Why did my kolaczki open up in the oven?

Usually the dough was warm, the overlap was too small, or jam sat under the fold. Brush one corner with egg white, overlap the corners by at least half an inch and press firmly, keep the jam in the center, and chill the filled trays for 20 minutes before baking.

How thin should I roll kolaczki dough?

One eighth of an inch, roughly two stacked credit cards. Thicker dough bakes bready and pushes the fold open, thinner dough cracks when folded. Work cold, one disk at a time, and reroll scraps only once.

Can I freeze kolaczki before baking?

Yes. Freeze the shaped and filled cookies on their trays until solid, then store in a sealed bag for up to 2 months. Bake straight from frozen at 350 degrees F for 15 to 17 minutes, no thawing needed.

How do I keep the jam from running out of kolaczki?

Use thick preserves and only half a teaspoon per square, kept in the center and off the corners. If a preserve pours thin, stir in half a teaspoon of cornstarch per half cup, warm it until glossy, and cool it before filling.

How long do kolaczki cookies keep?

One week in a sealed tin at room temperature, layered with parchment and stored apart from soft cookies. They soften gently from day three as the jam relaxes the pastry. Baked cookies also freeze for a month and refresh in a 300 degree oven for 5 minutes.

Kolaczki Cookies With Corners That Stay Closed

Ingredients

Scale

1 cup unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
1/2 cup thick apricot preserves
1/2 cup thick raspberry preserves
1 teaspoon cornstarch, only if your preserves pour thin (optional)
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1/2 cup powdered sugar, for dusting, plus more before serving

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Instructions

Beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the granulated sugar, vanilla and salt.
Add the flour in two additions, mixing on low just until a soft dough forms and no dry streaks remain. Stop as soon as it comes together; overworked dough bakes tough.
Divide the dough in half. Form each half into a disk about 1 inch thick, wrap well, and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. If either preserve pours thin, stir 1/2 teaspoon of the cornstarch into each 1/2 cup and warm it for 20 seconds so it sets up thick as it cools.
Roll one disk on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch thick. Cut into 2 1/2 inch squares with a knife or fluted cutter. Gather the scraps once, reroll, and cut again.
Place 1/2 teaspoon of preserves in the center of each square, apricot on half the squares and raspberry on the rest. Keep the jam off the corners.
Brush one corner of each square with egg white. Fold two opposite corners over the filling so they overlap by at least 1/2 inch, and press the overlap down firmly to seal.
Arrange the cookies 1 inch apart on the prepared sheets. Refrigerate the filled trays for 20 minutes. At this point the trays can instead be frozen solid and the cookies stored in a bag for up to 2 months.
Bake 13 to 15 minutes, until the folded corners are set and the edges are just turning golden. From frozen, bake 15 to 17 minutes. The tops stay pale; judge by the corners and the bottoms.
Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then move to a rack to cool completely. Dust generously with powdered sugar once cool, and dust again lightly just before serving or boxing.

Author: Chef Rita
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1
Calories: 85
Sodium: 50
Saturated Fat: 3
Protein: 1
Cholesterol: 17