18 November, 2021
Kolache Cookies
Posted in : Cookies on by : MikeZ
Kolache Cookies
A traditional Holiday Cookie With a variety of tasty fillings that no home should be without for Christmas entertaining. Difficulty: Medium
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Medium Mixing Bowl
- Rolling Pin
- Several Baking Sheets
- Electric Hand Mixer
INGREDIENTS
Pastry:
- 2 ¼ cups AP Flour
- ½ tsp. Salt
- 8 oz. Cream Cheese
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter - softened
- ½ cup Granulated Sugar - for rolling
Apricot Filling:
- 1 lb Dried Apricots
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
Nut Filling:
- ½ pound Walnuts - freshly ground fine
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- ½ cup Milk - boiled
- ⅛ cup Butter - melted
INSTRUCTIONS
Nut Filling:
- Mix filling in a medium bowl using only ¼ cup of the boiled milk. The mixture should be thick.
- If the filling is not spreadable, use the rest of the milk. I used all of it. It will thicken as it sits.
Apricot Filling:
- Place dried apricots in a small saucepan and pour in just enough water to cover the apricots. Boil until the apricots are soft. Do not let all the water evaporate. Add a little bit more to keep the filling from burning.
- Add the sugar and continue to cook until thick.
- Either puree in a food processor, blender, or with an immersion blender in a bowl. If the filling is too runny, return it to the sauce pot to continue to cook.
Pastry Dough:
- Sift flour and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Beat the cream cheese and butter together with a hand mixer until completely incorporated and creamy (3-5 minutes).
- Reduce the speed of the mixer and slowly add in the flour. I used 5 additions and completely mixed in the flour each time. The dough will be soft but not sticky.
- Divide the dough into 4 equal parts and flatten each to ¾” thick. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until hard, at least 2 hours.
Assembly:
- Move the oven rack one setting higher than the center.
- Preheat the oven to 375*.
- Take one of the disks of dough from the refrigerator and lightly flour both sides. Spread granulated sugar on your pastry board or work surface. Place the dough on top and roll out pastry to 1/16” thick.
- With a pastry wheel or sharp knife, trim the dough into 1 1/2 “ squares, saving the scraps for later.
- Place a dollop of filling into the center of each square., about ½ to ¾ teaspoon for each.
- Gently grab two opposite corners and fold one over the other, gently pressing down to try and seal them together. Gently move it to a parchment covered baking sheet, placing each no closer tha 1" apart.
- Sprinkle the tops of each cookie with a pinch of granulated sugar.
- Bake 12-14 minutes or until the bottom edges are golden. Slide the Parchment paper with cookies on it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Repeat with all remaining dough. Refrigerate and re-roll your scraps.
Notes
You may make the filling ahead of time and freeze it until you are ready to use it. Just thaw at room temperature when you are ready to use.
For a more traditional cookie, you can omit the granulated sugar and dust the final, cooled cookies with powdered sugar.
Copyright © 2021 – 2024 – Mike Zets, Sylvania, Ohio USA – All Rights Reserved
