By: Author Kelly Wildenhaus
Posted on - Last updated:
Categories Christmas, Desserts, Recipes
Recipe
Kolachkes are traditional Czech cookies filled with jam, cheese or nuts and dusted with powdered sugar. These kolachkes are popular in Chicago area bakeries and my family's favorite Christmas-time treat!
Everyone gets their cookies baked well before Christmas but me. Oh well, when you're not a big baker, this happens. These kolachkes are a must in my house at Christmastime. Luckily, I've been making these forever and I have them down pat, even with my substandard baking skills.
When I was a kid growing up in Chicago, my dad cooked on weekends and headed out to shop on most Saturday mornings. He often headed to Berwyn and Cicero, and he'dcome home with things like Rosen's rye bread, prasky,veal knockwurst, houska andkolachkes. A lot of what he brought home didn't appeal to me, but I loved the kolachkes. They were pastries filled with cheese or apricot, and sprinkled with powdered sugar. I knew he got kolachkes because they were always on a cardboard plate, wrapped in white butcher paper and tied with string.
In the early 90's, in Chicago, I came across a recipe for kolachkes that looked just like the kind my dad would bring home from the bakery. To me, Czech kolachkes are cookie-like, not yeasty and puffy. This recipe yields a cookie-like kolachke, not a puffy one. In fact, the ones I always had were pretty dense cookies. These are a little lighter and flakier, and delicious.
The first time I made these, I made cheese, apricot and strawberry. My dad was so impressed, he couldn't stop eating them, especially the cheese ones. He also said they were the exact kind ofCzech kolachke that he liked so much. Huge kudos from my dad.
The dough is butter, cream cheese, flour and cream, and has to chill in the fridge overnight. The fillings are typically fruit or cheese or nut. My house likes cheese and strawberry, with my homemade jam. That's what I made yesterday.
My dad looked forward to these kolachkes every Christmas, and now my kids do the same. They are all worried there won't be any when they get home next week. There will be kolachkes, it wouldn't be Christmas without them. Merry Christmas, Kelly🍴🐦
Here are a few more treats we love around here for the holidays:
- Classic Buckeyespeanut butter balls dipped in chocolate, bet you can't eat just one.
- Peanut Butter Blossoms peanut butter cookies with a chocolate kiss baked in the middle.
- Old-fashionedGingerbreadcake with lemon glaze and served with ginger whipped cream.
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Kolachkes
Traditional Czech cookies filled with jam, cheese or nuts and dusted with powdered sugar.
4.84 from 12 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Czech
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
Overnight chill time: 12 hours hours
Total Time: 12 hours hours 30 minutes minutes
Servings: 96 pastries
Calories: 57kcal
Author: Kelly Wildenhaus
Ingredients
- 4 sticks unsalted butter softened
- 6 ounces cream cheese softened
- 3 cups all-purpose flour sifted
- 6 tablespoons whipping cream
- Confectioners' sugar for rolling and sprinkling
- Jam jelly or preserves of choice
- Cream cheese filling optional, recipe follows
- Nut filling optional, recipe follows
Instructions
Beat butter and cream cheese in bowl of electric mixer until light. Beat in the flour and cream, alternating the flour and cream, until well mixed. The dough will be very soft. Divide into 4 portions and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven to 350º and have ungreased cookie sheets ready.
Sprinkle work surface and rolling pin with powdered sugar. Roll out dough portion to about ¼-inch thickness. The dough is really hard to roll at first but then gets easier. If it tears a little in spots, just pinch it back together. Use a small round cutter (2-inch diameter) to cut out cookies and place on baking sheet, about 1 - 2 inches apart.
Make a small depression in the center of each with your fingertip. I used, and prefer, the bottom of a shot glass which I dipped in powdered sugar so it wouldn't stick. Works better for me than with my fingertip. Fill cookies scantily with jam, jelly, preserves, cheese or nut filling. If you use too much filling, it will run out onto the baking sheet.
Bake until bottoms are lightly browned, about 12 - 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack and sprinkle generously with powdered sugar while still warm.
Recipe Notes
Cheese Filling: Beat together 1 (8-ounce) package softened cream cheese, 1 egg yolk, ½ cup powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla until well mixed and smooth.
Nut Filling: Cook 1 cup coarsely ground walnuts in 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, ⅓ cup granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla until the nuts turn golden. Let cool.
Makes 7 to 8 dozen, recipe can be halved. Nutrition information is for dough only.
Nutrition
Calories: 57kcal Carbohydrates: 3g Protein: 1g Fat: 5g Saturated Fat: 3g Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g Monounsaturated Fat: 1g Trans Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 13mg Sodium: 6mg Potassium: 9mg Fiber: 1g Sugar: 1g Vitamin A: 155IU Vitamin C: 1mg Calcium: 4mg Iron: 1mg
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