If you enjoyed the previous article on Aunt Cindie’s polish pierogi, you are sure to love this week’s recipe: Aunt Cindie’s homemade kołaczki cookies! These traditional Polish pastries are the perfect dessert to complement your pierogi dinner. The yummy cookies are made with a flaky, buttery and rich cream-cheese dough and filled with sweet jam or cheese. Then, they are dusted with a generous coating of powdered sugar, giving them a pretty, decorative finish.
While kołaczki are commonly known as “Polish Christmas Cookies,” they are actually quite popular throughout Eastern and Central Europe. Each country has their own variation of the cookies, yet only Poland makes them with a yummy cream cheese dough. In Poland, these cookies are called kruche z powidłami, meaning “shortcrust cookies with jam.” Although kołaczki are referred to as Christmas cookies, I think they are great for any occasion. Kołaczki are a great treat to share with your friends and roommates and pair nicely with a warm cup of tea or a cold glass of milk.
When making kołaczki with my aunt, we used strawberry, apricot and raspberry fruit preserves. However, you can substitute with your favorite preserves or jams. Other common fillings for these cookies include prune or blueberry jams as well as poppy seed, almond and sweet cheese fillings.
Some helpful tips for making kołaczki:
- Be sure to chill the dough before rolling it out. The dough has a high ratio of butter and cream cheese, so chilling the dough will make it easier to roll.
- Be careful not to overfill your kołaczki, or the filling will run out when you bake them.
- After filling the kołaczki, you must pinch the corners together to form the trademark kołaczki shape. Be sure to press the ends together firmly so that they do not come undone while baking in the oven. If you are having trouble making the ends stick, you can also dip your finger in some water to dampen the corners of the dough and help seal it.
Kołaczki are one of my absolute favorite Polish desserts, and I know you will enjoy these delicious pastries too!
Kołaczki Cookies Recipe
Note: This recipe makes approximately 60 cookies. I recommend cutting the recipe in half.
Ingredients:
- 4 sticks butter, softened
- 8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
- 6 tbsp. half & half
- 4 cups flour
- Fruit preserves or jam of your choice for filling
- Powdered sugar
Directions:
- Cream butter and cream cheese with a mixer.
- Blend in half & half.
- Add flour one cup at a time. Blend well.
- Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for several hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 ˚F.
- Roll out dough to about a ¼ inch thick on a surface dusted with equal parts flour and granulated sugar.
- Cut dough into 2-inch squares using a knife.
- Fill the center with jam, cheese or nut mixture. (I used strawberry, apricot and raspberry preserves.) Place 1 teaspoon of the filling at the center of each square.
- Fold over opposite corners of dough and press together in the center. Seal well.
- Bake at 350 ˚F for 12-15 min.
- Cool and dust with powdered sugar.
- Serve and enjoy!
Step-by-Step Photo Gallery
