Kolache Cookies

Traditional Homemade Polish Kolache Cookies are lightly sweet and delicate cream cheese cookies filled with your choice of jam.

I’ve always loved unusual cookies, and these ones are super fun & interesting. The cookie dough actually has no sugar in it. The sweetening comes from the filling as well as the fact that some people roll the dough out in either confectioner’s sugar (also called icing sugar) or granulated sugar.

Want to check out some of my other unusual cookies? I love these Chocolate mint rugelach, Yugoslavian Christmas cookies, and Flourless chocolate pecans cookies.

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Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask.

Cookie exchange group

I’m in a cookie group on Facebook, and the ladies all talk about Kolache cookies, and how amazing they are. So, I knew I had to give them a try.

I’ve seen the ladies in the group use many names to call these cookies. Kolache, Kiffle, Kiflis, Kolach, Kolaches, Kolachy, kolacki, kolacky, Kolaczki, Kołaczki, Hungarian keflee, or Jam-Filled Cream Cheese Cookies.

On a side note, some people say that “kolachi” is a bready nut or jam filled roll, while “kolacky” is a buttery cookie with jam or nut filling.

And, they’ve shared quite a few tips and tricks for the best Polish Kolaczki cookies in the group, which I’ve tried to gather up and share with you!

What are kolachy cookies?

Kolaczki is a traditional Polish cookie that’s popular in Poland, the Czech Republic, Russia, Austria, Denmark, and now I’m seeing them in the USA as well.

Some recipes are made with yeast, while some are made with cream cheese. Some cookies are squares with the corners tucked up, while some are round. I’ve also seen thumbprint versions of them as well.

This recipe for these cookies is made from a soft flaky, pie crust-like, pastry, cream cheese dough that’s cut into squares, and folded over a variety of fillings, from fruit jams, preserves, figs, nuts, sweet cheese, or poppy seeds.

They’re great cookies for the holidays when they’re filled with different colored jewel-like jam fillings. Try strawberry or raspberry for red colors. Apricot makes a pretty yellow-y filled cookie. Fig and nut fillings are great for darker colors.

Pro tips for the best cookies

These cookies are delicious, and even if they don’t come out picture perfect, they taste amazing. Here are some of the tips I’ve learned in the cookie group.

If you’re looking for even more baking tips, be sure to check out my post with lots of helpful info!

And don’t forget to scroll down to the printable recipe card for all the ingredient amounts and instructions.

Making the dough

First, you’ll want to get all your ingredients out and have them at room temperature.

Cream together (mix together) the cream cheese and butter until smooth and fluffy.

Mix in the flour. The dough will be dry and crumbly. Don’t worry, after pressing it together, and letting it rest in the fridge, it forms a nice easy to work with dough.

Refrigerate the dough until cold, at least a couple of hours. Or, you could make it ahead of time and store it in the fridge for a couple of days.

Rolling out the dough

Take the dough out of the fridge. It may be very cold, and rock hard. Let it sit out for 5 to 15 minutes to let it soften up enough to be workable.

Roll out the dough into a uniform 1/8-inch to ¼-inch thickness. If the cookies are thicker than that, they don’t like to stay sealed when they bake.

If you find the dough is too sticky to roll out nicely, try rolling it out between two sheets of parchment, that way the dough doesn’t stick to the table or rolling pin.

I love the tip that I leaned about rolling the dough out on a surface that’s been dusted with confectioner’s sugar. It’ll help the dough not stick, and won’t make your cookies too dry. And, without the extra incorporated flour, the dough can be re-rolled time and time again, right down to the last crumb.

Want more of a crispy sugar on top of your cookies? Dust the work surface with granulated sugar before rolling the dough out. Also, you can dust the filled cookies with granulated sugar before baking them to create a crispy outside.

Trim the edges off the dough to square it up, and cut it in to squares about 2 & ½-in square. 

Filling the dough

Put about 1 teaspoon jam in the middle of each square. Don’t overfill the cookies, as that can make them open up during baking.

Try different fillings such as fig jam, Strawberry jam, and cherry jam.

Seedless jam will work better, as the seeds can distract from the beautifully soft texture of the cookies.

Fold the opposite corners of the dough up over the filling. Seal them together by pressing with one finger inside, one over, using a little water to help them seal if needed. 

Place the cookies on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly golden around the edges. 

Lining the baking sheets with parchment paper sure makes clean up easier!

Place the cookie sheet on a wire rack, and carefully slip the cookie sheet out from under the parchment paper, leaving the parchment paper and the cookies to cool on the wire rack.

Let the cookies cool on the wire rack, then dust with confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar) before serving.

Troubleshooting

There are a couple of things that keep coming up in the cookie group that many people seem to be having issues with. And, even in my testing of these cookies, I encountered both of these issues.

But again, the cookies are still delicious, even if some of the filling leaks out or the cookies open up.

My cookies keep opening up

If you find that some of the cookies are opening up, and unfolding while in the oven, there are a couple of things you can try.

Make sure that your dough is uniform thickness, and about 1/8 to ¼ inch thick.

Don’t pull the dough too tight over the filling.

The dough puffs up a bit as it bakes, and can cause the fold to open.

Be relatively firm when pinching the two sides together.

Dab a little water in between the two pieces to help them stick together. Make a cornstarch slurry with 1 tablespoon cornstarch to 1 tablespoon water and use that to “glue” the two pieces together. I’ve also seen suggestions for using some milk or a bit of egg wash to pinch the two sides together.

One woman suggested that she closes them and then pierces them together with toothpicks.

Let the filled cookies rest for a half hour in the fridge before placing them in the oven. Chilled dough will not expand as much as a more room temperature dough.

Some people have given up on the folded style, and make them into thumbprint cookies.

And, just remember, even if they open up, they’re still delicious! I’d be happy to come over and help you dispose of them!

The filling leaks out during baking

This can happen when you use a thinner jam. I filled some of my cookies with lemon curd, and the curd all leaked out. But you know what, the cookies were still amazing. They had a nice lemony hint to them, which I adore!

You can use a little cornstarch to thicken any jam or jelly.

Make sure not to overfill the cookies. Just about a teaspoon of filling is great.

I’ve seen many people say that Solo Pastry and Cake filling is a great way to go, and they have lots of different flavors. It’s thicker than many jams, so it doesn’t spread and melt all over the cookie sheet when baking.

The cookies I baked with my fig jam and with Bonne Maman blackberry preserves both were great with no leaking problems of any kind.

Just know that some fillings may leak more than others, and the cookies are still delicious!

How do I store these cookies?

Kolaczki cookies will stay fresh at room temperature for up to 5 days. Let them cool completely on the wire rack, then place them in an airtight container or resealable bag. ​​

Can I freeze these cookies?

Kolache cookie dough can be wrapped tightly and stored frozen for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to use it, let it defrost in the fridge overnight.

You can also, make the dough, form the cookies, and freeze them so they’re ready to bake. Place the formed and filled cookies on a tray in a single layer, cover with plastic wrap, then once frozen solid, transfer them to an airtight container or a ziptop bag. They might need a little more baking time.

The baked Kolache cookies also freeze well; store them in an air tight freezer safe container for up to 30 days.

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Kolache Cookies Recipe