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Kolaczki cookies are a traditional Polish cream cheese cookie. The cookie dough almost mimics a pastry and is filled with a variety of fillings such as apricot, prune, cherry, almond, poppy seed, and more! 

Showing the finished kolaczki cookies. They are on a white tray and you can see the cherry filling and almond filling in the cookies

Overview

I had never tasted or even heard of a kolaczki cookie until I met my husband. Every holiday season his mother makes these traditional Polish cream cheese cookies and they are divine. His family is not Polish themselves, but his parents grew up on the south side of Chicago and these cookies were popular in the area. 

In researching this cookie I learned that there are many different spellings including kolaczki, kolachky, kolachy, and kolacky. But however you spell it, the cookie starts with a cream cheese dough that is rolled out and filled with all kinds of fillings. 

Why these Cookies are one of My Favorite Holiday Cookies…

  • The dough requires very few ingredients.
  • They taste like a fancy pastry, but are much easier to make! 
  • One batch makes a lot of cookies- perfect for sharing and putting in a cookie tin! 
  • The assembly process is best done with a crowd! Make them with kids or other friends and family! 
  • I love that you can use a variety of fillings to please everyone!
Showing a close up of finished kolaczki cookies. They are on a white tray and you can see the cherry filling and almond filling in the cookies

How to Make Polish Kolaczki Cookies

  1. Pick out your fillings. I have found that a pre-made canned filling, like solo brand filling, actually works best in these cookies. Canned fillings are very thick which means they will not seep out of the cookie. You can use a jam instead, but be aware that the filling might run out! 
  2. Make the cream cheese dough. The dough requires very few ingredients: butter, cream cheese, vanilla, salt, and flour. Mix all of the ingredients together until a stiff dough forms. Thick kolaczki dough in a large bowl after being mixed
  3. Chill the dough. Because this dough has a high ratio of butter and cream cheese,  you do need to chill it to make it easier to roll out. I press the dough out thin between plastic wrap so it chills faster.

Thick kolaczki dough on a piece of plastic wrap
Pressing kolaczki cookie dough between plastic wrap before chilling
  • Roll out the dough. Roll out the chilled dough in some powdered sugar so it doesn’t stick. You want to roll it out to be about 1/4″ thick. I work with about 1/4th of the dough at a time, keeping the rest chilled until I need it. Rolling out kolaczki dough on a silicone mat that is dusted with powdered sugar
  • Cut the dough into squares. You can make the squares as small or as big as you like. Some people like really large cookies. I make them fairly small, about 2 inches by 2 inches. This gives you two bite cookies. A bench scraper or pizza cutter is a great tool for this.

    • using a pizza cutter to cut out squares in kolaczki cookie dough
    kolaczki dough is cut into 2by2 inch squares
  • Add filling to the cookies. You want to spoon it right down the center 3rd of the square. Try to be careful not to overfill them or they might pop open while baking. Kolaczki cookie dough squares on a parchment lined baking sheet with filling spread in the middle. Half have cherry filling and half have almond filling
  • Seal the cookies by dipping your finger in a bit of water and dampening one corner. Seal the corners together by pressing firmly. This will ensure they do not pop open in the oven. Pressing the edges of the kolaczki cookies together to seal before baking
  • Bake the cookies until just barely golden brown. They will not gain much color. 
  • Dust the cooled kolaczkis with powdered sugar before serving. Baked kolaczki cookies being dusted with powdered sugar

    • Tips for Success!

    • It’s really important that the dough remain chilled as you are rolling out the cookies, otherwise it will get too sticky. Work with a small piece of dough at a time, keeping the rest in the refrigerator. 
    • You can be liberal with the powdered sugar as you roll them out. This is why I prefer it to flour when rolling so that the cookies don’t get too dry. 
    • You can freeze the kolaczki dough for up to 3 months before using. Wrap it well or store in a freezer ziplock bag. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using.

    These are one of my favorite unique holiday cookies to add to my cookie tin! They are so special and different than what most people will be gifting! 

    MORE RECIPES FROM BAKER BETTIE!

    If you loved this delicious recipe, you might like to try another cookie recipe!

    Showing the finished kolaczki cookies. They are on a white tray and you can see the cherry filling and almond filling in the cookies
    Yield: 5-6 Dozen 2 Bite Cookies

    Polish Kolaczki Cookies

    Prep Time 30 minutes
    Cook Time 16 minutes
    Chilling Time 45 minutes
    Total Time 1 hour 31 minutes

    Kolaczki cookies are a traditional Polish cream cheese cookie. The cookie dough almost mimics a pastry and is filled with a variety of fillings such as apricot, prune, cherry, almond, poppy seed, and more! 

    Ingredients

    • 226 grams (1 cup, 2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
    • 226 grams (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
    • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    • 270 grams (2 ¼ cups) all purpose flour
    • powdered sugar, for rolling
    • solo brand filling of choice (*see note)

    Instructions

    Make the dough

    1. In the bowl of the a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the butter (226 grams/ 1 cup) and cream cheese (226 grams/ 8 ounces) on medium/high speed until light and fluffy. This should take about 2 minutes.
    2. Mix in the vanilla extract (¼ teaspoon) and the salt (½ teaspoon) until well combined.=
    3. With the mixer running on low speed, add the flour (270 grams/ 2 ¼ cups) slowly until all is incorporated. You will have a very thick and sticky dough.
    4. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions (I like to use a scale, otherwise you can eyeball it). Place each portion in between 2 pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Flatten each portion to about ½ inch (1.27 cm) thick.
    5. Chill in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes-1 hour, until easy to handle. You can chill the dough for longer but you may need to let it sit out at room temperature before rolling it.

    Roll, Fill, & Bake

    1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C.
    2. Dust a clean work surface liberally with powdered sugar. Take out one disc of dough and dust the top with more powdered sugar. Roll out to a square about ¼ inch (0.6 cm) thick. Keep the rest of the dough in the refrigerator as you work.
    3. Using a pizza cutter or bench knife, cut the dough into 2x2 inch (5x5 cm) squares.
    4. Spread about 1 teaspoon of filling down the middle of each square, corner to corner. To seal, dab a bit of water on one of the corners without filling and seal it in the center with the other corner. Press to seal so the cookies do not pop open in the oven. Transfer the filled cookies onto parchment lined baking sheets. The cookies will not spread so you can place them fairly close together.
    5. Bake for 14-18 minutes, until just barely golden brown. They won't brown very much. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
    6. Dust cooled cookies with powdered sugar before serving. If you will not be serving right away, wait to dust until right before serving.
    7. Store cookies covered at room temperature for about 3 days. They will start to get soggy if not eaten within a few days. I also do not recommend storing them airtight. Place a lid loosely over top or cover with foil or plastic wrap.

    Notes

  • A note about the filling: I find that canned filling works best for this recipe because it doesn't leak out of the cookie. Yes, it does contain corn syrup, but it is a cookie after all! If you prefer to make a filling, I suggest making a dried fruit filling. You can use jam if you like but be warned it might leak out as it bakes.

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    © Baker Bettie