Dads Famous Kolackys Recipes

KOLACHKY

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese and butter until well blended. I like to use my hands, but you can also use a wooden spoon. Mix in the flour 1 cup at a time. As the dough becomes stiff, turn it out onto the counter and knead in flour until it is no longer sticky. Continue to knead the dough for 5 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Crush the walnuts to a fine consistency in a food processor. Stir in the egg and honey. On a well floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut the dough into 3x3 inch squares. Place a teaspoon of filling in the center of each square. Use walnut for some and poppyseed for the rest. Roll the squares up and seal the edges. These can also be formed into triangles. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Brush with egg white.
• Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned. When cool, dust with confectioners' sugar.

CREAM CHEESE KOLACKY

Steps:

• Mix cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add flour slowly until well blended. Shape into a ball and chill overnight or for several hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
• Roll dough out 1/8 inch thick on a floured pastry board. Cut into 2 1/2 inch squares and place about 1/2 teaspoon jam or preserves in the center. Overlap opposite corners and pinch together. Place on ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool on wire racks. Sprinkle kolacky lightly with confectioner's sugar.

OLD-FASHIONED KOLACHES

Steps:

• Scald milk. Add sugar and butter and stir to dissolve. Allow it to cool to warm, then add the yeast and let it begin to work. Add eggs.
• Put milk mix in a large mixing bowl. Measure the flour and salt into another bowl.
• With a mixer slowly work the flour mix into the dough bowl. When the dough becomes too thick for the mixer to handle, start working in the flour by hand.
• When dough starts to come together and leave the sides of the bowl, it's just right.
• Form the dough into a ball and cover. Let rise in warm place until double its size.
• Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead gently until it comes together and is soft and elastic.
• Divide dough into egg-size pieces. Flatten and form into square or round. Make a depression in the center with your floured thumb.
• Fill the depression with 1 rounded teaspoon of filling. Let the filled kolaches rise about 20 minutes. Brush tops with beaten egg mixed with a little milk and sugar.
• Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Sprinkle you fresh out-of-the-oven kolaches with powdered sugar before serving.
• FILINGS:
• Apricot: Place 1 lb dried apricots in a pan with cool water. Let soak several hours. Bring to slow simmer and add sugar to taste. Cook until very soft. Stir to get a smooth consistency.
• Prune: Made the same way as the apricot filling.
• Pineapple: Simmer well drained canned, crushed pineapple until it thickens.
• Poppy seed: 1/2 lb ground poppy seeds, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 cup sugar, 1 tsp vanilla. Add enough milk to make a thick mis. Let stand overnight to absorb the liquid.
• Cream cheese: 8 oz cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tsp lemon juice, 3/4 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp sour cream. Mix together until smooth.
• Sausage: Take a small piece of sausage and wrap dough around the piece and bake.
• You can use just about any fruit filling in the kolaches, just don't use jam or jelly. They liquefy with the heat in the oven.

EASY KOLACKY

Steps:

• Place the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl; beat with electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Beat 1/2 cup of confectioners' sugar into the butter mixture. Slowly beat in the flour; mix well. Cover bowl and refrigerate at least 3 hours, or overnight.
• Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• On a well floured board, roll out chilled dough to 1/8 inch. Use a pizza wheel to cut dough into 2 1/2 inch squares. Spoon approximately 2 teaspoons of filling in the center of each square; do not overfill. Fold opposite corners of each square into the middle to encase dough, pinching dough together in center. Filling should peek out a little at each end. Transfer cookies to an ungreased baking sheet.
• Bake the kolacky in the preheated oven until set but not brown, about 12 minutes. Remove to racks to cool. Dust cooled kolacky with remaining powdered sugar.

MARTHA'S KOLACHES

Steps:

• Cookies:In a small bowl, stir together yeast and sour cream. Let stand until yeast dissolves, about 10 minutes. Whisk in eggs until smooth.
• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, and salt. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut butter into dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in yeast mixture. Knead in bowl a few times until dough is smooth and comes together. Wrap dough in plastic and flatten into a square. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough 1/4 inch thick. Using a 3-inch square cutter, cut out squares. Transfer to two parchment-lined baking sheets, spaced about 1 1/2 inches apart.
• Place 1 teaspoon jam in the center of each square. Fold upper-right corner over filling, about two-thirds of the way toward opposite corner; press down to seal. Brush lower-left corner with egg wash, then fold corner up and over first fold, pressing down to adhere. (Be careful not to fold too tightly, or you may force out some of the filling.) Repeat with remaining squares.
• Bake until edges are golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cookies cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to racks to cool completely.
• Glaze:In a medium bowl, whisk together confectioners' sugar and butter. While whisking, drizzle in milk, a little at a time, until glaze has a runny consistency. Using a spoon, drizzle glaze over cookies. Let stand until set, 1 hour. Glazed cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days.