Deliciously Soft & Fluffy Peach Cake Drop Cookies: A Must-Try Recipe

Prepare to fall in love with these incredible Peach Cake Drop Cookies, a true delight for anyone who savors a soft, cake-like texture over a hearty crunch. If you typically reach for a crisp, firm cookie, these may surprise you with their light, airy, and wonderfully tender crumb. But trust us, their irresistible flavor and melt-in-your-mouth quality make them an absolute must-try. Each bite offers a delightful burst of sweet peach, perfectly complemented by a subtle hint of spice. These aren’t just cookies; they’re a mini dessert experience, perfect for any time of day.

What Exactly Are Peach Cake Drop Cookies?

To truly appreciate these unique treats, let’s explore the two key elements that define them: “drop cookies” and “cake cookies.” Understanding these distinctions reveals why this recipe yields such a uniquely delightful result that bridges the gap between a classic cookie and a fluffy cake.

Drop Cookies Explained: This category of cookies is celebrated for its simplicity and ease of preparation. Unlike recipes that demand rolling pins, cookie cutters, or intricate shaping, drop cookies are made by simply “dropping” spoonfuls or scoops of soft dough directly onto a prepared baking sheet. This method saves significant time and effort, making them an ideal choice for busy bakers or anyone new to cookie making. The dough for drop cookies is typically moist and pliable, allowing it to spread slightly during baking to form charming, rustic shapes. It’s a fuss-free approach that delivers delicious results every time.
Cake Cookies Demystified: Cake cookies, as the name suggests, boast a texture that leans more towards a moist cake than a traditional chewy or crispy cookie. They are crafted from a homemade batter that is richer and slightly thicker than a typical cake batter, yet softer and more hydrated than standard cookie dough. This unique consistency allows the cookies to bake up incredibly soft, pillowy, and tender. The outcome is a cookie that offers a remarkably fluffy interior, often reminiscent of a mini cupcake top, coupled with a delightful chewiness that traditional cookies often lack. This recipe masterfully combines these traits, resulting in a thick, scoopable dough that transforms into an exceptionally soft and flavorful peach-infused treat.

Your Essential Ingredient List for Perfect Peach Cake Drop Cookies

Crafting these delectable peach cake drop cookies requires a few key ingredients. Paying attention to their quality and state will significantly impact the final texture and flavor of your cookies. Here’s a detailed look at what you’ll need and why each component is important:

All-Purpose Flour: We recommend using unbleached all-purpose flour for this recipe. Unbleached flour tends to have a slightly higher protein content and often produces a more tender baked good. For an even better result and peace of mind, consider using organic, non-GMO, and glyphosate-free flour. My personal favorite comes from Sunrise Flour Mill, a domestic company located in Minnesota, known for its high-quality products. Using good quality flour forms the structural foundation of your cookies.
Salt: Simple finely ground table salt works perfectly. Salt is more than just a seasoning; it balances the sweetness, enhances the peach and vanilla flavors, and helps to bring out the complexity of the other ingredients in your cookies.
Baking Soda: A crucial leavening agent, baking soda reacts with acidic ingredients in the dough (though not explicit here, general pH of dough components can activate it) to create carbon dioxide gas. This gas is what gives the baked cookies their wonderfully soft, light, and fluffy texture. Additionally, baking soda contributes to the beautiful golden-brown color of your baked goods, making them look as delicious as they taste.
Unsalted Butter: It’s vital to use unsalted butter at room temperature. Butter that is softened but not melted creams beautifully with sugar, incorporating air that leads to a lighter cookie. Using unsalted butter allows you to precisely control the sodium level in your cookie dough, ensuring the natural, rich flavor of the butter shines through without being masked by added salt.
Granulated Sugar: This provides the primary sweetness and contributes to the cookie’s tender texture. Whenever possible, I opt for organic granulated sugar. Organic sugar is generally less processed than conventional refined sugar, often retaining trace amounts of molasses. This molasses contains beneficial vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, adding a subtle depth of flavor. Furthermore, choosing organic sugar supports sustainable agricultural practices, as it’s produced without synthetic pesticides or herbicides.
Egg: This recipe calls for one large egg. Whether chilled or at room temperature, the egg acts as a binder, bringing the ingredients together, adding moisture, and contributing to the rich flavor and structure of the cookies. Eggs also help with leavening and browning.
Pure Vanilla Extract: For the best flavor, always reach for pure vanilla extract. Avoid imitation vanilla extract, as it lacks the complex aromatic compounds found in real vanilla and can impart an artificial taste to your cookies. Vanilla complements the peach flavor beautifully.
Fresh Peaches: The star of these cookies! You’ll need fresh peaches, peeled, pitted, and cut into approximately 1/4-inch cubes. Fresh peaches offer the best flavor and texture, infusing the cookies with natural sweetness and juiciness. If fresh peaches are out of season or unavailable, frozen peaches can be used as an alternative. Just be sure to completely defrost them and gently press out any excess moisture before adding them to the mix to prevent a watery dough.
Peach Jam or Preserves: This ingredient intensifies the peach flavor and adds an extra layer of moisture and sweetness to the dough. If peach jam isn’t readily available, apricot jam or preserves make an excellent and equally delicious substitute, offering a similar fruity, sweet profile.
Fine Sanding Sugar: This is used for a beautiful finishing touch. Fine sanding sugar consists of small, sparkling crystals, even finer than traditional sanding sugar, specifically designed for delicate decoration on baked goods like cakes and cookies. It has a higher resistance to heat and melting during baking, ensuring a pretty sparkle. It provides a light, elegant shimmer and a very subtle crunch. If you don’t have fine sanding sugar, regular granulated sugar can be used as a simple alternative, though it won’t offer the same delicate sparkle.
Ground Cinnamon: A touch of ground cinnamon adds a warm, inviting spicy-sweet flavor that beautifully complements the peaches. It elevates the overall taste profile, making these cookies even more comforting and delicious.

Equipment You’ll Need

Having the right tools ready will make your baking process smooth and enjoyable. Here’s a list of essential equipment for making these peach cake drop cookies:

Several large baking sheets
Parchment paper (for easy cleanup and non-stick baking)
Large mixing bowl
Small mixing bowl
Electric mixer (stand mixer or hand mixer)
Whisk
Rubber spatula or wooden spoon
Measuring cups and spoons
1-tablespoon cookie scoop (for uniform cookie size)
Wire cooling rack

Let’s Get Started: Baking Your Peach Cake Drop Cookies

Now that you have all your ingredients and equipment ready, it’s time to assemble these delightful cookies. Follow these detailed steps to achieve perfectly soft, flavorful peach cake drop cookies every time.

Preparation Steps

Prepare Your Baking Sheets: Begin by lining several large baking sheets with parchment paper. This prevents sticking and makes cleanup a breeze.
Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 375℉ (190°C). Ensuring your oven is at the correct temperature before baking is crucial for proper cookie spread and texture.

Combine Dry Ingredients: In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Whisking ensures these ingredients are evenly distributed, which is essential for uniform leavening and flavor throughout the cookies. Set this bowl aside for later use.

Creaming and Mixing the Dough

Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the room-temperature unsalted butter and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed. Continue beating for about 4 minutes, or until the mixture becomes pale in color and visibly fluffy. This creaming process incorporates air into the butter, which is key to achieving a light and airy cookie texture.

Incorporate Wet Ingredients: Reduce the mixer speed to low. Add the large egg and pure vanilla extract. Continue mixing until these wet ingredients are fully incorporated into the butter mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the whisked flour mixture to the wet ingredients, a little at a time. Mix on low speed only until just combined. Be careful not to overmix, as this can develop the gluten in the flour too much, leading to tough cookies.
Prepare Peaches: If you haven’t already, now is the perfect time to peel, pit, and dice your fresh peaches into 1/4-inch cubes.

Add Peaches and Jam (First Batch): Add about half of your diced fresh peaches along with the peach preserves or jam to the dough. Beat on low speed until just combined. This initial mixing helps to distribute some of the peach flavor throughout the dough.

Gently Fold in Remaining Peaches: Add the remaining peaches to the dough. Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, gently fold them into the dough until evenly distributed. Adding the peaches in two stages like this helps ensure that some of the peach pieces remain largely intact throughout the dough, providing delightful bursts of fresh fruit in every cookie, rather than being completely pulverized by the mixer.

Chilling and Scooping the Dough

Chill the Dough (Optional but Recommended): At this point, you may choose to refrigerate the cookie dough for an hour or two. Chilling helps to stiffen the dough slightly, making it much easier to scoop and handle. This also helps prevent excessive spreading during baking, ensuring your cookies hold their delightful shape.

Scoop the Dough: Using a one-tablespoon cookie scoop, portion out the dough and drop it onto the prepared baking sheets. Ensure you space the cookies about 2 inches apart to allow for proper airflow and spread during baking.

Apply Topping: In a small separate bowl, combine the fine sanding sugar and ground cinnamon. Mix them thoroughly. Sprinkle approximately 1/8 teaspoon of this fragrant cinnamon-sugar mixture over the top of each unbaked cookie. This adds a beautiful sparkle, a hint of spice, and a delightful textural contrast.

Baking and Cooling

Pro Tip for Batch Baking: If you’re not baking all the cookies at once, keep the unbaked dough refrigerated between batches. As mentioned, chilling the dough for about an hour before scooping can greatly firm it up, making it easier to handle and ensuring consistent cookie shapes. The prepared dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, giving you freshly baked cookies on demand!

Bake the Cookies: Place the baking sheets in the preheated oven. Bake for approximately 13 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through the baking time to ensure even cooking. The cookies are ready when they are golden brown around the edges and just set in the center.
Adjust for Crispness: If you prefer a slightly crispier edge, extend the baking time by an additional 2 minutes, for a total of 15 minutes.
Initial Cooling: These cookies will be very soft and tender straight out of the oven. It’s crucial to let them cool on the baking sheets for at least 5 minutes. This allows them to firm up slightly, making them easier to handle without breaking.

Complete Cooling: After the initial cooling period on the baking sheets, carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. This ensures air circulation around all sides, preventing them from becoming soggy and maintaining their perfect soft texture.

Serving and Storage Tips

These Peach Cake Drop Cookies are absolutely at their best when enjoyed fresh, shortly after cooling. The soft texture and vibrant peach flavor are most pronounced then.

Proper Storage: If you have leftovers, store them loosely covered at room temperature. An airtight container can sometimes make them too moist and potentially soggy due to the fruit content. A loosely covered container or a paper bag will help maintain their delicate texture.
Garnish (Optional): For an extra touch of elegance and sweetness, you can sprinkle the cooled cookies with a light dusting of powdered sugar just before serving. My granddaughters certainly gave them their “thumbs-up” approval, and we’re sure your family will too!

Peach Cake Drop Cookies

Adapted from a recipe in Martha Stewart’s Cookies

Experience the delightful blend of slightly sweet, soft, and fluffy textures with these easy-to-make Peach Cake Drop Cookies. They’re the perfect handheld treat for any time of day, a truly satisfying bite that’s sure to become a family favorite.

Servings 4 dozen

Author Rosemary Stelmach

Ingredients

2
cups plus 2 tablespoons
unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4
teaspoon
salt
1/2
teaspoon
baking soda
8
tablespoons
unsalted butter, at room temperature
1
cup
granulated sugar
1
large egg
1/2
teaspoon
pure vanilla extract
2
large peaches, peeled & cut into 1/4″ cubes (approximately 1 3/4 cups / 10 ounces)
1/3
cup
peach or apricot jam or preserves (about 4 ounces)
2
tablespoons
fine sanding sugar (or granulated sugar)
1/8
teaspoon
ground cinnamon

Instructions

Line several large baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 375℉ (190°C). In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the unsalted butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until the mixture is pale and fluffy, which should take about 4 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low. Add the egg and pure vanilla extract, mixing until fully incorporated. Gradually add the flour mixture, a little at a time, mixing only until just combined. Next, add about half of the diced peaches along with the peach or apricot preserves, beating until just combined. Finally, add the remaining peaches and gently fold them into the dough using a spatula or wooden spoon to ensure some peach pieces remain intact.
If desired, refrigerate the dough for 1-2 hours to firm it up, which makes scooping easier. Using a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop, drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing cookies approximately 2 inches apart. In a small bowl, combine the fine sanding sugar and ground cinnamon. Sprinkle about 1/8 teaspoon of this cinnamon-sugar mixture over each cookie.
If you’re not baking all the cookies at once, keep the unused dough refrigerated between batches. The prepared dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Bake the cookies for about 13 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until the edges are golden brown and the centers are just set. For crispier edges, bake for a total of 15 minutes. The cookies will be very soft and tender straight from the oven, so allow them to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
These cake cookies are best enjoyed immediately for optimal freshness and texture. If storing, keep them loosely covered at room temperature to prevent them from becoming soggy. Optionally, dust with powdered sugar before serving for a beautiful finish.

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More Fruity Delights to Enjoy

If you’re a fan of these delightful peach cake drop cookies, you’ll love exploring other fruity treats from our collection. Expand your baking repertoire with these equally delicious recipes: