Fresh Peaches and Cream Cookies

I have two distinct sentiments to start this post with: I love peaches, and I’m sorry I’ve been so distant lately. You know how the summer gets – weekends are fully booked months in advance, events pop up in between those busy weekends, vacations distract you from real life, and then when you get back to real like you scramble to catch up with piles of work. Somehow, the months of June through August fly by in a snap, and all of a sudden it’s the beginning of September and you’re confused about where the last 3 months went and feel utterly disconnected from real life and those nagging responsibilities. Phew! That’s how I feel right now.

My freshman year (randomly assigned) roommate, who became my best friend from college, was here visiting for the past 4 days; and prior to that, we were in the Berkshires enjoying family time; and prior to that we were moving and I was adjusting a new job; and prior to that I was climbing through mountains of life changes and fairly unsure of much at all. Now it’s September and things are supposed to slow down but instead I’m making a wedding cake for 160 people in 8 days and as a result I can’t fully relax and BREATHE anymore because I’m so scared/anxious/nervous/excited about it! The truth of the matter is this has been a summer (year?!) of ups and downs and it’s been a LOT to handle, and I’m REALLY ready for a week-long nap. Thank GOODNESS the end is more or less in sight!

Kevin and I (should have) celebrated our 2nd anniversary on Saturday, but of course my old roommate was here and we were too busy running around town taking in the sights of the city to do any sort of celebrating. Fortunately, Kevin is a patient man so we’ll celebrate someday when life slows down a little, and until then I take solace in the little things. The little things like these delicate peach cookies that are plain and simple and everything that is good. They are peace and calm and representative of happier, quieter, more soothing times. And when life doesn’t have any of that, at least there are cookies. And sugar and butter and juicy, JUICY peaches.

This recipe is a simple one, easily thrown together in a matter of minutes, and incorporates one of my all-time favorite ingredients – peaches. Of course I had to go ahead and mess with the recipe, adding a tablespoon fo greek yogurt to the original recipe (whydo I do these things?!), so my resulting cookies were super-soft little things that barely held it together. But the taste?! Just yum.

If I were to make these again, I’d respect the original recipe instead of letting my temporary insanity set in and mess with it, but delicacy aside these cookies are wonderful. They really are everything that is good about summer, wrapped up in a pretty little package with bursts of orange peach flesh, peeking out to say hello. I showered them with sparkly dusting sugar because I’d just gotten it and was feeling a bit maniacal, but if I make these again – the simpler the better!

If you’re in the market for a recipe to use some fresh peaches with, I would highly recommend this one. My way, or the way it was written – really only depends on your taste and whether you can tolerate a softer cookie to achieve the swoon-worthy flavor. The choice is yours, but if I might, I’d suggest you make them.

And some wise words from this lady over here running around like a chicken with her head cut off – kick back, relax, soak up these last days of summer. They’ll be back, but not before we have to endure a long, cold winter.

I’ll be back soon with some better recipes, and hopefully a sense of calm surrounding my heart. Wish me wedding cake luck!

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1) In a large bowl, combine both flours, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Stir to incorporate and set aside.

2) If desired, use a sharp knife to remove the skin from the peaches, then cut into small chunks.  Place the diced peaches on a paper towel and set aside.

3) In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg, vanilla and yogurt if use, then mix until combined. Add flour mixture and mix on low speed until completely incorporated. Gently fold in the diced peaches.

4) Use a cookie scoop or a tablespoon, drop rounded spoonfuls of dough onto cookie sheets, leaving plenty of room between cookies to allow for some spreading. Bake for about 10-12 minutes until light golden brown. Cool a minute or two on cookie sheets and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.