Ever since I can remember my Mom has made the most delicious, jelly filled, frosting covered cookies called Kolachis (Kolaczki). They are a polish cookie and the recipe came from my Great Grandma who came over to the U.S. in 1913. My brothers and I used to bring these into school for class presentations about our heritage and our family enjoys them every holiday season! They don’t last long around our house, people gobble them right up.
There are so many different kinds of shapes you can try, but our go to have always been simple round shapes. Last year I tried more of a folded diamond and they were fun, too!
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I’ve found that the best way to make these cookies is to use cake yeast for the “fresh yeast” portion of the recipe. I typically find this behind the bakery counter at Haggen! If you ask them, they will typically cut off a small chunk for you! Find a photo of what this looks like below.
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Store you Kolachis in a paper shirt box lined with wax paper. You don’t want to seal them up too tight or the cookies will become moist!
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Be sure to make a deep enough hole in the center that they don’t puff up in the oven and drop jelly all over your oven
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Try all different kinds of jams and jellies! We’ve always loved strawberry or raspberry, but I’ve tried so many different kinds and it’s hard to go wrong!
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Try different shapes! There are so many different kinds of shapes you can try, but our go to have always been simple round shapes. Last year I tried more of a folded diamond and they were fun, too! Here are some photos taken way back in 2014 of the original round cookie shape we like to make!
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I always top with frosting, but it’s fun to add powdered sugar, too! Here are a few more photos from the batch I made last season where I was playing around a little more with fillings and powdered sugar!
