Polish Kołaczki

Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Chill Time: 60 mins
Total: 2 hrs
Servings: 20 servings
Yield: 4 to 5 dozen cookies

This Polish kołaczki cookie recipe is made with a cream cheese dough that bakes up buttery and flaky. Kołaczki can be round, square or diamond-shaped, and the dough can be flaky or yeast-risen, and the spelling varies widely.

Since they are a little time consuming to make, they are usually offered for holidays or special occasions, but they're not difficult, so most dedicated bakers make them year-round.

Fillings of choice include apricot, raspberry, prune, almond, poppy seed, and sweet cheese. Anything goes—strawberry, blueberry, apricot, even pineapple. Try to avoid going with jam as it is typically not thick enough. Look for products labeled cake and pastry filling in the baking aisle at the grocery store. Some stores even sell the filling on its own in their bakery departments around the holidays.

You will need to refrigerate the dough for at least an hour before rolling and cutting, so plan accordingly. You can freeze unbaked filled kołaczki, then bake from frozen when you're ready. All you need to do is add a few extra minutes to the baking time.

Polish kołaczki cookies sprinkled with confectioners' sugar on a plate

The Spruce Eats / Julia Estrada

"These colorful, tasty cookies will bring back childhood memories for anyone with Eastern European heritage. They are simple cookies to make requiring only four ingredients. There are steps in the process where you can stop, refrigerate overnight, and resume baking the next day, which is helpful for busy lives." —Carrie Parente

Polish kołaczki cookies on a wire rack sprinkled with confectioners' sugar
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces cream cheese  (room temperature)

  • 1 1/2 cups salted butter (room temperature)

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour

  • Granulated sugar (for rolling out dough)

  • Confectioners' sugar (for rolling out dough)

  • 8 to 10 ounces cake and pastry filling (raspberry, apricot, prune, etc.)

  • 1 large egg white

  • 1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for Polish kołaczki recipe gathered

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Estrada

  2. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with butter until light and fluffy.

    Butter and cream cheese for Polish kołaczki in a mixing bowl

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Estrada

  3. Add the flour, 1 cup at a time, and mix well.

    Flour added to butter and cream cheese for Polish kołaczki

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Estrada

  4. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

    Dough wrapped in plastic for Polish kołaczki

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Estrada

  5. Heat oven to 350 F. Roll out dough to a 12 x 18-inch rectangle—1/4-inch thick—on a silicone mat or a surface that has been dusted with equal parts confectioners' and granulated sugars (not flour), because the granulated sugar will act as ball bearings and help keep the dough from sticking.

    Kołaczki dough rolled out with a rolling pin

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Estrada

  6. Cut into 2-inch squares. Place 1/2 to 1 teaspoon filling on center of each square. Brush a tiny bit of beaten egg white on one corner and press the opposite corner on it, pressing the dough together lightly to seal.

    Kołaczki filled and folded over on a parchment sheet

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Estrada

  7. Using a spatula, transfer the filled cookies to a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes (longer if baking from frozen) or until corners start to brown.

    Polish kołaczki on a baking sheet lined with parchment

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Estrada

  8. Using a spatula, remove cookies from the baking sheet and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before dusting with confectioners’ sugar. Serve and enjoy!

    Polish kołaczki on a cooling rack

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Estrada

Tip

  • It is recommended that jarred or canned cake and pastry filling—like the Solo brand— be used for this recipe, as any fresh fruit filling will have a tendency to leak out of the cookie when baking.

How to Store Kolaczki

These cookies tend to become soggy after several days, so store them tightly covered without the confectioners' sugar. Dust with confectioners' sugar just prior to serving.

Can You Freeze Kolaczki?

Yes, you can freeze these cookies, which can be helpful for your holiday meal and cookie prep process.

  • Make the dough and fill the cookies ahead of time. Freeze on a parchment-lined sheet pan.
  • Once they're completely frozen, transfer to a freezer-safe container separated by sheets of parchment paper. Bake them from the frozen state.
  • It's not recommended, however, to freeze kołaczki after the cookies have been baked. When defrosted, they become soggy and unpalatable.
  • You can also freeze any leftover filling in a zip-close bag or​ another container, with little loss in flavor or consistency. Just defrost when you're ready to use. Pour off any accumulated moisture on the surface, stir, and it should be ready to go.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
354 Calories
18g Fat
46g Carbs
3g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 20
Amount per serving
Calories 354
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18g 23%
Saturated Fat 11g 56%
Cholesterol 57mg 19%
Sodium 154mg 7%
Total Carbohydrate 46g 17%
Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
Total Sugars 28g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 1mg 6%
Calcium 22mg 2%
Iron 1mg 6%
Potassium 54mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)