Aunt Annes Kolacky Recipes

KOLACZKI - TRADITIONAL POLISH COOKIES

Steps:

• Mix cream cheese and softened unsalted butter in a stand mixer. Add in three cups of flour. Mix well. Wrap and place in the fridge for 1 hour.
• Place a quarter of the dough on a dough board and roll out to a thin layer. Cut into 1 1/2 inch squares. Place jam in the center and pinch together opposite sides. Rub a little water on the place where you pinched together in order to keep them together when baking.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove to cooling rack. Dust with powdered sugar. Store in airtight container.

KOLACZKI

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl combine the softened cream cheese and butter. Beat until thoroughly combined, light and fluffy.
• Add the flour into the creamed butter mixture 1 cup at a time until your dough is fully mixed. Wrap the dough in cling film and flatten slightly so that it chills quickly. Chill for an hour.
• Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line your baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• Dust your working surface with an equal combination of sugar and confectioners' sugar, then roll out the cream cheese dough until it is 1/4-inch in thickness. *I use a quarter portion of the dough at a time, meanwhile, it is important that the remaining dough is returned to the refrigerator and kept chilled.
• Cut the dough into 2-inch squares or rounds then place 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of your pastry filling into the centerline of each cut square or round of the dough.
• Overlap the opposite corners or sides and brush the bottom corner with water or egg white to seal the dough. Pinch or press the dough together to seal securely.
• Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 12-15 minutes, or until the cookie bottoms just begin to show a light golden color. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
• Once your cookies are completely cooled, dust with confectioners' sugar (or just before serving).

AUNT ANNE'S KOLACKY

Steps:

• 1. Soften yeast in sour cream and beaten egg YOLK. Mix well. Set aside.
• 2. Work butter into flour with pasty blender or fork until it resembles small peas. (Sometimes I rub this mixture between my bare palms)
• 3. Add yeast mixture. Mix well with flour mixture.
• 4. Refrigerate the dough, covered, until it is quite firm.
• 5. Prepare filling(s). You can use a SOLO brand filling (usually with pie fillings in the supermarket) or make your own. Prune, apricot, and poppy seed fillings are probably the most traditional. I will include directions for making filling, but I usually use SOLO poppy seed. However, I love the Cherry and Pineapple fillings below, but I am not Czech.
• 6. Optional: Make your own Poppy Seed Filling True Confessions: I have not made this filling! Combine 2 cups poppy seeds, 1/2 sugar, 1/2 cup milk, 1 teaspoon butter and 1/2 cup corn syrup in a sauce pan. Cook about 5 minutes until thick.
• 7. Optional: Make your own Prune filling Another true confession: I haven't made this filling either, but it sounds good! Combined 1 cup pitted prunes, finely chopped,1/2 cup dried apricots, finely chopped, 1/4 cup raisins, finely chopped, 1/2 orange, washed and finely chopped (peel and all) and 1/4 cup sugar in a sauce pan. Cover the fruit with hot water or black tea to cover the fruit. Simmer all the ingredients until the liquid is absorbed, the fruit is soft and the mixture is quite thick, about 30 to 35 minutes. If the fruit still isn't soft, add more water and continue to cook until it is soft. (I am guessing I would add a bit more sugar.)
• 8. Optional: Make your own Cherry Filling I've made it and like it! :-) Drain 1 can pitted sour cherries and cut the cherries into small pieces with kitchen shears. Combine 1 cup of sugar and 6 Tbsp cornstarch in pan. Add cherry juice from drained cherries and 1 teaspoon red food coloring. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick and clear. Remove from heat and add cut-up cherries.
• 9. Optional: Make your own Pineapple Filling I've made it and like it! Drain a #2 can of pineapple; grind the fruit in a food processor. Mix 3 Tbs. cornstarch with the juice. Add the fruit to the juice and cook until hot and bubbly. Add sugar to taste.
• 10. Prepare streusel topping if using. (Some like the added sweetness; others think it makes the kolacky too sweet.) Mix ingredients together until crumbly. (Left over streusel makes a good topping for an individual cobbler. Just top some raw or canned fruit and bake.)
• 11. When you are ready to bake the kolacky, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll out the chilled dough about 1/8 inch thick on a lightly floured surface and cut into small rounds (about 1 1/2 inches). Place rounds on baking sheet. (I use a silicone mat on my baking sheets.)
• 12. Using your thumb, make a slight indentation in the middle of the round. Place a teaspoon or so of filling in the indentation and sprinkle with streusel topping if desired.
• 13. Bake in preheated oven about 10 minutes or until the kolacky bottom is just beginning to brown.
• 14. Remove to a wire rack to cool. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving. (Use a small sifter can for ease of dusting.) When I use the streusel, I skip the powdered sugar.

CREAM CHEESE KOLACKY

Steps:

• Mix cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add flour slowly until well blended. Shape into a ball and chill overnight or for several hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
• Roll dough out 1/8 inch thick on a floured pastry board. Cut into 2 1/2 inch squares and place about 1/2 teaspoon jam or preserves in the center. Overlap opposite corners and pinch together. Place on ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool on wire racks. Sprinkle kolacky lightly with confectioner's sugar.

EASY KOLACKY

Steps:

• Place the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl; beat with electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Beat 1/2 cup of confectioners' sugar into the butter mixture. Slowly beat in the flour; mix well. Cover bowl and refrigerate at least 3 hours, or overnight.
• Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• On a well floured board, roll out chilled dough to 1/8 inch. Use a pizza wheel to cut dough into 2 1/2 inch squares. Spoon approximately 2 teaspoons of filling in the center of each square; do not overfill. Fold opposite corners of each square into the middle to encase dough, pinching dough together in center. Filling should peek out a little at each end. Transfer cookies to an ungreased baking sheet.
• Bake the kolacky in the preheated oven until set but not brown, about 12 minutes. Remove to racks to cool. Dust cooled kolacky with remaining powdered sugar.

AUNT ANNE'S SESAME COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and anise extract until well blended. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt; stir into the butter mixture until well incorporated. If you are using a stand mixer, let the dough mix for another minute to add lightness to the dough. The dough will be soft, but will hand roll easily.
• Pinch off pieces of dough slightly smaller than a walnut, and roll them into small logs. Dip in milk, then roll in sesame seeds. Place cookies one inch apart on a cookie sheet. Cookies will not spread very much.
• Bake for 17 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until bottom and sides of cookies are lightly toasted. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

KOLACKY

Steps:

• 1. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, butter, and sugar on medium speed until light, about 2 minutes. On low speed, gradually beat in the flour just until mixed. The dough will be soft and sticky.
• 2. Divide the dough in half. Pat each half into a thick disk and wrap separately in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm enough to handle, at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.
• 3. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease or spray cookie sheets.
• 4. Dust a pastry cloth or board with flour or confectioners' sugar. Remove 1 dough disk from the refrigerator and place it on the pastry cloth. Keep the remaining dough disk refrigerated. Roll out the dough into a square or rectangle 1/8 inch thick. Cut into 2 1/2-inch squares.
• 5. Place 1 teaspoon of the filling in the center of each square. Pull 2 opposite corners of the square into the middle, and pinch the edges together to seal. Place the cookies on the prepared cookie sheets, spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
• 6. Bake in the center of the oven until lightly golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on the cookie sheets for 1 to 2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks. Dust the tops with sifted confectioners' sugar while still warm, then let cool completely.