Grandma’s Kolaczki Polish Christmas Cookie Recipe
Christmas time is right around the corner and no holiday would be the same without my grandma’s Kolaczki Christmas cookies. My grandma was an avid baker and these notable star shaped cookies were always a family favorite. A slightly sweet cookie with a fruit jam filling topped with powdered sugar, these delicious cookies always remind me of my grandma. Add a chocolate drizzle and this traditional Polish recipe is the star of your holiday table screaming Merry Christmas. Full recipe card below.
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What are Kolaczki Cookies?
Kolaczki cookies are traditional Polish Christmas cookies with jam fillings topped with powdered sugar. But unlike many of the American Christmas cookies they are not a super sweet cookie. In my opinion, they are more like a cross between a pie crust and a short bread cookie with a jam filling.
These cookies are very common in the Polish heritage and are frequently made for special occasions like weddings or at Christmas time. Growing up with both a Polish grandma and a Slovak grandma, these cookies were a staple during the holidays in our eastern European household. While Kolaczki is the more traditional Polish name, they are also know as Kolache cookies and cold doughs. Both of my grandmas often referred to them as cold dough cookies. This is my grandmas original recipe I got from her handwritten recipe book, but I added the chocolate drizzle 🙂
Ingredients
While this recipe uses simple ingredients, these are not a traditional American cookie. Let me walk you through what ingredients will give you the best results.
Active Dry Yeast – This dough recipe does require a small amount of yeast. You can also use instant yeast.
Milk – Milk is the primary wet ingredient in this recipe. I used 2% milk.
Butter – I used real unsalted butter here and I do not recommend using margarine since this cookie dough is similar to a pie crust.
Crisco – Since this dough is similar to pie crust, Crisco is a necessary ingredient. I used the plain Crisco sticks.
Sugar – Regular white granulated sugar is the best option here.
Vanilla – When baking, you should always use pure vanilla extract if you can. It adds an extra sweetness that combines with the other ingredients to create a complex flavor in baked goods.
Eggs – In this recipe you will only use the egg yolks not the whole egg. This helps create a smooth texture and helps to keep the dough from separating.
All Purpose Flour – Because this recipe uses yeast, I think regular all purpose flour is the best choice to avoid an overly dense cookie.
Salt – A little bit of salt helps balance out the dough.
Jam – Since these are jam-filled cookies you will need a fruit jam. You can use any flavor you want here. My grandma most frequently used apricot and raspberry. I used raspberry.
Cornstarch – The first time I made these cookies I questioned this ingredient but quickly learned it is necessary to keep the jam from simply becoming a hot mess during baking. You will need a 1/2 teaspoon for every 3 tablespoons of jam.
Chocolate Chips – I used melted chocolate chips and a little bit of Crisco to make the chocolate drizzle. If you use chocolate chips the Crisco is key to making a drizzling consistency. You can also use melting chocolates if you want. I used a semi sweet chocolate chip, but dark chocolate or milk chocolate chips will work too.
Powdered Sugar – These traditional Polish cookies are not a super sweet cookie and are known for their powdered sugar topping that gives a little extra sweetness.
Mixing Options
The easiest way to mix the cookie dough is with a stand mixer using a paddle attachment, but you can also use an electric hand mixer.
Chilling the Dough
As my grandma called these cookies “cold doughs” the dough needs to be chilled before using. If the dough is not cold enough it will start to separate and will be very difficult to work with. After the dough is mixed, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.
Cutting out the Cookies
Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin to 1/4 inch thickness. This works best on a cold surface like a stone countertop or pastry board. If the dough becomes too warm, the fat will start to separate and the dough will become difficult to work with. If this happens, chill the dough again.
Once the dough is rolled out, use a square cookie cutter to cut out the individual cookies. I used a 3 inch square cookie cutter to make the star shapes and a 2 inch cookie cutter to make the fold over cookies.
Folding the Cookies
There are a few different options for folding these cookies. Regardless of the shape you choose, place the cutout dough onto the baking sheet before you begin to fill and shape them as they are more difficult to move once assembled.
My grandma frequently made the star shaped cookies so this is my preferred method. To make the star shaped cookies, cut a slit in the corner of each dough square about an 1 inch long. Spoon a small amount of the fruit filling into the center of the dough. Then pinch together opposite corners of opposite sides of the dough making sure it is sealed tightly. Then repeat on the other side with the remaining dough. The most important part here is sealing the dough so it doesn’t pop open during baking.
The second option for folding the cookies is the simple fold. This is less labor intensive but has less holiday flare. For this method, spoon a small amount of the fruit filling into the center of the dough square. Then take opposite corners of the square and pinch them together tightly.
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Grandma’s Kolaczki Polish Christmas Cookie Recipe
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 24 cookies 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Looking for a unique Christmas cookie that is not only delicious but a little fancy? You have to try my grandma’s Kolaczki Polish Christmas cookie recipe. My grandma was an avid baker and these notable star shaped cookies were always a family favorite. A slightly sweet cookie with a fruit jam filling topped with powdered sugar, these delicious cookies always remind me of my grandma. Add a chocolate drizzle and this traditional Polish recipe is the star of your holiday table.
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 1/2 tsp Active Dry Yeast
- 1/2 cup Milk
- 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
- 1/2 cup Crisco (room temperature)
- 3 tbsp Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 2 1/4 cup Flour
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- Powdered Sugar for topping
Fruit Filling
- 6 tbsp Raspberry Jam
- 1 tsp Cornstarch
Chocolate Drizzle
- 1/2 tbsp Crisco
- 1/2 cup Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a small bowl whisk together the yeast and milk and set aside.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer cream the butter, Crisco, and sugar together until combined.
- Add in the vanilla and egg yolk and mix again.
- Slowly mix in half of the yeast mixture and half of the flour repeating until fully combined.
- Mix in the salt last once all the yeast mixture is fully combined. This is a thick dough very similar in consistency to pie crust.
- Roll up the dough into a ball, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Dough can be made ahead of time and and kept in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- After dough has chilled, roll out onto a lightly floured surface. This works best on a cold surface like stone countertops or a pastry board.
- Using a rolling pin, roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness and use a 3 inch cookie cutter to cut out individual cookies for a star shape or a 2 inch cookie cutter for the fold over shape.
- Mix jam filling with cornstarch and spoon a small amount into the center of each cookie. About 1/2 tsp.
- Follow my detailed instructions above for folding cookie shapes and place cookie dough onto the cookie sheet before folding and filling.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Cooking times may vary.
- While cookies are baking, melt chocolate chips with the Crisco in the microwave in 15 second intervals until chocolate is smooth.
- Add chocolate to a plastic bag or a piping bag and cut a very small hole in the end just before drizzling the cookies.
- Once the baked cookies have cooled for at least 15 minutes, top with sprinkled powdered sugar and a chocolate drizzle.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Chill Time: 60 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Polish, Slovak, Eastern European
Looking for more homemade dessert recipes? Check out my mini chocolate bourbon pecan pies, peanut butter cookie cups with chocolate frosting, pink Crumbl sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies without butter, Christmas muddy buddies, or my Godiva chocolate martini.
Storage
Leftover cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week.
When to Make Polish Kolaczki Cookies
While this recipe is traditionally made during the holiday season or special occasions, I remember my grandma having these cookies year round. Because they are not super sweet they are perfect for brunch, after dinner, on a charcuterie board, or as a holiday dessert. You can also easily change up the fruit filling to accommodate different seasons and holidays.
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