Drunken Peaches

I have to confess, I've never made these, but my mother has and very often. She makes them for weddings, showers, and any other fancy get together where she wants to make a good impression. My Italian mama is a talented baker and I have saved many of her recipes. This is her actual recipe for these fabulous cookies. Warning - my mom's recipe is drenched in liquor!

ITALIAN PASTRY CREAM:

4 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
4 cups milk
1 lemon rind
1 cinammon stick

Place sugar, egg yolks flour, lemon rind (if using it), and vanilla in a sauce pan and mix together well.

In a separate sauce pan, scald milk.

Very slowly pour milk over egg yolk mixture, in a thin stream, beating constantly with rotary beater.

Continue cooking on low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until mixture reaches the boiling point.

Cook 4 minutes longer, stirring constantly.

Pour into bowl and let cool, stir occasionally to prevent skin from forming over the top.

If using as a cake/pastry filling, chill (with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming) until very thick at least 3-4 hours.

COOKIES:

6 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup oil
1 grated lemon peel
2 tsp liquor (your favourite) (I like peach schnapps by amaretto tastes good too)
3 tsp baking powder

Beat eggs, sugar, and oil. Add flour (to make it not too sticky and not too dry). Roll into 1 or 1 1/2 inch balls and place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until starting to turn gold at the edges.

When cool, scoop out the inside of each cookie. With a spoon, soak the inside of each cookie with Creme de Cacao liquor.

Fill with Italian Pastry cream.

Add 1/2 cup peach liquor in a bowl and add several drops yellow food coloring
Add 1/2 cup peach liquor in a bowl and add several drops of yellow and red food color to make orange
Add 1/2 cup peach liquor in a bowl and add several drops of green food coloring

Dip the filled cookies in each of the liquors until the cookies resemble a peach. Then roll in sugar.