Simple Cookies with a Complicated Name
My new KitchenAid mixer arrived this week, just in time to start whipping up some Christmas goodies. It arrived in the middle of a busy weekend, so it just sat there, looking pretty, waiting to be used.
Finally, Tuesday rolled around and I decided it was time to put this beauty to good use. But what to make first??
I decided on cream cheese jam cookies called Kolaczki, or what some call Kolacky Cookies. The dough is a simple mix of butter, lots of butter, and cream cheese and flour. That’s it. The beauty of these cookies is the dough is rich but not overly sweet, so they are the perfect vessel for a delicious dollop of fruit jam or pastry filling.
The origin of these cookies is thought to be mostly Polish, though other Eastern European countries have their own version. With these different versions come slightly different pronunciations and variety of shapes and fillings. I lived in a suburb of Chicago while growing up, which has a strong Polish community and they pronounced them Ko-latch-key.
Traditionally, these cookies are formed with a square piece of dough with fruit in the middle and 2 corners folded over. They make a beautiful presentation, but I went for the simple circular variation and used a mini muffin pan to ensure uniformity. But you can just place them on a cookie sheet if you don’t have a mini muffin pan.
Some women have grown up watching their grandmothers mix these cookies by hand – literally mixing the butter, cream cheese and flour with their hands until it forms a soft dough. But I used my new stand mixer for this and it worked like a dream and cut the time in half.
Once a soft dough is formed, the trick is to evenly divide it into 36 dough balls of approximately the same size and shape. To do this, I divided the dough into 6 pieces, then divided each of those pieces down into 6 more. Roll them into smooth balls and place them into a mini muffin pan that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. I have a 24 cup mini muffin pan, so I set the extra dough balls aside on a platter to wait to bake in a second round.
Once the dough balls are formed and in place in the pan, you need to make a small well in the center of each cookie. They do make a tool for this called a tamper, which you can find on Amazon here. But you can do it with your thumb, or I used the back of my 1/2 tsp measuring spoon. I have a lovely set that snaps together for storage and have a round side and an oval side for getting into smaller bottles. I find them to be extremely handy and if you want your own set you can find an even better set of measuring spoons that are magnetic and comes with a leveler here. This would make an excellent hostess gift or stocking stuffer idea.
Then the fun part is deciding what to use to fill the cookies. Apricot is a traditional choice and I happen to love apricot. I used a fruit preserve made of peaches and apricots for half of my cookies and a seedless black raspberry jam for the other half.
Other options could be any fruit jam you like, or pastry filling such as Solo. I had never heard of Solo until I was researching these cookies. I did see it available at Wegmans, but you can order it on Amazon here also. Poppyseed filling is another traditional choice.
Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes or until just starting to get brown on the bottom. Let them cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes, then use a plastic knife to carefully pop the cookies out of the mini muffin pan. Let them cool completely before sprinkling with powdered sugar.
These little gems are small enough to pop in your mouth all at once, or take 2 small bites. I had to stop my oldest from eating them all at once, so beware they are extremely addictive.
If you have a family recipe for Christmas cookies that you make every year, I would love to hear about them and give them a try myself. Now I am off to make more fun things with my mixer….
AuthorMelissa JoyDifficultyBeginnerPreheat the oven to 350º F. Spray a mini muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, blend the butter and cream cheese together.
Gradually add the flour and mix until formed into a soft dough.
Gather the dough into a large ball, making sure to incorporate any remaining crumbs.
Separate the large dough ball into 36 smaller balls and place into the muffin pan. If your muffin tin only has 24 wells, set aside the remaining balls for the next round of baking.
Using a tamper, thumb or the back of a 1/2 tsp, make a well in each dough ball.
Place 1/2 tsp of fruit jam into each well, trying not to overfill.
Bake for 12-14 minutes, until the jam is bubbly and the cookies are just starting to brown on the bottom. Do not over-bake.
Remove the pan and rest the cookies on a wire rack until cool, then use a plastic knife to gently scoop each cookie out of the mini muffin wells.
Allow to cool completely before sprinkling with powdered sugar and enjoy!
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350º F. Spray a mini muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, blend the butter and cream cheese together.
Gradually add the flour and mix until formed into a soft dough.
Gather the dough into a large ball, making sure to incorporate any remaining crumbs.
Separate the large dough ball into 36 smaller balls and place into the muffin pan. If your muffin tin only has 24 wells, set aside the remaining balls for the next round of baking.
Using a tamper, thumb or the back of a 1/2 tsp, make a well in each dough ball.
Place 1/2 tsp of fruit jam into each well, trying not to overfill.
Bake for 12-14 minutes, until the jam is bubbly and the cookies are just starting to brown on the bottom. Do not over-bake.
Remove the pan and rest the cookies on a wire rack until cool, then use a plastic knife to gently scoop each cookie out of the mini muffin wells.
Allow to cool completely before sprinkling with powdered sugar and enjoy!
*Recipe adapted from www.smuckers.com.
*As an Amazon associate, I earn a small percent of qualifying purchases made from some links in this blog.
