Christmas kolachy or also called kolach and kolacs is a traditional Polish pastry. It is originally made as a wedding cake at the beginning of the 13th century and eventually made its way to American homes around the Christmas and Easter holidays.
Kolachy is made of light and flaky dough that is filled with different sweet and savory fillings such as raspberry, prune, apricot, sweet cheese, and even nut mixtures. The dough used in making this Polish pastry is special because it is made by combining cream cheese with butter and flour which gives the mixture a unique flakey quality that is similar to a pie crust.
In the United States, Christmas kolachy is usually made into individual servings by rolling the dough thin and then cutting it into squares. After cutting, a thin line of the filling is spread along the diagonal of the square. When the fillings are settled, two opposing corners of the dough will be folded over each other to create the unique shape of the pastry. You can also make a large batch of Christmas kolachy and it can be served sliced like bread.
Christmas kolachy also has different variants which were introduced into many Central and Eastern European cuisines such as the Czech leaven yeast dough called kolache. In Hungary, this pastry is called “Dios-makos Beigli or Bejgli”. It can be sprinkled with poppy seeds as well or powdered sugar on top and it can be baked in a circular pan or like a log in a jelly pan.
Christmas Kolachy Recipes
If you want to learn how to make some Christmas kolachy so that you’ll have an addition to what you will be serving your family on Christmas or any occasion, then we will be happy to give you some recipes we found that you can follow.
Cream Cheese Kolachy
We got this cream cheese kolachy recipe from All Recipes.
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you need in making some Christmas kolachy:
- 3 ounces of cream cheese
- ½ cup of softened butter
- 1 cup of all-purpose flour
- ½ cup of fruit jam in flavors you prefer
- 1/3 cup of confectioner’s sugar
Procedure:
1. Mix butter and cream cheese until the mixture becomes smooth. While mixing, add the flour and continue mixing slowly until it becomes well blended. Then, shape the mixture into a ball and chill them for several hours or overnight.
2. Preheat your over to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Get the dough balls you chilled and roll them out 1/8-inch thick on a floured pastry board. After that, cut them into 2 1/2-inch squares and place ½ teaspoon of jam or preserves in the center. After placing the fillings, overlap the opposite corners of the dough and pinch them together then place on ungreased cookie sheets.
4. When you finished filling all the dough, bake them for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. After baking, cool them on wire racks then sprinkle some confectioner’s sugar on them lightly for decoration then serve.
Christmas Kolachy
This recipe is from A Kitchen Muse.
Ingredients:
- 1 pack of cream cheese
- 1 cup of butter
- 2 cups of flour
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- Jam and preserves of your choice
- Powdered sugar
- 2 cups of ground walnuts
- ¾ cup of sugar
- ¼ cup of hot water
Procedure:
1. The cream cheese and butter you will be using should be cold. Sift the flour with the baking powder into a bowl then cut the cream cheese and butter into chunks then add some flour.
2. After mixing, knead the mixture by hand until all the ingredients are distributed evenly and the dough forms a compact ball.
3. After making balls from the mixture, divide each into two balls then cover with saran wrap and chill them until they become very cold. It is great if you can chill them overnight.
4. The next day, get the balls you made and roll each one using as little flour as possible to 1/8-inch thickness.
5. After rolling them out, cut them into 3-inch squares then place a dollop of jam or filling in the center.
6. After placing the fillings, fold one corner of the square to the center of the filling. Then, fold the opposite corner to the center, overlapping a bit. Pinch them together lightly. When you do this, a small part of the filling should be visible above and below the overlap. Place them on ungreased cookie sheets.
7. Bake them for 15 to 18 minutes at 350 degrees until they turn light brown. After baking, cool the kolachy on wire racks and dust them with powdered sugar. Then serve.
Bohemian Kolaches
This Bohemian kolaches recipe is shared by Taste of Home.
Ingredients:
- 2 packages of active dry yeast
- ½ cup of sugar
- 2 cups of warm milk
- 5 ¾ to 6 ½ cups of all-purpose flour
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- ¼ cup of softened butter
- 2 cups of canned prunes, cherry, or lemon pie filling
- 1 large beaten egg white
Procedure:
1. Dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon of sugar in warm milk in a small bowl and let it stand for 10 minutes. In another bowl, combine 2 cups of flour, remaining sugar, egg yolks, butter, salt, and the yeast and milk mixture you made. Mix all of these ingredients and continue until the mixture becomes smooth. To be able to make a stiff dough, add the remaining flour.
2. Put the dough on a floured surface and knead it until it becomes smooth and elastic. You can add some more flour if needed. After that, place the dough in a greased bowl and turn it ones to grease top. Cover it and let it rise in a warm place until it doubles in bulk. This usually takes about an hour.
3. Punch the dough down and allow it to rise again. Then roll it out on a floured surface to ½-inch thickness. Using a large glass or cutter, cut 2 ½ dough and place them on greased baking sheets and let them rise for another 45 minutes or until doubled.
4. After that, press the indentation in the center firmly and fill each roll with a tablespoon of preserve or filling. After putting the filling, brush the dough with egg white then bake them for 10 to 15 minutes at 350 degrees until the rolls become light golden brown.
5. After baking, let the kolaches cool and then serve and enjoy.
These are some of the best Christmas kolachy recipes we found that you might want to try soon. Christmas kolachy can serve as gems during Christmas dinner or any other occasions because they look good and taste good as well. If you’re looking for more holiday snacks, you can check out our post on the Best Snacks for Holidays and Special Events.