Kolacky

These tender little pastries were made by both my grandmothers, both of whom were immigrants of Czech heritage. I don't know anyone who tries these who doesn't want to have another. They are traditional for holidays, especially Christmas.

Kolacky (also kolachke) are made from a simple cream cheese and butter dough which is rolled, cut into squares, and filled with jams, nuts or cheese. You must sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving for authenticity. My grandmas always made apricot, cheese and prune (yuck) versions. We used raspberry-lime, peach with honeycomb, and lemon curd fillings with great results. Those are the flavors pictured in this post.

The dough requires chilling plus several other steps, so this is not a quickie recipe. But it's pretty, tasty and looks great on your holiday treats table.

Kolacky are best fresh, but will keep for up to a week in a tightly sealed container. They also freeze well for up to a month or so. Do not store with other cookies, as they will pick up the other flavors. In fact, we recommend you store each kind of cookie you bake in a separate container. Otherwise, they all taste a bit like all the other cookies, and none has a great flavor.

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ingredients & equipment

• 1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/3 cup plus 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
• 2-inch square cookie cutter
• rolling pin
• offset spatula
• 1 or more small jars of store-bought or homemade jam
• powdered (confectioners) sugar
• 1 large egg white, lightly beaten for washing pastry

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pastry directions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with SideSwipe,  mix the butter on medium for 10 seconds. Add the cream cheese and beat on medium speed until combined, about 15 seconds.
2. Add sugar and beat on medium until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes with SideSwipe, 3 minutes with a standard paddle. Add vanilla and mix until incorporated.
3. In a separate bowl or onto a parchment, whisk or sift together the flour and salts.
4. Add the flour mixture all at once to the wet ingredients and mix on lowest speed until the dough just comes together and still looks shaggy ( about 30 seconds). You don't want to overmix as this will make the pastry tough.
5. Remove dough from the mixer and fold together to complete the mixing and to form a dough ball.
6. Divide the dough in half and place the two portions on two large sheets of plastic wrap.  (each will weigh approximately 14 ounces). Pat the dough into rectangles and wrap tightly. Refrigerate until fully chilled, about 2 hours or up to 1 week.
7. Heat the oven to 350F. Line several sheet pans with parchment paper sprayed with cooking spray or silicone liners.
8. Remove refrigerated dough and place on a sheet of parchment about the size of a baking sheet (13 x 18 inches) that has been dusted lightly with flour. Roll each potion of dough out to approximately fill the sheet of parchment. Sprinkle lightly with flour and cover with another sheet of parchment. Flip over and remove the bottom parchment sheet. The dough should be less than 1/4 inch thick, but still thick enough to work with without tearing.
9. Using your 2-inch cutter, cut squares out of the dough. Remove the scraps and chill for at least 20 minutes before rolling and recutting.
10. Using an offset spatula dusted with flour, separate a square of dough from the rest. Fill diagonally with a generous teaspoon of filling across the center of the square. You should fill them from point to point, leaving the other two corners bare.
11. Fold the empty corners over the top so they overlap and pinch them closed. (Some people pick them together above the filling, but we are in the folding camp.)
12. Place on the prepared pans and repeat with the remaining squares. Leave 1 -2 inches between pastries.
13. Brush the top with beaten egg white
    
14. Bake one pan at a time for a total of 9-12 minutes, rotating the pan about halfway through for even baking. All the kolacky to cool on the pan for 2-3 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
15. When ready to serve, sprinkle with confectioners sugar.