Here's How to Make Upside-Down Cookies (Just Like the Cake!)

There are two things I love more than anything in the summer: baking with fresh fruit, and the air conditioner that allows me to do so. These peach upside-down cookies are prime examples of everything that summer baking celebrates. And it doesn’t hurt that the pretty presentation comes naturally.

What are upside-down cookies?

I Made Upside Down Cookies — Sarah Tramonte for taste of home

I grew up loving the iconic pineapple upside-down cake that inspired these cookies. Just like upside-down peach cake, where a sugary fruit topping is added to the bottom of the baking tin and then topped with batter before being baked and inverted, these cookies are baked upside-down. First, you put sugar and fruit onto the baking sheet, then you put the cookie dough on top. While the cookies bake, they soak up all of the delicious peach juices and sugar. So when you turn the cookies over, the fruit slices and caramel-like topping are melded into a picturesque summer treat.

How to Make Upside-Down Cookies

To make upside-down cookies, you start by mixing together the dry ingredients, including the flour, cream of tartar, cornstarch, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Next, use a stand mixer or a large bowl and a hand mixer to cream together the butter and the sugars. Once the mixture is light and creamy, add the egg and egg yolk, then beat those in. Finally, add the buttermilk and the vanilla to the dough.

Now that you have all of the wet ingredients incorporated, carefully add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until they’re just incorporated. Once that’s done, cover and refrigerate the dough for at least an hour. While the dough chills, make the streusel topping. Mix together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and butter by hand until the mixture is well-combined and looks like crumbly sand. Chill the streusel until you’re ready to assemble the cookies.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. To create the upside-down peach patterns, sprinkle brown sugar into mounds on the baking sheet, then top them with three or four peach slices. Divide the cookie dough into cookie-sized portions, then press the top of each ball of dough into the streusel topping. With the streusel facing up, place the cookies on top of the prepared fruit mounds and press them gently down. Repeat until all of the cookies are ready, then bake and cool them.

Why We Love Upside-Down Cookies

These peach upside-down cookies are perfect for any summer picnic. They’re easy, seasonal and fun, and there’s no reason you can’t make them with any number of other fruits—just like you can with the cakes. I took these to a neighborhood block party and they were a huge hit.

And while you’re in the world of upside-down baking, why not try an off-the-beaten-track combination, like upside-down Black Forest cake or strawberry rhubarb cake? The possibilities are endless!