Kolachki

A beloved Eastern European holiday cookie, kolachki are all about that impossibly tender, flaky dough, made from just three things: equal parts cream cheese and butter, plus flour. No sugar, no leavening, the richness comes entirely from the dairy, which is what gives these their melt-in-your-mouth, almost pastry-like bite.

Here the dough cradles a classic sweet ground walnut filling bound with egg and sugar, though the dough itself takes any filling you like.

A clever traditional trick: instead of dusting the work surface with flour, you roll the dough out in granulated sugar. It keeps the dough from sticking and bakes into a delicate, slightly crackly sweet exterior.

Cut into squares and roll into logs, or into circles folded and sealed with a fork. They bake quickly to a pale gold. Dust with powdered sugar and pile them high on the holiday cookie tray.

Pro Tips

• Keep the dough cold; it is very soft and rich, so chill it if it gets sticky or hard to handle.
• Roll it out in granulated sugar instead of flour for a sweeter, crisper edge that won’t toughen the dough.
• Seal circles well with a fork so the filling doesn’t leak as they bake.
• Don’t overbake; pull them when just lightly golden so they stay tender.

Variations

• Fill with apricot, prune, raspberry, or poppy seed instead of walnut.
• Dust the cooled cookies generously with powdered sugar.
• Add a little lemon or orange zest to the dough or the filling.