Kolachki (Kolachky) making is one Christmas tradition that I can’t seem to give up, even though sugar is on my naughty list.
Usually, I make apricot pinwheels, and end up eating most of them myself. My family prefers their cookies heavy on chocolate: peanut butter cup cookies, kiss cookies, chocolate chip, and so on.
My earliest memory of making Christmas cookies was decorating sugar cookie cut-outs with my aunt. The more colored sugar I could pile on top, the better!
For my sister, I added gluten-free butter cookies to our holiday tray.
Recently, I tried kolachki made by my friend’s mom. I was amazed at the flavor of the almond filling.
I asked Barabara, Sr. (yes, because there is a Barbara, Jr.) what made them pack such a flavor punch.
“It’s whiskey,” she whispered to me. What?
“There’s whiskey in the dough,” she repeated.
Then, she recited the recipe for me.
It was so easy to remember. I went home a baked a couple dozen, which my husband and I had no problem demolishing.
So, this year I’ll add almond filling to my repertoire.
You’ve got to try these. Really. They are that good.
Cream cheese and whiskey make a decadent dough.
- 1 c. butter
- 2 1/4 c. flour
- 8 oz. cream cheese
- 1 oz. whisky
- 2 cans pastry filling (almond, poppy seed, apricot)
- 1/4 c. confectioner's sugar
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Bring cream cheese and butter to room temperature, then beat together thoroughly. Add whiskey.
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Add flour to cheese and butter mixture, about 1/2 c. at a time to fully incorporate it. Dough will be soft.
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Divide dough in half and wrap, then refrigerate for at least an hour.
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
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Generously dust rolling pin and counter with flour. Roll out dough to about 1/8th inch. Use a table knife to cut dough into 2 inch squares.
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Put about 1 tsp. filling in the middle of each square, then fold in two opposite corners, overlapping them a bit to wrap the filling. If dough doesn't want to stick, use a toothpick dipped in water to lightly wet the point where the dough should overlap. Press gently on the overlap.
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If dough becomes too soft to work with, refrigerate again as needed.
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Transfer cookies to a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes, until cookies are just beginning to turn golden.
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Remove cookies to a cooling rack.
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When cookies are completely cool, spoon some confectioner's sugar into a strainer/sifter and dust over cookies.
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To store, pack cookies into a covered container. If you are storing them for longer than a day, freezing and then thawing before serving is best to avoid soggy pastry.
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