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Home » Polish Cream Cheese Cookies

Polish Cream Cheese Cookies

December 20, 2016 by Nicole Crocker 38 Comments

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Warning!! You will not be able to eat just one of these Polish Cream Cheese Cookies (Kolaczki cookies)!

Polish Cream Cheese Cookies

These little Polish Cream Cheese Cookies or Kolaczki are sooo good!  I really could not resist going in for seconds, thirds, fourths….. You get the picture! Yes!  I ate an embarrassing amount of cookies!

 

Mom was feeling a little nostalgic with Christmas quickly approaching and decided to bake up some memories.  Grammy and Grampa have been gone for a couple years now and we lost Dad just before Christmas last year.

We miss them dearly and it can be a little difficult this time of year especially.  One thing that always makes me feel like they are still with us are when we cook the foods they loved.

I don’t remember Grammy ever making these exact cookies but she certainly made similar ones.  She definitely would have loved these Kolaczki though and would be proud that we were Celebrating Our Heritage.

Polish Cream Cheese Cookies

Mom Made these Polish Cream Cheese Cookies last week and we had them wiped out in record time!

They are kind of a cross between a pastry and a cookie.  The dough is made of a cream cheese/ butter mixture and has a nice flaky texture like pie crust.

You can fill  them with just about anything but Mom used an assortment of jams. Raspberry, apricot, blueberry and orange marmalade. Once they are cooled they are dusted with powdered sugar and devoured!

Polish Cream Cheese Cookies

 

Polish Cream Cheese Cookies
Print

Polish Cream Cheese Cookies

Kolaczki are Polish Cream Cheese Cookies. They are a flaky pie crust like cookie filled with assorted jams, cheese or poppy seed mixture. 
Course Dessert
Cuisine Polish
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Servings 60 cookies
Calories 71kcal
Author Nicole Crocker

Equipment

Mixing bowl
Baking Sheet
Parchment paper
Scraping spatula
Hand Mixer-
Rolling Pin
Spatula for removing cookies from cookie sheet
Pizza Cutter
Pastry Brush

Ingredients

  • 1 (8 ounce package) Cream Cheese
  • 3 Sticks Unsalted butter ,softend
  • 3 Cups All-purpose flour
  • 3 (8 ounce jars) Assorted jellys
  • 1/2 Cup + more for dusting Confectioner Sugar

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 Degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
  • In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with butter until light and fluffy. Add flour, 1 cup at a time, and mix well. Divide dough into quarters. Wrap each quartered dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. 
  • Roll out dough 1/4 inch thick on a silicone mat or a surface that has been dusted with equal parts confectioners' and granulated sugars (not flour), Mom just used granulated sugar. 
  • Using a pastry wheel or pizza cutter, cut dough into 2-inch squares. Place 1/2 to 1 teaspoon filling on center of each square. Overlap opposite corners of dough to the center over filling, pressing dough together to seal. ( Brush a tiny bit of beaten egg white on the dough where you want it to stick together to help it stick better. This will help prevent it from unsticking during baking)
  • Bake for 12-15 minutes or when corners start to brown. Cool completely and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Notes

**These can be difficult to keep closed while baking. It's important to give the two ends you are bringing together a good pinch to keep sealed. Adding a bit of water or egg wash will also act as a glue to hold it together as well. 
Kolaczki are best eaten the same day or within a day or two.  Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.
These can be frozen unbaked.  Fill them and freeze on a parchment-lined sheet pan. When completely frozen, transfer to a freezer-safe container separated by sheets of parchment paper.
 Bake them from the frozen state. You will need to bake longer than the 15 minutes though. 
Don't freeze baked kołaczki. When defrosted, they will be soggy.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 71kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Potassium: 8mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 140IU | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 0.3mg

Recipe adapted from Eastern European Food.

Polish Cream Cheese Cookies

Polish Cream Cheese Cookies traditionally served at Christmas and Easter. 

Bake up a batch of Kolaczki for the holidays this year and watch them disappear!

Here are some of my other favorite Christmas Cookie recipes for you to try!

Peppermint Kiss Thumbprint Cookies   Snowball Cookies   Chocolate Pizzettes

 

 

 

Filed Under: Celebrating Our Heritage Series, Cookies, Desserts, Heritage Series, Holiday Tagged With: Celebrating Our Heritage, Christmas, Kolaczki, pastry, pie crust

Comments

  1. Diane Lavoie says

    December 20, 2016 at 2:48 pm

    I must admit I was surprised you kept going back to the plate for more. As did your son! They are very tasty and I likee the fact that I was able to bake half of the recipe and the other half the next day by quartering and wrapping the dough and placing in Refrigerator.

    Reply
    • Nicole Crocker says

      December 20, 2016 at 9:57 pm

      5 stars
      I couldn’t help myself! They were just too good!

      Reply
      • Carol says

        April 15, 2017 at 1:19 pm

        Are you related to Betty? I have her cookbooks!

        Reply
        • Nicole Crocker says

          April 15, 2017 at 1:22 pm

          Ha ha! I wish I was! Unfortunately I’m not. I have many of her cookbooks as well! That lady could cook!

          Reply
    • Jean Jurkiewicz says

      November 21, 2018 at 4:10 pm

      they can also be made easier by simply making a round ball (smal) and putting hole in the middle, filling it and powder sugar it.

      Reply
  2. Chris says

    December 23, 2016 at 11:25 pm

    Baked today, serving tomorrow Christmas Eve…..any leftovers will be served again on Christmas Day….but, wondering if I should store them in the refrigerator or in an airtight container at room temperature?
    (I read your note about not freezing the baked ones, thank you!)

    Reply
    • Nicole Crocker says

      December 24, 2016 at 12:07 am

      We kept ours in an airtight container and were fine. They were a little less flaky a few days later but still delicious. They should definitely still be great for tomorrow and Christmas Day. I would wait to dust them with the sugar until just before serving. Merry Christmas! Enjoy!

      Reply
  3. Diane Lavoie says

    January 9, 2017 at 3:08 pm

    5 stars
    I see that these made your top ten list for 2016, I can understand why. great cookie!

    Reply
  4. Lorena Masin says

    January 22, 2017 at 2:31 am

    This is the best of the best cookies, I love it and my family too, thank you for sharing

    Reply
    • Nicole Crocker says

      January 23, 2017 at 4:06 am

      So glad you all liked them Lorena!

      Reply
  5. Debbie says

    December 19, 2017 at 8:02 pm

    They taste great!!! My time making them. What can I do with the rest of the filling??
    Thank you

    Reply
    • Nicole Crocker says

      December 19, 2017 at 11:48 pm

      Most jams and jelly can keep for some time in the fridge but if you want to use it up right away another one of my favorite jam filled cookie recipes are Thumbprint cookies. They are totally addicting and they will disappear as quickly as you put them out. Here is the link to my Lemon Curd Thumbprint cookies. You can substitute the lemon curd for any type of jelly or jam. https://www.familytabletreasures.com/2015/08/lemon-curd-thumbprint-cookies/

      Reply
  6. Karen says

    April 5, 2018 at 3:11 pm

    Not only do I love these cookies (we filled them with a ground walnut mixture) but i’m Grammy and my husband is Grampa! Don’t know too many with those exact names!

    Reply
    • Nicole Crocker says

      April 7, 2018 at 1:02 pm

      Ground walnuts…That sounds delicious, Grammy! 😉

      Reply
    • Naomi says

      August 30, 2019 at 11:10 am

      Lol… I am Grammy and my husband is Grampy…can sometimes be changed to grumpy

      Reply
  7. Sharon Honcharik says

    May 6, 2018 at 6:50 pm

    Hi Nicole. I remember loving kolaczki while I was growing up and would like to make these. Since I can’t have gluten anymore, could the recipe be adapted to be gluten free? If so, what changes would have to be made?

    Reply
    • Nicole Crocker says

      May 8, 2018 at 11:44 am

      Hi Sharon, I haven’t tried this recipe in a gluten free version yet so I’m not really sure how it would work. You could always try swapping out with a gluten free premixed flour. I would try a 1 to 1 ratio gluten free flour like Bob’s Red Mill. Let me know how it works out if you decide to try it. Thanks.

      Reply
    • Val says

      December 22, 2018 at 6:31 pm

      5 stars
      Hi Nicole I made these using Pamela’s Gluten Free Bread Mix as the substitute. Turned out awesome. Family can’t tell the difference! I also made Nut Rolls and Poppyseed Rolls with the same substitute with yeast and they turn out perfect! Enjoy!

      Reply
      • Nicole Crocker says

        December 23, 2018 at 1:55 pm

        That’s great Val! Gluten Free Substitute mixes have come a long way haven’t they? It really makes it so much easier to duplicate loved recipes as Gluten Free. Thanks for sharing!

        Reply
  8. Mrs Major Hoff says

    September 9, 2018 at 4:46 pm

    5 stars
    My neighbor in Kansas used to make these ever Christmas. So good! Glad I found a recipe! Thanks!

    Reply
    • Nicole Crocker says

      September 10, 2018 at 6:47 pm

      Glad you found the recipe too! Enjoy!

      Reply
  9. Ellie says

    November 19, 2018 at 10:38 pm

    5 stars
    My mom used to make these! I’m not sure it’s the exact recipe, but these sound phenomenal and I cannot wait to make them and surprise my sisters with them this year on the Christmas cookie table! Thanks for sharing this recipe!

    Reply
    • Nicole Crocker says

      November 20, 2018 at 8:33 pm

      What a great surprise! These cookies are one of my favorites. I could eat the whole batch! I hope they bring back some found memories this Christmas for you and your family.

      Reply
  10. Marda says

    December 23, 2018 at 9:41 pm

    4 stars
    Mine didn’t stay closed not one😞 but the flavor was really good☺

    Reply
    • Nicole Crocker says

      December 24, 2018 at 1:51 am

      I’m sorry to hear that Marda…I know it can be tricky. I just made them again last week and did not have a problem but you really need to give the dough a good pinch together otherwise they will open during baking. Adding a bit of water to the spot you sealed together does help as well. The first time I made them I had issues getting them to stay together but I’ve gotten the hang of it after making them so many times. At some point I will make a video to help since it’s such a popular recipe. You’re right they are ridiculously delicious. I brought them to a party last week and everyone ate every last one!

      Reply
      • Kaitlyn Crook says

        November 20, 2019 at 1:18 am

        Hi there ! I like many others had a lot break apart but some stayed- I also had to cook mine for a lot longer to get the brown on the edges but this is going to be a new fav I can already tell!! I have until Christmas to nail these things and I am determined to do so 🙂 thank you!!

        Reply
        • Nicole Crocker says

          November 23, 2019 at 3:10 pm

          Hi Kaitlyn, Keeping them together while they bake can definitely be a problem. I’ve gotten the best results by bringing the two corners together and pinching them together and then folding it over to one side. Also getting the right filling ratio correct can help. If they are over stuffed they will be more likely to open…but you also want to make sure there’s enough filling. lol! But you are correct…nothing beats the flavor in these cookies so hopefully you master them before the big day! Keep me posted on how you make out and feel free to leave any tips on what worked for you!

          Reply
  11. Gail says

    December 24, 2018 at 1:43 pm

    5 stars
    I left my doughnut the fridge overnight..how long before I can roll the dough. It feels very hard. My first attempt at baking them. Help Merry Christmas from a Pittsburgh born and raised girl!

    Reply
    • Nicole Crocker says

      December 27, 2018 at 3:56 am

      Hi Gail..Sorry, I was away from my computer over the holiday. I’m assuming you got your cookies made by now.I just made these again about a week ago and had left the dough in the fridge for a couple days. It took about 10 minutes for it to soften enough for me do roll it out. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and were able to enjoy some delicious Polish Cream Cheese Cookies!

      Reply
  12. Stephen Doone says

    January 30, 2019 at 9:49 pm

    5 stars
    My mother made these for me and my sister, and she could never quantify the elements of her recipes, which were all in her head. Now I’ve got your recipe, and I hate to admit it, but they’re better than Mom’s. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Nicole Crocker says

      January 31, 2019 at 1:57 am

      Thanks Stephen! I won’t tell! lol….glad they brought back some found memories!

      Reply
  13. Elise says

    February 14, 2019 at 4:30 am

    Hey everyone, try doing it with Almond Flour, nice almond flaky flavor. I do add a little cane sugar to the dough. It’s better , as well as vanilla extract. It taste to unbelievable!

    Reply
  14. Rhonda says

    December 21, 2019 at 11:47 pm

    5 stars
    my family loved these

    Reply
    • Nicole Crocker says

      December 23, 2019 at 1:05 am

      I’m so glad everyone loved them Rhonda! Thanks for taking the time to comment! Definitely one of our family favorites!

      Reply
  15. Anonymous says

    December 1, 2020 at 1:16 pm

    Preheating the oven should be step 2, not step 1. It doesnt need to preheat for an hour while the dough is in the fridge for the hour.

    The ingredientclist really should list both sugars from step 3.

    Reply
  16. Karen says

    December 13, 2020 at 5:53 pm

    Can you use preserves instead of jam

    Reply
    • Nicole Crocker says

      February 8, 2021 at 1:42 pm

      Hi Karen, Yes, preserves can be used in place of jam. It will just provide a chunkier texture.

      Reply
  17. Judy says

    October 23, 2021 at 1:07 am

    doing cookie research and i found these….my neighbor growing up made a similar version but we called them italian pineapple cookies..the only thing different is she used 4 sticks butter and 3.5 cups flour..rolled the dough out on just granulated sugar and when filling put the dab in center and seam side down..only used pineapple and walnut but im sure any can be tried….omg…lol i have seen these in recipes before and thought they were similar but now i know our were called italian but they are polish lol….interesting…thanks for sharing!

    Reply

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