Austrian Peach Cookie Food

AUSTRIAN PEACH COOKIES II

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter and 1 cup sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour and baking powder, stir into the creamed mixture alternately with the milk. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place balls 1 inch apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until cookies start to brown on the bottom. remove from baking sheets and cool on wire racks.
• When cookies are completely cool, carve a hole into the flat side of each cookie using a small knife. Save the crumbs. In a heatproof bowl, melt chocolate chips in a microwave or over a pan of simmering water. Stir frequently until smooth. In a medium bowl, stir together the melted chocolate, apricot jam, ground pecans, rum and reserved crumbs until well blended. Fill the carved out centers of the cookies with the chocolate mixture and stick two cookies together with the filling sides in to form a peach shape.
• Divide the remaining cup of sugar into two bowls. One bowl should contain 1/4 cup and 3/4 cup in the other. Color the small bowl with the red coloring by working it in with your fingers. Color the other bowl with the yellow coloring and add a pinch of the red sugar to it to make a peachy color. Brush each cookie with water and roll them first in the yellow sugar, then dip a part of them into the red sugar to give them a blush. Insert plastic green stems into the top for a realistic effect.

PESCHE - ITALIAN PEACH WEDDING COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°.
• Lightly grease cookie sheets.
• Mix together sugar, eggs and oil. Add flour and baking powder.
• Form 1" balls (cookies should be "flat" on the bottom where they rest on the cookie sheet) and bake about 10-15 minutes (until lightly browned on the bottom).
• While still warm, take a small pointed knife and scoop out a pocket on the flat side of each cookie.
• Fill with preserves & spread a small amount on the flat sides as you join 2 cookies together to form the peach.
• Color the brandy with a little food coloring & dip the peaches to give them a "blush".
• Then roll the peach in granulated sugar.
• You may garnish with artificial leaves for presentation.
• **Variation--if you have the time to make these lovely cookies on the actual day that they will be eaten, you may fill the pockets with pastry cream, and then seal the two halves together with melted dark chocolate!

AUSTRIAN RUGELACH COOKIES

Steps:

• Beat the butter with the cream cheese with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add the flour and using hands make a thick dough. Make three balls with the dough, cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Mix the brown sugar with the cinnamon, raisins, walnuts and the chocolate chips.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator let stand in room temperature for a while and make 3-mm thick circles with each piece on a floured surface.
• Divide each circle into quarters and then eighths and sixteenths, until we have 16 equal triangles. Coat with marmalade and sprinkle with the sugar mixture. Roll each triangle up, starting from the wide side, to make crescents.
• Bake at 360°F for 25-30 minutes.
• Dust, if desired with icing sugar, when they are still hot.