like I have shown in the picture. We have dulce de leche sold in the stores. If you want to cook raw condensed milk, you can put it in a glass jar, place it in a slow cooker, cover the closed jar with water and cook on high for 4 hours.

  • Irina

    Hi Olga,
    thank you for this yummy recipe! I made these last minute for Thanksgiving dinner. They were easy to make and looked good on the table! Although mine didn’t turn out as perfect as yours, they were still cute 🙂
    I’m not sure I like the rum flavor in the filling. Maybe it’s because I used Rum imitation and not the real thing. What kind do you use?
    Maybe next time I’ll try a different flavor… And maybe use less butter so I don’t feel as guilty eating them 😛
    I love your website! I plan to make the “slow cooker beef stroganoff” tomorrow. It looks soooo good, I can’t wait to try it! I love mushrooms, especially creamy!
    Blessings and Happy Holidays!

  • Natalya

    Hi Olga 🙂

    If I make these like… 5 days before I need them, will they still be good? Or should I put them together like the day before I need them?

  • Larisa

    hi Olga,
    i want to make these for Christmas for the carolers but my question is how do you measure 60drops of dye? do you really count them?

    • olgak7

      Larisa,
      Believe it or not, I actually DID count out 60 drops:). I needed the exact amount to give specific instructions for a recipe. Would I do it if I was doing it for myself and didn’t have to worry about the recipe? Nope. Just eyeball it until you have the color that you want.

  • Vera

    Hello Olga,
    I really want to make these tomorrow but I don’t have baking powder… Will it work if I use baking soda instead?

    Thank you,
    Vera

      • Vera

        I made these yesterday (with baking powder) and they turned out amazingly beautiful. Everyone said they are cute and we liked that they were really soft. Thank you so much for the simple and clear recipe. I’ll look at your other recipes and try them as well. I love cooking and I’m glad that you have Russian recipes in English because it’s easier to find ingredients and measure things. Thank you 🙂

  • Tatianna

    Hi Olga 🙂
    This is my second time making these pastries. The first time they turned out perfect, the second time, they seem a bit undercooked inside, even though the bottom browned a bit and they cracked on top. Do you know what might have went wrong?

    • Tatianna

      I think my oven broke 🙁 It bakes at a higher temperature than indicated. Do you think if I was to finish baking the pastries at a lower temperature to finish baking the inside it would help? If so, at what temperature would it be ideal?

  • lucy

    Hi Olga i made the peaches they were perfect when i had baked them ,but after the cream they got a bit too soft and started breaking on me. Do u know whats wrong?

    • olgak7

      Hi lucy,
      I’m not sure what you did wrong, since I wasn’t in your kitchen to watch you:). I don’t know if you did the batter correctly, or maybe you added too much filling. As I mentioned in the recipe, the baked pastries are very delicate and you need to be very gentle when you are scooping out the center and when you are filling them.

  • Tes

    Hello Olga!
    First off, you are AWESOME! You won’t believe how long I’ve searched the Internet for this recipe. So thank you! Also, I have a question.. Two, actually! I plan on shipping these to a city 2 hours away from me, any recommendations on bake time, send time? I was planning on just making them at night then shipping them in the morning (hopefully they arrive in one piece).. And, my filling will basically be lazy cake! (using the cookie filling) Is that alright?

    Thanks again!
    Tes

    • olgak7

      Hi Tes,
      Thanks so much for your kind words!
      I would recommend shipping them overnight. You’ll have to pack them really well, since they are very delicate and might break. If you bake them the night before sending them, they should be just fine.
      I’m not exactly sure what you mean about the filling, though.

  • Lubasha

    hi Olga, so one day I was looking on Pinterest for peaches recipes and that is how I came across your recipe I gotta tell you that this was not my first recipe for peaches, I have tried more then two others and been baking them for approximately over 7 years. with all of the recipes of found the peaches to be too hard or too tough and yours is just right and far the best I ever tried and don’t think that I can beat this one! since this recipe I made about six things from your site already and absolutely love every single one your recipes!!! thank you so much for thinking about us not so creative cooks out there 🙂

    • olgak7

      I’m so glad these pastries caught your eye, Lubasha! I agree with you that most other recipes turn out really hard. I love how soft these pastries turn out. My mom came up with the recipe herself, and that’s exactly what she wanted to achieve.
      Thanks so much for your kind words:).

  • Sveta

    Hi Olga I made this and loved them I am not too thrilled to use a dye though. I was just wondering if the carrot and beet juice will change the taste? Thanks in advance.
    And by the way, I made mine well ahead of time and froze them, they were still delicious after defrosting, everyone loved them.

    • olgak7

      I don’t think it does, but if you don’t want to use dye, your options are limited, unless you make peach pastries that are tan:). If you know of any other way to make them peach colored, that would not use dye, I would love to hear about it.

  • Yulia

    Hello Olga! zdelala ya eti perciki vchera, chyt chyt povozilac no rezyltat bil ochen xoroshui. Cpocibo bolshoe za etot kracivui u lexkui retcept! Ya yje davno ickala takoi retcept. Moi doma cmeli vce srazy. ya xotela bi yznat chem ya mogy zamenit 1 can dulce de leche?
    Thank You !!!

    • olgak7

      Hi Yulia! I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed the peach pastries. I guess you can use whatever kind of filling you like; I’ve never made it with anything other than Dulce de leche. I think cream cheese and Nutella might be a good idea.

  • Olga

    These are very cute. I will give them a try. I do have a question though. It seems whenever I coat something with sugar it becomes really think with clumps. Any tips for avoiding that?

  • Tabitha

    Hello Olga! i just wanted to thank you for posting this recipe, I have been looking for this recipe forever. I tried to make them last night but when i took them out of the oven they were still in balls and didn’t end up looking like yours “peach shaped” i was pretty disappointed:( i want to try again do you have any suggestions?

    • olgak7

      Hi Tabitha!
      I’m sorry you were disappointed with the results of the pastries. However, I would recommend that you still try to assemble them. When you take them out of the oven, they do still have the ball shape, but when you scoop out the center, add the filling and put the two sides together, they should look more like peaches, especially when you color them.

  • diana

    these look great! is dulce de leche like “sgushenka”? or it has to be specifically a can that says “dulce de leche”? thank you!

  • May

    Hi, do you think it’s okay to serve these to kids? It has rum… I’m thinking about making it for my daughters birthday.

    • olgak7

      Yes, May, it’s totally ok to serve it to children. The amount of rum is VERY little. Here’s the math: 1/2 Tablespoon of rum divided by 50 pastries is 0.01 Tablespoon of rum in each pastry. I would say that isn’t even a measurable amount and will most definitely not harm anyone, even children. If you ever use pure vanilla extract in your baking, then you should also know that it’s based on alcohol, and usually a much higher alcohol content than rum. However, if you still are concerned about using rum or vanilla, you can always omit them both.

  • lucy carter

    Hey Olga, question for you. I made the cookies and filled them and they were great but after I dipped them in the food color mixture and while they were drying they became too delicate and started to fall apart. Not sure what went wrong but had that happen before for you?

  • Oksana

    Hi Olga!:) these are soooo good!:) I wanna make them today, how many of them is in one portion ?..just wanna make enough , for big family party

  • Luba

    Hi! I made these today, and mine don’t come out smooth and round like you’re:(. how do you get them so perfect? Do you just roll them in your hands? Did yours stick? Mine did, so I dipped my fingers in water between every couple balls. You think once I dye them and add the sugar they’ll look more smoother? (Planning to do that tomorrow) Thanks in adbance! Wishing your family a very Merry Christmas! 🙂

  • Alyana

    I love this cookies and made them couple of times already and for the first time i tried the filling the one you have written and it was ok…but next couple of times used Cool Whip (extra creamy or original, 8oz) instead of cream cheese and it totally taste different…you should give it try next time 🙂

    • olgak7

      Hi Valentina. Yes, you can make the Peaches two days in advance. I’m not sure what you are referring to about the “cooking mix”. Where did you see it in the instructions?

    • olgak7

      You can buy food coloring in any grocery store in the baking aisle, usually near all the spices, where you buy vanilla, etc. You don’t need to buy cookie crumbs. When you scoop out some of the cookies from the center of the cookie, you save that and then use it in the filling. Then you fill the hole that you made with the dulce de leche filling that has the cookie crumbs in it, made from the cookie scraps.

    • olgak7

      I’m not sure, Ellie. I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you.
      The pastries are very tender and delicate. You need to work very carefully with them. That is why they come out so good, in my opinion, and aren’t as hard and dry as most of the other ones that I’ve tried. Maybe you needed to bake them a little bit longer. Every oven is different. It’s so frustrating when something doesn’t work out. I’m sorry.

  • Yana

    Olga,

    Thank you so much for this recipe! My mom used to make those back when I still lived in Belarus. Just a question: would you happen to have the recipe of oreshki and mashrooms? I wanted to get the recipe from someone who already tried making them (mom doesn’t remember since it was back in the Soviet times), in essence “проверенный” recipe.

    Thank you

  • Tania

    Hi Olga. Thanks for the recipe. I am making them right now. Do you have any idea why mine cracked on the top more then your did? I’m sure it won’t effect the taste for I can tell they won’t be as pretty…

  • Erina

    Hi Olga! When you say this recipe makes 50 pastries is that 50 peaches or 25 peaches or is that 50 half of a peach pieces? Thank you!
    Erina

  • Tzivia

    Wow omg what a major blast from the past an old dear family friend community neighbor would make them for major Jewish holidays and even other random special events these were one of my favorites @ a little kid however I don’t have dulce deliche I have two cans of condensed milk would it work in place of that thinking of making it for a friend or two who are supposed to come visit me on Monday hope that your summer is going a ok luv

  • Tzivia

    Thanx so much for your reply olichka hun ok I will look into the tutorial natasha’s kitchen another great site thanx again so happy that I asked enjoy the summer while it lasts ciao now

  • Luba

    Hi olga! I made these last night..and I was do proud of how they turned out..the cookies were cooked all the way through. But after I dyed them they became soggy. I let it sit room temp uncover for 5 hours..then I put then in color place over night. I noticed the top side is dry but the side peaches were laying on are soggy. I know I did something wrong, wondering if you have any tips?

    • olgak7

      It’s possible that you soaked them too long, in which case they will be soggy. You need to dip them really quickly in the dye, just a second or so. I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you.

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