This Polish kołaczki cookie recipe is made with a cream cheese dough that bakes up buttery and flaky. Kołaczki can be round, square or diamond-shaped, and the dough can be flaky or yeast-risen, and the spelling varies widely.

Since they are a little time consuming to make, they are usually offered for holidays or special occasions, but they’re not difficult, so most dedicated bakers make them year-round.

Fillings of choice include apricot, raspberry, prune, almond, poppy seed, and sweet cheese. Anything goes—strawberry, blueberry, apricot, even pineapple. Try to avoid going with jam as it is typically not thick enough. Look for products labeled cake and pastry filling in the baking aisle at the grocery store. Some stores even sell the filling on its own in their bakery departments around the holidays.

You will need to refrigerate the dough for at least an hour before rolling and cutting, so plan accordingly. You can freeze unbaked filled kołaczki, then bake from frozen when you’re ready. All you need to do is add a few extra minutes to the baking time.

Recipe Source

Instructions

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for Polish kołaczki recipe
  2. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with butter until light and fluffy.

    Beat butter and cream cheese for Polish kołaczki
  3. Add the flour, 1 cup at a time, and mix well.

    Add flour to butter and cream cheese for Polish kołaczki
  4. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

    Dough wrapped in plastic
  5. Heat oven to 350 F.

  6. Roll out dough 1/4-inch thick on a silicone mat or a surface that has been dusted with equal parts confectioners’ and granulated sugars (not flour), because the granulated sugar will act as ball bearings and help keep the dough from sticking.

    Kołaczki dough rolled out with a rolling pin
  7. Cut into 2-inch squares. Place 1/2 to 1 teaspoon filling on center of each square. Brush a tiny bit of beaten egg white on one corner and press the opposite corner on it, pressing the dough together lightly to seal.

    Kołaczki filled and folded over on a baking sheet
  8. Using a spatula, transfer the filled cookies to a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes (longer if baking from frozen) or until corners start to brown.

  9. Using a spatula, remove cookies from the baking sheet and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before dusting with confectioners’ sugar. Serve and enjoy!

    Polish Kołaczki on a plate and sprinkled with confectioners' sugar

Can You Freeze Kolaczki?

Yes, you can freeze these cookies, which can be helpful for your holiday meal and cookie prep process.

  • Make the dough and fill the cookies ahead of time. Freeze on a parchment-lined sheet pan.
  • Once they’re completely frozen, transfer to a freezer-safe container separated by sheets of parchment paper. Bake them from the frozen state.
  • It’s not recommended, however, to freeze kołaczki after the cookies have been baked. When defrosted, they become soggy and unpalatable.
  • You can also freeze any leftover filling in a zip-close bag or​ another container, with little loss in flavor or consistency. Just defrost when you’re ready to use. Pour off any accumulated moisture on the surface, stir, and it should be ready to go.

How to Store Kolaczki

These cookies tend to become soggy after several days, so store them tightly covered without the confectioners’ sugar. Dust with confectioners’ sugar just prior to serving.

Prep: 30 minutes Bake: 30 minutes
about 20

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
  • 1 1/2 cups butter (room temperature)
  • 3 pouches (3 cups) GOOD MEASURES® all-purpose flour
  • 28 ounces cake and pastry filling (raspberry, apricot, prune, etc.)
  • Optional: confectioners’ sugar for dusting

GLUTEN FREE OPTION:

Replace Good Measures traditional all-purpose flour, on a cup-for-cup basis, with GOOD MEASURES GLUTEN FREE ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR for a delicious gluten free alternative.  All ingredients are readily available as gluten free.  Please read package on all ingredients to ensure gluten free.

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