Pats Polish Kolaczki Polish Christmas Cookies Recipes

Steps:

• 1. With an electric mixer, or by hand, mix the cream cheese and butter until creamy and light.
• 2. Add the baking powder and the flour, one cup at a time, and mix thoroughly.
• 3. Chill the dough in a container covered with plastic wrap for at least one hour but preferably overnight. Take the dough from the frig and let stand about 15-20 minutes.
• 4. Preheat oven to 350°. Set up baking sheets with parchment paper. Mix together a little flour and powdered sugar and use to lightly dust the surface you'll be cutting the dough on, as well as the rolling pin. Divide the dough into two balls. Cover one and roll the other a scant 1/4 inch thick, about 9" by 12". Cut into 3" squares. There's enough dough to roll out at least 48 cookies. Place about 1 teaspoon of preserves in the center of each square. Bring over one corner of the dough and then overlap the opposite corner of the dough to cross over the filling. The filling should still be visible at the ends. Dab a little milk on the overlapping corner of dough and press gently so it'll stay in place when baked.
• 5. Place the filled cookies onto the baking sheets and bake for 15 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool on the pan for one minute and then move to a rack to cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container. When ready to serve, move to a platter and dust lightly with powdered sugar.

Steps:

• 1. In a big mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar and salt.
• 2. Add butter, egg yolks, egg whites, sour cream and lemon peel. Work it all together with your hands for about 15 minutes, until soft. Might be easier to transfer to a big flat work area. If dough gets too wet, splash some flour on it. If too dry, splash milk on it. You will know it is ready when it is not sticking too much to your fingers.
• 3. Shape dough into a big ball, cover with a flour dusting and place into a flour-dusted bowl (you can use the same mixing bowl). Cover with plastic plate or plastic wrap and chill in refridgerator for at least 2 hours (overnight, if you can!).
• 4. When ready to make the cookies, preheat oven to 375*. Cut off pieces of dough and roll out flat, and use top of a small glass or cup to make cookie circles.
• 5. Place cookies in ungreased cookie pan. Create depressions in the middle with your thumb. Spoon in about a teaspoon of jelly.
• 6. Bake for about 12-15 minutes, until golden brown edges form at the sides. The dough makes lots of cookies, so I usually put two pans in the oven at a time (next to each other), and when one is done, load up the pan with more cookies and keep going like that until you are done.
• 7. Remove cookies from pan and let cool. When completely cooled, sift powdered sugar on top. YUM; ENJOY!