“Peach” Cookies with Dulce de Leche-Butter Cream

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place the eggs and sugar in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer (using whisk) until light and pail yellow, about 3-5 minutes. Add the oil and beat until creamy, then mix in the milk, vanilla extract, orange zest and Grand Marnier liqueur.

In the large bowl mix together the flour, the baking powder and salt, then add this to the batter and beat just until it is combined to form a soft (but little sticky) dough.

Take a small amount of batter in your wet hands, and roll into a ball about 1 inch and place these on the baking sheets. I bake 12 cookies at the time, they come out all puffed up, so leave a good space between them. Bake the cookies for about 15-20 minutes. The cookies should be pale in color and not at all golden. As you take the first tray of cookies out, put the second one in the oven.

While the cookies are still warm, use a scoop fruit spoon or a sharp knife to cut out a circle at the bottom of each cookie, removing the cookie centers and placing these in a bowl (you will make them into fine crumbs for a cream). Be careful not to cut completely through the cookies, but you need to make space for the filling. Find a pair for each cookie, you want the halves of the peach to be of similar size. (I asked my daughter to help me.)

To make a cream: In a medium bowl, whisk the butter with Dulce de leche until smooth and creamy. Add the rest ingredients foe cream and stir until incorporated.

The fun part - assemble the cookies: You will need 3 bowls: one with liqueur and red coloring, second with liqueur and yellow coloring, and third with sugar. Fill each cookie hole with enough butter cream filling that it covers it (about a teaspoon). Press the two flat sides of each half together and gently wipe away any filling that comes out at the edge. Brush (using a small brush) each peach with a red food coloring mixture, then with a yellow food coloring; gently roll it in sugar and place on a large plate or tray. I store my cookies in refrigerator until the tea time. Decorate them with mint leaves just before serving. Leave them out at room temperature for about 10-15 minutes before serving.