Polish raspberry kołaczki

This is a recipe for traditional cheese cookies called Kołaczki. I’d come across them in other cultures before, but although they’re popular in Poland, I’m not entirely sure of their exact origin. They’re made from a simple dough of flour, butter and cream cheese, which gives them a delicate, tender texture. Kołaczki are light and delicious cookies that can be filled with any jam you like – raspberry, apricot or cherry all work beautifully. Give them a try – they’re so easy to make :).

Makes 60 kołaczki.

Ingredients for the Polish raspberry kołaczki:

• 200 g butter, at room temperature
• ¼ cup icing sugar
• 200 g cream cheese (e.g. Philadelphia), at room temperature
• 2 – 2.5 cups plain flour

Add the butter and icing sugar to a mixing bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Add the cream cheese and beat until smooth. Gradually add the flour – about 2 cups should be enough – until the dough is soft but firm. Wrap it in cling film and chill in the fridge for 1 hour (it can be refrigerated for up to 2 days). Chilled dough is easier to roll out.

Note: The dough can also be made by rubbing the flour and icing sugar into cold, diced butter and cream cheese until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Bring the dough together gently – it should have a texture similar to rough puff pastry.

Additionally::

• 1 jar of raspberry jam
• 1 beaten egg (for sealing the cookies)
• icing sugar, for dusting

Roll out the chilled dough to a thickness of about 3 mm. Using a pizza cutter or a knife, cut the dough into 5 cm squares. Place about half a teaspoon of raspberry jam in the centre of each square. Fold one corner over to meet the opposite corner, overlapping slightly over the jam, and brush the edges with beaten egg to seal. Place the kołaczki on a baking tray lined with baking paper.

Bake at 180°C for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Before serving, dust with icing sugar.

Enjoy!