Polish Kolachki Cookies with Apricot Filling

Prep

Cook

Servings

100 cookies

Level

Medium

Ingredients

Apricot Filling

  • 1¾ cups dried apricots
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons orange juice

Cookie Dough

  • 1¼ cup (2½ sticks) Challenge Butter, softened
  • 8 ounces Challenge Cream Cheese, softened
  • 3¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting food storage bags
  • confection’s sugar, sifted, for dusting finished cookies

Directions

Apricot Filling

  • 1

    Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until it forms a paste. Makes approximately 2 ¼ cups each filling.

Cookie Dough

  • 2

    Add a tablespoon of flour to each of 4 gallon sized food storage bags and shake to dust the inside. Pour out excess flour and set aside.

  • 3

    Blend together butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Blend in flour until just mixed.

  • 4

    Divide dough evenly into quarters and pat each into a thick rectangular shape and place in a prepared gallon-sized plastic food storage bag. Roll dough in bags to ⅛-inch thickness (approx. 10-inch square) and square-off edges with dough scraper, ruler or other straight edge. Chill until just firm and bags of dough do not bend.

  • 5

    Measure off a grid of 2-inch squares (5 rows of 5) on each bag. Use a pizza cutter or knife edge to press through the dough without cutting through the bag. Return bags to refrigerator or freezer until dough is firm.

  • 6

    Preheat oven to 350°F.

  • 7

    Remove 1 bag at time from the freezer or refrigerator. Cut bag at seams and uncover top of dough. Finish cutting squares as necessary.

  • 8

    Put about ¾-teaspoon of filling in center of each square and fold 2 opposite diagonal points across the filling and pinch to close. Dough needs to be cool enough to hold shape but warm enough to fold without splitting. Place cookies on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 15-18 minutes or until edges are slightly browned.

  • 9

    Allow cookies to cool. Dust tops with confectioner’s sugar. Store in air tight container.

Notes

  • !

    Traditional Kolachki cookies can also be made with plum filling (Lekvar). Kolachki with Plum filling.

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