Kolaczki Cream Cheese Cookies

By June XiePublished: Sep 8, 2022

Approved by the Delish Test Kitchen

kolaczki cream cheese cookies filled with jam and topped with powdered sugar

PHOTO: RACHEL VANNI; FOOD STYLING: DUNCAN FITZPATRICK

1 Rating

Yields:: 3 dz.
Prep Time:: 10 mins
Total Time:: 1 hr 25 mins
Cal/Serv:: 66

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Kolaczki cookies are Polish in origin, often made and eaten during the holiday season, stuffed with a variety of fillings. Some recipes use canned pie filling, though we opt for a cornstarch-thickened jam in this version: Adding water and cornstarch both dilutes the jam so it won't caramelize into hard candy during the bake and provides a smooth-yet-tacky texture in the final product.

The dough is simple with just five ingredients: cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, salt, and all-purpose flour. The sixth hidden ingredient, however, is time: The super-soft dough is hard to work with at room temperature and fares much better during assembly if allowed to chill. We recommend 1 hour chilling time in the fridge.

While most baking recipes call for dusting your work surface with flour, kolaczki cookies are traditionally rolled out in a blanket of powdered sugar. The dough is minimally sweetened, so the added benefit here is providing a nonstick surface to roll your dough out on without drying it out while adding a little more sweetness. Don't be afraid to use as much as you need; the dough will stop absorbing the powdered sugar past a certain point.

What jam you choose to use is totally up to you. Plum jam is a deep, rich, black-ink color while apricot provides a golden hue. Strawberry jam and raspberry jam are vibrant red, while blueberry jam will provide a purple splash. If you're non-committal like me, go for all of them! You'll need just 1/2 cup jam total for this recipe.

The cookies might “unclasp” during the bake. To fix, once they are out of the oven, squish in the sides of the cookies so that they can cool while maintaining the clasped shape. Pinch inwards to make the points meet again and hold for a few seconds to see if you can make the points stay touching each other. If they are too hot for you to handle, practice safety and acceptance: Organic and relaxed cookies are also beautiful!

Once you've made a batch of these, drop us a comment below to let us know how you liked 'em!

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Ingredients

4 oz.
cream cheese, softened
1/2 c.
unsalted butter, softened
2 Tbsp.
powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
1/4 tsp.
kosher salt
1 1/3 c.
all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp.
water
2 tsp.
cornstarch
1/2 c.
raspberry jam, apricot jam, or plum jam
1
large egg white

Directions

1. Step 1In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream cheese until completely smooth. Add butter, powdered sugar, and salt and continue to beat until mixture is light and fluffy. Gradually fold in flour with a spatula until just combined, then cover and refrigerate dough until chilled, about 1 hour.
2. Step 2Preheat oven to 350° and line 2 baking sheets with parchment. On a surface generously dusted with powdered sugar, roll dough to a 12"-by-12" square, dusting with more powdered sugar as needed to prevent sticking. Using a knife, cut dough into 2" squares and arrange 1" apart on prepared sheets.
3. Step 3In a small bowl, stir water and cornstarch until smooth, then stir in jam. Place 1 scant teaspoon jam mixture in the center of each square. Dab egg white on 2 opposing corners of each square and press corners together to seal. Freeze until chilled, about 10 minutes.
4. Step 4Bake until bottoms and corners are golden, 17 to 20 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar and let cool before serving.
5. Step 5Make Ahead: Cookies can be made 2 days ahead; store in an airtight container at room temperature, or freeze up to 1 month.