Electroless deposition is used to deposit sub-monolayer amounts of Au onto pre-existing Pd nanoparticles supported on silica. Catalyst performance is analyzed for the direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) at 278 K. We demonstrate that moderate Au coverages on Pd (up to ca. 0.7 monolayers) are not effective for improving selectivity to H2O2 and do not suppress the undesirable decomposition of H2O2. Results from FTIR measurements of CO adsorbed on these catalysts suggest that contiguous Pd sites remain at the surface following deposition of Au, and these sites remain active for O-O bond scission.