Light Bites Baking

Peach & Almond Cookies with Ricotta Cream

With this Italian inspired cookie recipe, you'll be able to create cookies that resemble ripe peaches. They are made with ground almond flour, flavoured with lemon zest and Amaretto, and have a sumptuous vanilla ricotta filling. The perfect recipe for a summer garden party.

25 minutes prep, 12 minutes cook

Serves 6-7

Ingredients

For the biscuits

80g butter

1 egg

80g sugar

80ml milk

A pinch of salt

Finely grated zest of 1 large lemon

170g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

100g ground almonds

For the filling

250g ricotta

50g sugar

½ tsp vanilla extract

12–14 whole almonds (optional)

To decorate

100ml Amaretto

Red food colouring

4 tbsp sugar

Mint leaves

Method

For the biscuits, melt the butter in a saucepan and set aside to cool slightly. Briefly whisk the egg and sugar in a mixing bowl to dissolve the sugar. Whisk in the melted butter and the milk, then add the salt and lemon zest followed by the flour, baking powder and ground almonds. The batter will seem relatively loose – halfway between cookie and cake, but that’s fine. Allow it to rest for 5 minutes or so.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/ Fan 160ºC/Gas 4. Line a shallow baking tray with baking parchment. Pinch off 12–14 teaspoon-size pieces of dough and roll them into smooth balls between the palms of your hands. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet a few inches apart and press them very slightly to flatten. Bake the cookies for around 12 minutes, or until they still look pale on top but are golden underneath. Allow them to cool while you make the filling.

Whisk the ricotta in a bowl with the sugar and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy (the sugar will dissolve as you whisk). Using a sharp knife, cut a small hole in the base of each cookie. Spoon the ricotta mixture into the holes. If using the almonds, press them into the filling before sandwiching the cookies together. Smooth away any excess ricotta from the edges.

Pour the Amaretto into a bowl and add the food colouring to create a red tint. Pour the sugar onto a shallow plate. Apply the alcohol to the cookies with a pastry brush. Dip and roll them in the sugar, to replicate the downy skin of a peach, and then place a mint leaf in each. Serve, with pride.