Bake

CREAM CHEESE KOLACKY

by:
December  3, 2021
5
1 Ratings
Photo by MJ Kroeger, prop styling by Brooke Deonarine, food styling by Lauren Lapenna
  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • Cook time 10 minutes
  • makes 12 to 16 cookies
Author Notes

This is my mother's recipe, a unique Polish cookie, that I grew up with. Popular fillings are peach, apricot, raspberry, and date, but Michigan cherry preserves are the best!. —Jen S

Test Kitchen Notes

You're going to love this Eastern European sweet treat, popular throughout Poland and the Czech Republic and a unique twist on a traditional holiday cookie. The best part is how easy it is to make them, and you only need five ingredients, most of which you probably already have on hand. A perfect way to use up some staples, and you won't have to make a special trip to the store. So if you're ever in a dessert-mode crisis and find yourself wondering what the heck to make when unexpected guests pop by, always have this recipe close by.

All you have to do is mix some cream cheese and butter together, then add the flour so a dough forms. Doesn't get much simpler than that for a homemade dough. You can make the dough hours ahead, and you'll find a variety of uses for it if you want to freeze it for later as well. Then all that's left to do is roll the dough, cut into small squares, and arrange the jam in the center of the squares. As the developer notes, you can use peach, apricot, raspberry, but she loves cherry preserves the most, so if you can track some down, we highly recommend it. Or use your favorite, or a bunch of different kinds so you end up with a super-colorful cookie platter. Just pinch the two corners together and bake. Decorate with powdered sugar before serving, and you've got the most adorable, delicious treats you'll find yourself making over and over again. —The Editors

What You'll Need
Watch This Recipe
CREAM CHEESE KOLACKY
Ingredients
  • 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
  • 1/2 cup fruit jam
  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar
Directions
  1. In a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Slowly add the flour and continue to mix until well combined.
  2. Shape the dough into a ball and chill for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight, until cold.
  3. Heat the oven to 350°F (180°C). On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to about ⅛ inch thick. Cut into 2½-inch squares. Arrange about ½ teaspoon of the jam in the center of each square. Overlap 2 opposite corners and pinch together to seal. Arrange on ungreased cookie sheets.
  4. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool. Sprinkle with the powdered sugar before serving.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

1 Review

J December 23, 2021
I've made a similar recipe for years and the best part is using up all the different kinds of jam I have in the refrigerator! People love this as a holiday cookie because it is not the typical chocolate thing-