Kolaczki Cookies: Flaky Polish Cream Cheese Jam Cookies

Kolaczki cookies are a Polish Christmas tradition: flaky, buttery cream cheese pastry folded around a spoonful of fruit filling and showered with powdered sugar. They look delicate and fancy, but the dough uses just a few ingredients.

Many families in the Midwest bake them every December, often with a mix of raspberry, apricot, and prune fillings. I like a tray of red and gold for Christmas.

Make your own filling with this homemade apricot jam. For more jam cookies, try my jam thumbprint cookies and Danish butter cookies.

JUMP TO

• Why You’ll Love This Kolaczki Cookies
• What Is Kolaczki Cookies?
• Ingredients
• Kitchen Equipment
• Ingredient Tips
• How to Make Kolaczki Cookies
• Expert Tips for Perfect Kolaczki Cookies
• Delicious Variations
• What to Serve with Kolaczki Cookies
• Storage Instructions
• Can You Make It Ahead?
• Common Mistakes to Avoid
• Estimated Nutrition
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Conclusion

Why You’ll Love This Kolaczki Cookies

These little pastries are flaky, buttery, and full of fruit.

Flaky Like Pastry

Cream cheese and butter make a tender, layered dough.

Only 4 Dough Ingredients

Cream cheese, butter, flour, and salt.

Colorful Tray

Raspberry and apricot fillings look festive.

Make-Ahead Dough

It keeps in the fridge for days.

Old-World Tradition

A taste of Polish Christmas.

What Is Kolaczki Cookies?

Kolaczki (also spelled kolachki or kolacky) are Polish and Central European cookies made from a cream cheese dough rolled thin, cut into squares, filled with fruit, and folded corner to corner.

They are different from Czech kolaches, which are soft yeast buns.

The dough has no eggs and almost no sugar, so the sweetness comes from the fruit filling and the powdered sugar. That is why they taste so light and flaky, almost like puff pastry.

In many Polish American families, kolaczki are made together on one December afternoon, with one person rolling, one filling, and one folding. It is a lovely holiday tradition to start in your own kitchen.

Ingredients

this Idea!

Cream Cheese Dough

Ingredient	Amount	Purpose
Full-fat cream cheese, softened	8 ounces	Tender, tangy dough
Unsalted butter, softened	1 cup	Flaky layers
All-purpose flour, plus more for rolling	2 cups	Structure
Salt	¼ teaspoon	Balance

Filling

Ingredient	Amount	Purpose
Thick raspberry filling or seedless jam	½ cup	Red filling
Thick apricot filling or preserves	½ cup	Golden filling

Finishing

Ingredient	Amount	Purpose
Powdered sugar	¼ cup	Dusting

Kitchen Equipment

• Stand or hand mixer
• Rolling pin
• Pizza cutter or knife
• Ruler
• Baking sheets with parchment
• Fine mesh sieve

Ingredient Tips

Use Bakery Filling

Canned pastry fillings like Solo are thick and will not run.

Block Cream Cheese

Tub cream cheese is too soft.

Soft Ingredients

Butter and cream cheese should be equally soft.

Powdered Sugar for Rolling

Rolling on powdered sugar instead of flour gives a sweeter crust.

Thicken Jam

Stir 1 teaspoon cornstarch into jam and simmer briefly.

How to Make Kolaczki Cookies

Step 1: Make the Dough

Beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth and fluffy. Add the flour and salt and mix just until a soft dough forms.

Step 2: Chill

Divide into 2 disks, wrap, and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Step 3: Roll and Cut

Heat the oven to 375°F. Roll one disk ⅛ inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 2-inch squares.

Step 4: Fill

Place ½ teaspoon filling diagonally in the center of each square.

Step 5: Fold

Fold one corner over the filling, dab with water, then fold the opposite corner over and press firmly to seal.

Step 6: Bake

Place on lined sheets and bake 12 to 15 minutes until the bottoms are lightly golden.

Step 7: Cool and Dust

Cool completely, then dust with powdered sugar.

Expert Tips for Perfect Kolaczki Cookies

Keep Dough Cold

Work with one disk at a time.

Press the Seal Hard

A dab of water or egg white keeps corners from popping open.

Do Not Overfill

Too much filling bursts out.

Chill Shaped Cookies

10 minutes in the fridge helps them hold.

Dust Just Before Serving

Powdered sugar soaks in over time.

Delicious Variations

Prune Filling

The traditional Polish choice.

Nut Filling

Use sweetened walnut filling.

Cherry

Use thick cherry pie filling, finely chopped.

Round Kolaczki

Cut circles and add filling in a center well.

Nutella

A modern favorite with kids.

What to Serve with Kolaczki Cookies

Serve on a Christmas cookie tray alongside butter cookies and pizzelles.

They are lovely with coffee or tea.

Arrange them in rows by flavor so the red and gold fillings stand out, and add a fresh dusting of powdered sugar right before guests arrive.

They also pack well in cookie tins for gifts as long as you separate the layers with parchment.

Storage Instructions

Storage Method	How Long	Best Practice
Room Temperature	4 days	Airtight, single layer
Freezer (baked)	2 months	Undusted
Refrigerator (dough)	3 days	Wrapped tightly

Dust with fresh powdered sugar after thawing.

Separate layers with parchment.

Can You Make It Ahead?

Make the dough up to 3 days ahead.

Freeze dough disks for up to 3 months.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Cookies Unfold

Seal not pressed or dough too warm.

Runny Filling

Thin jam.

Tough Dough

Overmixed or too much flour.

Pale Bottoms

Underbaked.

Sticky Dough

Not chilled long enough.

Estimated Nutrition

Nutrient	Amount Per Serving
Calories	75
Carbohydrates	7g
Protein	1g
Fat	5g
Saturated Fat	3g
Fiber	0g
Sugar	3g
Sodium	30mg
Cholesterol	15mg

Estimate per cookie, based on 48 cookies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Kolaczki cookies are flaky, fruity, and full of holiday tradition. Once you try the simple cream cheese dough, they will be on your Christmas list every year.

Bake a tray and share a little Polish holiday magic.

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