Kolaczki - Polish Cream Cheese Cookies Recipe
Tender Polish Kolaczki cookies, made with browned butter, citrus-cardamom dough, plum and persimmon butter filling, and finished with raw sugar and toasted hazelnuts.
Save
Equipment
- mixing bowls
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
- measuring cups, spoons
- Microplane or fine grater
- Rolling Pin
- Bench scraper or knife
- Parchment-lined baking sheets
- Small piping bag or zip-top bag
- pastry brush
- cooling rack
- fine mesh, sieve
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup butter browned and softened
- 8 oz cream cheese full-fat, softened
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon orange zest finely grated
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- Pinch salt
- 2 tablespoons crushed and toasted hazelnuts
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg white for sealing the corners
- raw sugar
- powdered sugar
- Plum Butter
- Persimmon Butter
Instructions
- Place 1 cup butter in a light-colored saucepan. Melt over medium heat, stirring occasionally
- Once melted, it will foam and bubble. Keep stirring and watch carefully. The butter will change from yellow to golden to amber brown, developing a nutty aroma (about 5-7 minutes total).
- Immediately transfer to a heatproof bowl to stop cooking. Let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until solidified (about 2-3 hours, or 30 minutes in the freezer).
- Once solid, it should have a softened consistency like regular softened butter.
- In a large bowl, beat the re-solidified browned butter and 8 oz cream cheese together until smooth and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add 1 teaspoon orange zest and 1 tsp vanilla extract; mix until well combined.
- Gradually add 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, Pinch salt, and ½ teaspoon ground cardamom mixing on low speed until just incorporated.
- Dough will be soft and a little sticky. Divide the dough into two discs and wrap them in plastic wrap.
- Refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours, or overnight—this step is essential!
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Lightly beat the 1 egg white in a small bowl.
- Have your filling(s) ready and at room temperature.
- Mix raw sugar with 2 tablespoons crushed and toasted hazelnuts.
- Work with one dough disc at a time (keep the other refrigerated)
- On a well-floured surface, roll the dough to about ⅛-inch thickness.
- Cut into 2-inch squares using a knife, pizza cutter, or square cookie cutter.
- Place the squares on the prepared baking sheet, about 1 inch apart.
- Place about ½ teaspoon of Plum Butter or Persimmon Butter in the center of each square. Don't overfill, less is more here!
- Fold two opposite corners toward the center, overlapping slightly. Gently press the corners together.
- Lightly brush the folded corners with egg white. Pinch to seal, as egg white acts as glue.
- Lightly brush the remaining egg white over the folded portions.
- Sprinkle with raw sugar or nut mixture (or plain raw sugar).
- Bake for 12-15 minutes until the edges just start to turn golden. The bottoms will brown slightly; that's perfect.
- Don't overbake; they keep cooking on the pan after you take them out of the oven.
- Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once fully cooled, dust generously with powdered sugar
Notes
Chill the dough long enough - Cold dough = clean cuts + neat folds.
Roll it thin… but not too thin - about ⅛ inch is the sweet spot. Too thick and they puff like little pillows; too thin and they crack when folded.
Don’t overfill - kolaczki are delicate, a ½ teaspoon is plenty.
Nutrition
Serving: 4piecesCalories: 300kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 4gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 60mgSodium: 186mgPotassium: 72mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 728IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 29mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!