You might remember that Ian and I moved from Arlington, VA, to Charlotte, NC, last fall. I’m from this area originally, and I still have friends and family nearby. But that’s not the only reason I was excited to be back. One of the best things about living in Charlotte is how close we are to South Carolina peaches in the summertime!
Now that it’s finally peach season, I’m sharing a recipe for peach-flavored sugar cookies. It’s very important that you use ripe, yellow peaches. Otherwise the flavor won’t be very strong. I also recommend freestone peaches, because those are juicier, sweeter and more flavorful than clings. (Freestone means the peach falls right off the pit when you’re chopping it.)
My favorite place to buy peaches is The Peach Tree Orchard in Filbert, SC. They also make peach ice cream, and of course I always buy a cup when I go. If you’re local, I highly recommend it.
(Interested in other sugar cookie variations? Find my classic sugar cookie recipe here, my strawberry sugar cookie recipe here, my lemon sugar cookie recipe here, and my pistachio sugar cookie recipe here.)
The first step is making the peach puree. Make this the night before if you can, to give it time to cool. You’ll need five medium peaches. If you’re not sure how big “medium” is then use six peaches. That way you’ll be sure to have enough puree for the cookies and the frosting. The instructions are in the recipe notes below.
The cookie dough calls for 1/4 cup of puree, which will need to be at room temperature. If it’s warm or too cold then it won’t mix into the dough properly.
The dough will also need to chill in the fridge, for at least one hour. (The hardest part about any of my sugar cookie recipes is the chilling time!) If you chill the dough overnight then let it sit out for 10-15 minutes before rolling it out.
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. I also recommend flouring the rolling pin, and flouring the spatula you use to move the cookie cutouts to the pan.
Here are a few other best practices to keep in mind when working with sugar cookies:
- Put any unused dough back in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
- Roll the dough between 1/8- to 1/4-inch thick.
- Line the baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Don’t put more than 12 cookies onto a pan, and chill the entire sheet for at least 30 minutes before baking.
This recipe yields about 3 dozen cookies, depending on what cookie cutters you use.
Also, how much frosting you need depends on how you decorate the cookies. I used Wilton tip #4B to decorate these, and I needed the entire recipe. If you’re simply spreading it on with a knife, you can probably get by with half of the recipe.
I always store sugar cookies in the freezer. They stay fresher longer, and they defrost quickly. Freeze one layer of cookies in an airtight container for about 5 minutes, add a layer of wax paper, and then another layer of cookies. Continue freezing and stacking until you’ve stored them all.
Tag me @rosesandwhiskers on Instagram if you try this recipe and use the hashtag #rosesandwhiskers. Happy baking! 
Peach Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups gluten free 1 to 1 baking flour substitute all-purpose flour for gluten-full cookies
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 6 tbsp butter-flavored Crisco
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 oz peach gelatin
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup peach puree room temperature (see recipe notes)
Peach Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup Crisco
- 8 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup peach puree
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Wilton color right crimson and yellow food coloring optional (see recipe notes)
Instructions
- Make peach puree and place in the refrigerator to cool completely. (See recipe notes.) Be sure to bring 1/4 cup of puree to room temperature at the same time as the butter and eggs.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter, Crisco and sugar until it's light and fluffy. Then cream in the gelatin. Beat in the eggs one at a time, making sure each is well-incorporated. On low speed, mix in the vanilla and peach puree.
- On low speed, gradually blend in the dry ingredients until just combined. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour. (You can also chill the dough overnight.)
- Roll out half of the chilled dough onto a floured surface until an 1/8- to 1/4-inch thick. Keep the rest of the dough in the refrigerator until you're ready for it. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes and transfer them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Don't put more than 12 cookies on a pan.
- Re-roll the scraps until you've used up the dough and then roll out the remaining chilled dough.
- Chill each sheet of cookies for at least 30 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). I don't even preheat the oven until the cookies have been in the fridge for 30 minutes. Bake the cookies (one pan at a time) for no more than 6-7 minutes. Don't worry if they still look a little soft when you take them out of the oven. (But you don't want them to look wet and doughy.) Thicker, larger cookies will need 7 minutes, and smaller cookies will only need 6.
- Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack.
Decorating the Cookies
- Make the frosting while the cookies are cooling. (I actually recommend freezing the cookies before decorating them.) Cream the butter and Crisco until smooth. Add in 1/2 of the powdered sugar. Mix on low speed until incorporated and then beat on high speed until creamy. Add in the rest of the powdered sugar, the peach puree and the vanilla extract. Mix on low speed until incorporated, and then beat on high speed until creamy and fluffy.
- Decorate as desired and store in an airtight container in the freezer. Enjoy!
Notes
- You'll need 5 medium ripe yellow peaches to make the puree. The riper the peach, the stronger the flavor will be. My favorite are freestone peaches, which means the peaches fall right off the pit when you're chopping them. They're sweeter and juicier than clings. Begin by rinsing, peeling and chopping the peaches. Puree them in a blender, and then simmer over medium-low heat in a saucepan for 20 minutes, stirring frequently. The puree should reduce by about half. Place in the refrigerator to cool completely. You can make this the day before.
- Use crimson and yellow Wilton color right food coloring to make peach-colored frosting. Just follow the instructions in the box!
