For the dough:
1 pound cream cheese, softened
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 pound butter or margarine (softened)
2 egg whites
For the filling (choose one or more of the following):
raspberry jam
strawberry jam
apricot jam
nut filling (recipe below)
Combine cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add flour gradually, until a soft dough ball has formed. Cover and chill overnight. Preheat oven to 350 F. Roll out small sections of dough. (Keep remaining dough chilled.) Cut dough into rectangles roughly 1 1/2 x 2 inches. Place filling on one corner of the pastry and roll it up. Seal the edge with egg white. Alternately, cut dough into squares, place filling in center and bring opposite corners together in the center of the filling. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.
Nut Filling
1 pound ground walnuts
2 cups sugar
water
Combine nuts and sugar. Gradually add water until mixture forms a stiff paste.
Note: In English, these are sometimes also spelled Kolaches.
maria P. in Rochester, NY Dec 11, 2008
Would make this again.
My family loves them !I make these cookies with the walnut mixture. This recipe was brought to our family in 2007 from my husbands mothers new husband . His family
had this as a tradition for many years since he was little. Now I share these with all our friends and family!
Cheryl in New Jersey Dec 4, 2008
Would make this again.
This recipe is the same as the one my
late Slovak Grandma made..only she did not measure anything!!! She taught me how to make these cookies when I was 9 or 10...and have made them every Christmas since! They melt in your mouth!
I have never rolled them in powdered suger..but I'm going to try it this year. Thanks for the tips....it can only make them better! Happy baking!
judy in north carolina Sep 8, 2008
Would make this again.
same recipe as my grandmother! (except the egg whites...i've never had them come apart without the egg whites).
we never use an electric mixer, only mix by hand (more work, but yields a much more tender cookie) and when we roll out the dough we roll in in POWDERED SUGAR! makes for a slightly sweeter and a little bit crispier cookie. however, it makes a holy mess, but it is well worth it!
we also use the solo brand fillings and thank for the great tip of piping the filling, that should save some mess!
A cookie baker in SW PA Dec 24, 2007
Would make this again.
Decent recipe. I made mine with wh. wheat and it was very workable. Time was closer to 19 min. per batch. Sugar didn't melt as well as I would have liked. Great for a beginner.
Catherine
Jane in Wisconsin in Wisconsin Dec 11, 2007
Would make this again.
I got this recipe from my Slovakian grandmother who came here when she was in her 20's and lived til she was 101. She always had a huge bowl of them waiting for us when we visited. She never wrote down any recipes but my mom and I guessed and it's identical except for the egg whites. They are a wonderful tradition. I don't put powder sugar on til I serve them.
