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Close-up of a sugar-coated Pesche Dolce with ricotta filling and mint leaf.

Pesche Dolci alla Siciliana Recipe

Bite into these soft, syrup-dipped Pesche Dolci alla Siciliana with creamy ricotta inside. They’re the prettiest little sweets to brighten your morning and a treat you want to snack on right away.

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time: 3 hours
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
Author: Manuela Zangara

Ingredients

  • Mint leaves

Buns

  • 250 g – 0.5 lb flour
  • 125 ml – ½ cup lukewarm water
  • 25 g – 0.9 oz lard
  • 25 g – 0.9 oz sugar
  • 5 g – ¾ tsp salt
  • 5 g – 2 tsp dry yeast

Filling

  • 350 g – 0.75 lb ricotta
  • 210 g – 0.45 oz granulated sugar
  • 35 g – 1.25 oz dark chocolate chips
  • ½ tsp vanilla essence – optional
  • 1 pinch salt

Alchermes Syrup

  • 40 g – 1.4 oz water
  • 35 g – 1.25 oz sugar
  • 40 g – 1.4 oz Alchermes
  • red food colouring – optional

Assembling

  • granulated sugar
  • mint leaves

Instructions

Buns

  1. Dissolve the yeast in lukewarm water together with 1 tablespoon of sugar. Set it aside to activate.
  2. Put the remaining sugar, flour, salt, and lard in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. When the yeast mixture becomes frothy, add it to the bowl and knead until the dough is smooth and pliable. Leave it to rise for 1 hour or until it doubles in size.
  3. Divide the dough into smaller balls about the size of a mandarin (4 to 5 cm – 1.5 to 2 inches). Place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper and press the top lightly with your hand so they are not too round.
  4. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C – 390°F for 7 to 8 minutes, or until golden.

  5. Set the buns aside to cool.

Filling

  1. Use the same sweet ricotta filling prepared for cannoli.

Alchermes Syrup

  1. Mix the water and sugar in a small pot and bring it to a boil. Turn off the heat, add the Alchermes, and let the syrup cool to room temperature.
  2. Add red food colouring if needed.

Assembling

  1. When everything is cold, begin assembling the pastries.
  2. Use a small, sharp knife to make a hole in the flat side of each bun.
  3. Dip the buns in the Alchermes syrup so they are evenly coloured.
  4. Fill the hole with a generous amount of sweet ricotta so the centre looks full.
  5. Attach two buns together and roll the “peaches” in granulated sugar.
  6. Add mint leaves for decoration and serve.

Recipe Notes

If you cannot find Alchermes, which has a deep red colour, you can use rum with a little red food colouring. The flavour will be slightly different, but the result will still work well and give the pastries the right appearance.