Authentic Polish Kolaczki Cookies ~ Delicious Fruit Filled Pastries

These are a tasty, soft jam filled cookies!

Ingredients: 

parchment paper

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 cup (8 ounces) cream cheese

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

powdered sugar

about 1 cup seedless fruit preserves, jam or jelly**

Method:

Place the butter and cream cheese in a bowl to soften at room temperature. (This happens quicker, if you cut the butter and cream cheese into chunks, instead of leaving in large sticks.)

Cream together the butter, cheese and vanilla, with an electric mixer, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the mixture is light and fluffy. Slowly mix in the flour, a little bit at a time, with a wooden spoon. Divide the dough into 3 parts. Wrap each potion in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or longer.

Line two or three baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Preheat oven to 350*.

Roll out 1 portion of dough, on a powdered sugar dusted surface, to a rectangle that is 1/4 inch thick. Cut the dough into 2x2 inch squares. Spread 3/4 teaspoon of jam, in a diagonal line, from one corner of each square to the opposite corner. Lift the other two corners together over the center of the cookie and pinch tight to join. Place about an inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for about 12 minutes, or just until the edges begin to become lightly golden. Cool 5 minutes on pan and then transfer to cooling racks. When completely cooled, use a sifter to dust the cookies with additional powdered sugar. Makes 60 cookies. (5 dozen) Store in an airtight container with sheets of waxed paper between the layers of cookies.

**One flavor of seedless jam may be used, but it is nicer to use a combination of  two or three flavors. I have used strawberry, raspberry, blackberry and apricot/pineapple. All were delicious!

Notes: My tiny little mother-in-law is the daughter of Polish immigrants and she loves all of the foods and beverages that her mother used to make. For special treats, my husband and I will travel to a Polish deli to purchase sausages, soup, pierogi, honey liqueur and cookies for her. We have purchased Kolaczki cookies (pronounced ko-watch-key)  there and we didn't really like them, because they were bland and flavorless. These homemade morsels are the opposite ~ absolutely delicious! I was very concerned that my mother-in-law would be disappointed with my attempt at making one of her favorite Polish treats, but she loved them! She said they were perfect and gobbled up four cookies. (I knew then that I had succeeded, because I have NEVER seen her eat more than one cookie.) No more deli purchased cookies for her. 😍