Peach Cookies

Soft, gluten-free peach cookie with a bite through the sugary peach glaze and strained peaches.

4.80 from 5 votes

These Peach Cookies are soft and fluffy eggless sugar cookies that are made with homemade peach preserves! They're soft and fluffy in the middle and crisp on the edges and are topped with a peach glaze and extra peach preserves! You can use fresh peaches during peach season, but feel free to make this recipe with frozen peaches or even store-bought peach preserves to save time! Best yet, they're also gluten free, nut free and easily vegan!!!

Prep Time30

Cook Time16

Freeze Time30

Total Time1 16

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan

Servings: large cookies

Calories: 323kcal

Author: Lee

Ingredients

For the Peach Preserves

3 cups sliced peaches (10.44 ounces or 296 grams) fresh or frozen (peel if using fresh)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 pinch kosher salt

For the Sugar Cookies

½ cup unsalted butter or vegan baking stick, melted and cooled
2 cups multipurpose gluten free flour (I use Cup4Cup gluten free multipurpose flour which contains xanthan gum)
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 rounded tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 3 tablespoons water
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (keep the 2 tablespoons separate)
¼ cup strained peaches
1 ¼ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
¼ cup milk

For the Peach Glaze

1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons strained peaches
1 tablespoon water

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the Strained Peaches

Place the 3 cups sliced peaches (296 grams), 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 pinch kosher salt together in a saucepan set over medium heat.
Cook (stirring frequently and smashing the peaches with the back of a spoon) for about 5 min until it begins to boil.
Once boiling, turn the heat to low and let it simmer for an additional 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Remove from the heat and carefully use an immersion blender to blend the peaches.
If you don't have an immersion blender, carefully pour the peaches into a blender and blend.
Place a mesh colander over a heat proof bowl and pour the mixture through the colander to strain it. Gently press down on the mixture with the back of a spoon to get all the liquid out.
Set aside to cool. About 20 minutes while you prep the other ingredients. It will thicken as it cools.

Make the Peach Cookies

Place the ½ cup unsalted butter or vegan baking stick in a heat safe bowl. Place a paper towel on top of the bowl so the butter doesn't splatter. Microwave in 11 second increments until halfway melted.
Whisk the butter until the residual heat melts the rest of the butter. Set aside to cool. It should be smooth and creamy.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the 2 cups gluten free flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder and ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Set aside.
In a small bowl, using a spoon, mix together the 2 rounded tablespoons of cornstarch (26 grams) and the 3 tablespoons of water until thin and watery. It will be thick and tacky at first.
Into the cooled melted butter, combine 1 cup granulated sugar, the ¼ cup strained peaches, 1 ¼ teaspoons pure vanilla extract and the cornstarch water. Whisk until it is all fully combined and blended. It may appear slightly chunky. That's normal.
Starting and ending with the flour mixture, whisk half the flour into the melted butter mixture. Then add the ¼ cup milk and whisk to combine.
Add in the second half of the flour gently with a spatula. Do not over mix or the dough will become shiny and too sticky.
The dough will be very sticky. Add it to a freezer safe bowl, cover the top with plastic wrap and pop the entire bowl of dough in the freezer for 30 min.
After 30 min, using a large cookie scoop, make 12 scoops with the dough. (I use a 2 ounce cookie scoop)
If the dough is sticking to the cookie scoop, wash the scoop half way through to get off any stuck on dough.
Dip the tops of the dough balls into the extra 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar. Do not coat the entire dough ball.
Place the balls about 3-4 inches apart on the parchment lined baking sheet. Bake the cookies at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 16 minutes.
I only bake 6 at a time. Pop the rest of the dough balls in the fridge while the first batch is baking.
Immediately reshape the cookies when they come out of the oven. Use a spatula to push them into a circle and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 min before transferring to a cooling rack with parchment paper underneath.
If you don't let them cool on the pan, the cookies will break apart into a giant mess when you try to lift them up.
Repeat this with the remaining dough.

Make the Peach Glaze

In a medium bowl, whisk together the 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, 2 tablespoons strained peaches and 1 tablespoon of water until combined and smooth.
Drizzle the peach glaze on top of the cool cookies. If you drizzle it on warm cookies, the glaze will melt.
It is easier to hold your hand about 6 inches above the cookies and move your arm side to side while drizzling to create a horizontal pattern. Then get more glaze and move your arm from top to bottom to create a vertical pattern.
Drizzle on extra peach preserves if desired.
Let the glaze harden prior to eating or it will have a strong confectioners' super flavor.

Notes

For smaller cookies: Use a small cookie scoop and bake at same temperature for 13-14 min. Make sure to keep dough in the fridge in-between baking the batches. Should make 24 cookies.

Vegan: Use a dairy free gluten free flour, vegan sugar, vegan baking sticks and a non-dairy milk.

Gluten Free Flour- If you also have nut allergies, make sure to use a brand that’s made in a nut free facility. I really love to use Cup4Cup Multipurpose Flour because it’s free of the top 9 allergens. It also contains xanthan gum which really helps give baked goods their bounce and prevents them from falling apart. Since all multipurpose gf flours are not the same, if you use a different gluten free flour, please understand the results will most likely be different.

All Purpose Flour: I cannot test this due to celiac disease, but use 2 packed cups of regular flour (336 grams) and 2 tablespoons of milk. Still chill the dough.

Storing: Keep extra cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days in a single layer. Do not stack.

Freezing Baked Cookies: To freeze already baked cookies, place cookies with no glaze (not stacked) on a parchment lined baking sheet and pop in the freezer uncovered. Freeze for 10-15 minutes or until the cookies are completely frozen. Once frozen, you can store them in a zip top bag in the freezer for up to 1 month. To defrost, take the container out and leave at room temperature until soft. 1-2 hours. Then top with the peach glaze and preserves.

If it is super humid outside, do not put the glaze on the cookies until they are defrosted, the day you plan on serving them. When it is humid, the glaze tends to be very wet when defrosting.

Freezing Raw Dough: Form the dough into balls. Place dough balls (not stacked) on a parchment lined baking sheet and pop in the freezer uncovered. Freeze for 10-15 minutes or until the dough balls are completely frozen. Once frozen, store in a zip top bag for 1 month. When ready to use, bake at the same temperature for 18-19 minutes instead of 16.

Nutrition: The info below is a generated estimate and is not guaranteed to be accurate.

Nutrition