Kolacky are delicious cream cheese pastries with a fruit filling. The dough for these cookies is what makes them exceptional. The most popular fillings are peach, apricot, raspberry, and date but you can use whatever you like. This year I’m trying Michigan cherry preserves and cranberry marmalade. I always quadruple this recipe for the holidays. You better hide a few for Christmas day — these are the ones that go first!
This kolacky recipe starts with a 3-ingredient that seems too good to be true, but it’s very real. Fill the kolacky cookies with your choice of fruit jam for a deliciously festive treat.
What Is a Kolacky?
A kolacky is a bite-sized pastry with Czech origins. The rich dough (which is made with cream cheese, butter, and flour) can feature different fillings, but jam is one of the most popular choices.
Come and try my small Czech kolacky cookies made from flaky cream cheese dough! Filled with jam and dusted with icing sugar, they melt on your tongue the moment you put them in your mouth.
Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
FILLING:
3 large egg whites
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup sugar
3-1/2 cups ground walnuts
Confectioners’ sugar
Directions
In a large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until blended. Gradually beat flour into creamed mixture. Divide dough into 3 portions. Shape each into a disk. Wrap and refrigerate 1 hour or until firm enough to roll.
Preheat oven to 375°. For filling, in a small bowl, beat egg whites and vanilla on medium speed until foamy. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on medium after each addition until well blended. Stir in walnuts.
Generously coat a work surface with confectioners’ sugar. Roll 1 portion of dough into a 12-in. square about 1/8 in. thick, sprinkling with additional confectioners’ sugar as necessary to coat well. Cut into sixteen 3-in. squares.
Shape 2 teaspoons filling into a small log about 2 in. long. Place diagonally onto a square. Overlap opposite corners of dough over filling; pinch tightly to seal. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
Bake until bottoms are golden brown, 9-11 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Dust with confectioners’ sugar.
To Make Ahead: Dough can be made 2 days in advance. Wrap and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.