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 Olya. You can freeze them in air tight container for up to a month or more. You can fill them and freeze or fill, color, roll in sugar, then freeze.
Thank you for sharing.
Hi Olga,
I remember my mom made these a few times and although I was never a big fan of these, I thought I would give your recipe a try. Being a perfectionist, I like things to turn out exact if possible. Therefore, my question to you is what kind of rum do you use?
There is a woman who sells these in my town once in awhile $18-20 dozen I couldn't bring myself to pay that so excited to see recipe.
I'm so glad you were able to find the recipe, Jennifer. I hope you get to try making them soon.
I tried the recipe but they went flat like pancakes when baked 😢
I'm sorry to hear that they didn't work out for you, Nicole.
I’ve been looking for this particular version of perciki with little hope of success and these turned out to be it! Thank you for sharing this deliciousness!
Yay! So glad they worked out for you, Lana! Thank you for taking the time to write.
do you cook the dulce de leche?
Dulce de leche is already cooked.
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?
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.
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
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
Hi Tzivia.
You will need to cook the sweetened condensed milk first until it becomes very concentrated, "caramely" and rich. Here's a tutorial on how to do it: https://natashaskitchen.com/dulce-de-leche-cooked-sweetened-condensed-milk/
Using regular sweetened condensed milk will not work, it will be too runny.
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
50 peaches/pastries, Erina.
Thank you!! Love this recipe so much 💜
Do you think i can freeze these cookies???? Did anyone do that before
I'm making these cookies right now and looks like they need to to baked 5 more mins,, at 11 mins they still unbaked inside.
Hello Olga
Could you please tell me how many grms..is 4 1/2 stick please?
Thank you
Each stick is 113 grams.
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...
I'm sorry, I don't know why that happened, Tania.