Dessert: Kolacky

Recipe by Barbara Grunes & Virginia Van Vynckt Various Central European countries have their own variations on these popular filled cookies, sometimes spelled kolache or kolace. Some are made with a yeast dough, others with cream cheese or even ice cream

Ingredients

6 ounces (about 3/4 cup) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
About 3/4 cup prepared poppy-seed, apricot, or prune filling or thick jam of choice
Sifted confectioners' sugar for dusting

Instructions

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, butter, and sugar on medium speed until light, about 2 minutes. On low speed, gradually beat in the flour just until mixed. The dough will be soft and sticky.
Divide the dough in half. Pat each half into a thick disk and wrap separately in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm enough to handle, at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.
Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Lightly grease or spray cookie sheets.
Dust a pastry cloth or board with flour or confectioners' sugar. Remove 1 dough disk from the refrigerator and place it on the pastry cloth. Keep the remaining dough disk refrigerated. Roll out the dough into a square or rectangle 1/8 inch thick. Cut into 2 1/2-inch squares.
Place 1 teaspoon of the filling in the center of each square. Pull 2 opposite corners of the square into the middle, and pinch the edges together to seal. Place the cookies on the prepared cookie sheets, spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
Bake in the center of the oven until lightly golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on the cookie sheets for 1 to 2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks. Dust the tops with sifted confectioners' sugar while still warm, then let cool completely.

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