Austrian Peach Cookies

3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
3-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup apricot jam
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate pieces, melted and cooled
1/3 cup ground pecans
2 teaspoon rum or sherry
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup red sugar
2/3 cup yellow sugar
stems, made from green gumdrop candies

Preheat over to 325°F.
Put butter, milk, sugar, eggs, baking powder and 2 cups flour in bowl
and blend for one minute on low scraping the bowl constantly.
Beat one minute on medium speed while continuing to scrape the bowl.
Stir in the remaining flour and vanilla.
Dough will be smooth and soft.
Shape dough into smooth 3/4 inch balls (each ball will make half a
peach). Place balls 1 inch apart on lightly greased cookie sheet.
Bake until cookies are brown on the bottom, about 15-20 minutes. Cool
on wire rack.
Place the tip of a small knife in the center of each cookie and
carefully rotate to make a hollow.
Reserve crumbs that fall off.
Mix 1-1/2 cups of the crumbs with jam, chocolate, nuts and rum. Fill
the hollowed cookies with the crumb mixture.
Set 2 filled cookies, flat sides together, to resemble a peach.
Press together gently.
Brush each "peach" lightly with water.
Immediately roll one side of "peach" in red sugar for blush.
Sprinkle yellow/orange sugar on the "peach" to cover completely.
Insert a green stem at the top.
Set aside to dry completely.