Polish Kołaczki

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.