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 ½ 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
Ingredients
Cookies:
- 4 ½ sticks butter softened
- 1 ½ 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
- 1 ½ 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:
- 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 ½ 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. 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. Right before serving, place a mint leaf in the center of some of the pastries.
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.
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.
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 🙂
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:).
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
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.
Oh mine, these are such beauties! So perfectly round. Pinned!
Thanks, Julia. I appreciate the support:).
Yum! Will be trying these! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
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?
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.
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?
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?
That's too bad, Tatianna,
If you already baked the pastries, it's too late to finish baking them:(. I'm sorry your pastries didn't turn out.
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
Unfortunately, Vera, the texture of the cookies won't be the same. I wouldn't risk it.
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 🙂
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?
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.
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?
I would probably keep them stored in a closed container and fill them a day or two before serving.
OK! Thank you so much!!
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!
I make the peach cookies with a filling of vanilla instant pudding flavored with peach schnapps, so they taste like peaches. Of course, you have to refrigerate them for storage before serving.
Is it okay to make shortbread one evening and make cream next day & put em together?
That will work great, Olga. It will be much easier that way, anyway:).
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..
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.
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.
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!
I made half a batch and for some reason they were moist. Even from drying for hours after coloring, they tasted raw.
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.