Serbian · Dessert

Breskvice

Breskvice are small baked cookie halves hollowed, filled with apricot jam, crumbs and rum, joined in pairs, then coloured red and yellow and rolled in sugar. The craft lies in keeping the shells pale, hollowing them intact and dipping quickly enough to avoid sogginess.

Serbian National Dishes
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Breskvice
Yield 30 filled cookies
Preparation time 45 minutes
Cooking time 17 minutes
Passive time 55 minutes
Ingredients ↓
Overview

Breskvice — Peach-Shaped Jam and Rum Sandwich Cookies

Breskvice are designed to look like miniature peaches, but their construction is closer to a filled sandwich cookie. Small pale rounds are baked, hollowed from the flat side, filled with a moist crumb-and-jam mixture, then joined in pairs. A brief red-and-yellow dip colours the surface before the assembled cookies are rolled in crystal sugar. The rough sugar mimics peach skin while the seam between the two shells gives the finished piece its fruit-like outline.

Recipes in Serbia and neighbouring countries vary considerably in the dough and filling. Some use oil, others lard; apricot and rosehip jams are both common; walnuts or cocoa may enrich the centre. This recipe uses lard for a short, tender shell and apricot jam with a small amount of dark rum for the filling. It keeps the internal crumbs from hollowing the cookies, so very little baked material is wasted.

Baking control is more important here than deep browning. The shells need enough structure to be hollowed and filled, but a dark crust works against the final appearance and makes the shell brittle. At 200 °C, small evenly sized pieces bake quickly. They should be set and pale on top, with only faint colour underneath. A scale or consistent portion scoop helps because matched halves make more convincing peaches and cook at the same rate.

Hollowing is a small-knife job, not a digging contest. Once the cookies have cooled enough to handle, a shallow cavity is shaved from the flat underside while leaving a strong rim. Those crumbs are then mixed with apricot jam and rum. The goal is a filling that is moist and cohesive, not wet: it should hold two halves together without squeezing out around the seam. Because the rum is added cold, its alcohol should not be described as cooked away.

The colouring syrup must be cool before dipping. Warm syrup can soften the shells too quickly, while long soaking makes the sugar coat dissolve into a sticky glaze. A brief contact with yellow and red liquid, a short drain, then immediate rolling in granulated sugar creates the dry granular surface. After the cookies stand, the jam moisture migrates slightly into the shell, which is why breskvice often become more tender after several hours in the refrigerator.

Practical

Practical

  • Serving and settlingBreskvice can be served once the coating is dry, but a few refrigerated hours make the centre and shell more unified. The surface should stay granular rather than wet, and the filling should be visible only as a narrow seam.
  • StorageKeep the filled cookies covered at 4 °C or below and use within 4 days. Return the plate to refrigeration after serving rather than leaving the moist-filled cookies out for extended periods.
  • Variations with clear effectsRosehip jam can replace apricot jam for a darker, tangier centre. Rum flavouring diluted with a small amount of water can replace beverage rum when alcohol is to be avoided, but its aroma is more direct and the filling may need careful moisture adjustment.
Ingredients

Ingredients

Cookie dough

  • 120 g lard, softened
  • 180 g granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 10 g vanilla sugar
  • 360 g plain wheat flour
  • 4 g baking powder

For the filling

  • 150 g apricot jam
  • 20 ml dark rum

Colouring syrup and finish

  • 100 ml water
  • 60 g granulated sugar
  • 1 g red food colouring, or amount required by the product for this volume
  • 1 g yellow food colouring, or amount required by the product for this volume
  • 100 g granulated sugar, for rolling
Directions

Directions

Make and bake the cookie halves

  1. Mix the doughBeat 120 g softened lard with 180 g sugar until combined. Mix in 2 eggs and 10 g vanilla sugar, then add 360 g flour and 4 g baking powder to form a soft, smooth dough. The dough is smooth and soft but can be rolled without sticking heavily to the hands.

  2. Shape sixty halvesDivide the dough into sixty small portions and roll each into a neat ball. Arrange them with space between on two lined baking trays. Sixty small balls are similar in size so paired cookies will match.

  3. Bake the halvesBake at 200 °C for about 15 minutes. Do not wait for deep surface colour; remove the trays once the small shells are set. The cookies are set and pale on top, with only the faintest colour underneath.

Fill, colour and finish

  1. Cool and hollow the cookiesCool the baked halves for 20 minutes. With a small paring knife, shave a cavity from the flat base of each one and reserve all usable crumbs. Each cooled half has a neat cavity while the outer shell remains intact.

  2. Make the filling and pair the shellsCombine the reserved crumbs with 150 g apricot jam and 20 ml dark rum. Spoon the moist filling into the cavities and press matching halves together, wiping away any filling squeezed from the seam. The crumb-jam filling is moist enough to hold two halves together without running out at the seam.

  3. Cook and cool the colouring syrupBring 100 ml water and 60 g sugar just to the point where the sugar has dissolved, then remove from the heat. Cool for 15 minutes, divide between two bowls and tint one with 1 g red colouring and the other with 1 g yellow colouring. The sugar is dissolved and the syrup is cool enough to colour the cookies without softening them excessively.

  4. Colour, sugar and leave to standDip each paired cookie briefly into the coloured liquids, drain, then roll in 100 g granulated sugar. Set on a rack and leave to stand for 20 minutes before moving to a covered container. The cookies have a dry granular sugar coat and the seam remains secure.

Control points

Control points

  • halves crack while hollowingGuidance: They were baked too dark or hollowed too aggressively;Adjustment: keep the bake pale and remove crumbs in small shavings with a paring knife.
  • sugar coating turns wetGuidance: The cookies absorbed too much colouring syrup;Adjustment: dip briefly, drain well and let the surface tack for a moment before rolling in sugar.
Nutrition

Nutrition

  • Serving size1 of 30 filled cookies
  • Calories145 kcal
  • Carbohydrates21 g
  • Protein2 g
  • Fat6 g
  • Fibre1 g
  • Sodium35 mg

Nutrition values are approximate and can vary with ingredient brands, trimming, absorption and exact portioning.

Allergens and food safety

Allergens and food safety

Contains wheat/gluten and egg; lard itself is not a major allergen. Commercial jam, colours or flavourings should be checked for label-specific allergens and cross-contact.

Use clean eggs and bake the shells completely; do not taste raw dough containing egg and flour.

Because the filled cookies contain jam-moistened crumbs, keep them covered at 4 °C or below and return them to refrigeration after serving.

The rum is added to the uncooked filling, so do not describe the alcohol as cooked off.

FAQ

FAQ

Why do the shells split while hollowing?

They may be overbaked, too thin or handled too aggressively. Keep the bake pale, let the shells cool enough to firm and remove crumbs in small shavings rather than one deep cut.

Why does the sugar coating melt?

The cookie has absorbed too much colouring syrup or was rolled while dripping. Dip quickly, drain well and then coat; long soaking creates a wet surface.

Result: Peach-shaped sugar-coated cookies with pale shells, a soft apricot-rum centre and a secure filled seam.

Key: The key is restraint at three points: pale baking, shallow hollowing and a quick cool-syrup dip.