Peach Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 10 1/2 Tbsp butter, softened
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 Tbsp sour cream
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
• Peach jam or preserves
• 6 Tbsp milk, divided
• Red and yellow food coloring
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• Fresh mint leaves, for garnish, optional
• You'll also need a clean paintbrush

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt, then put that bowl aside. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar and light-brown sugar on medium-low speed until the mixture comes together smoothly, about 1 minute. Beat in the egg and vanilla, then add the sour cream and mix until combined.
2. Turn the mixer to low speed and gradually work in the dry ingredients, stopping as soon as the dough is incorporated. Portion the dough by 1 even tablespoon, then use buttered hands to shape each portion into a ball. Arrange the balls on a cookie sheet; you can place 15 per sheet, though that leaves you with 4 at the end, so unless you are making a double batch, there is no need to squeeze in that many.
3. Bake in the heated oven for 14-15 minutes, just until the undersides turn pale golden brown. Move the cookies to a wire rack and let them cool fully. Once cool, spread about 1 teaspoon of peach jam over the flat side of one cookie, then lightly press a second cookie onto the jam to make a sandwich. Continue the same way with the remaining cookies.
4. For decorating, divide the milk by pouring 3 tbsp into 2 small bowls. Color one bowl with red food coloring until the milk is bright pink, and color the other with yellow food coloring until it is vivid yellow. Dip a clean paintbrush into the yellow milk and brush it here and there over both cookies, leaving some patches bare.
5. Dip the brush into the red milk, then paint over the uncolored spots and let the colors soften into each other a bit. Use a sparing touch here, because too much milk can make the cookies soggy, and you really only need a little. Right after painting each cookie, roll and cover the whole cookie in sugar. If you like, tuck 1 or 2 fresh mint leaves into the side of each cookie. Store in an airtight container.