Apricot Kolacky Food

GRANDPA'S HUNGARIAN KOLACKY

Steps:

• Combine butter and cream cheese completely, add flour and mix well.
• Divide dough into 4 balls; wrap each in plastic wrap and chill 24 hours.
• Roll out each ball (on floured surface) to 1/8". (Be sure to keep them thin, as this keeps them "light!")
• Cut out silver-dollar sized cookies; place on ungreased cookie sheets.
• Drop 1/2 teaspoon jelly in center of each cookie and bake at 350* for 7-8 min. (Just until edges begin to brown.) I always bake the cookies flat; however, the edges may be pinched or rolled together as well!
• Lightly sift powdered sugar over cookies and serve.

APRICOT KOLACHES

Steps:

• Place dried apricots in a small saucepan and pour in just enough water to cover the apricots. Boil until the apricots are soft. Do not let all the water evaporate. Add a little bit more to keep the filling from burning.
• Add the sugar and continue to cook until thick.
• Either puree in a food processor or with an immersion blender in a bowl. If the filling is too runny, return it to the sauce pot to continue to cook.
• You can make the filling ahead of time and freeze it until you are ready to use it. Just thaw at room temperature when you are ready to use.
• Sift flour and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
• Beat the cream cheese and butter together with a stand mixer or a hand mixer until completely incorporated and creamy (3-5 minutes).
• Reduce the speed of the mixer and slowly add in the flour. I used 5 additions and completely mixed in the flour each time. The dough will be soft but not sticky.
• Divide the dough into 4 equal parts and flatten each to ¾" thick. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until hard, at least 2 hours.
• Pre-heat the oven to 375F. Move the oven rack one setting higher than the center.
• Take one of the disks of dough from the refrigerator and lightly flour both sides. Spread granulated sugar on your pastry board or work surface. Place the dough on top and roll out pastry to 1/16" to 1/8" thick. Most recipes say 1/8" but my Husband remembered them being thinner.
• With a pastry wheel or sharp knife, trim the dough into a square and then cut the square into 16 smaller squares. My dough never rolled out into a perfect circle so I would just cut as many 1 1/2 " squares a possible, saving the scraps for later.
• Place a dollop of filling into the center of each square. I used ½ teaspoon to ¾ teaspoon for each.
• Gently grab two opposite corners and fold one over the other, gently pressing down to try and seal them together. Gently move it to a parchment covered baking sheet. Repeat with all remaining squares.
• Sprinkle the middles of the kolaches with just a touch of granulated sugar.
• Placing the kolaches no closer than 1" apart.
• Bake 12-14 minutes or until the bottom edges are a golden and you can smell them. Let cool slightly on the pan on a wire rack and then move them gently to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Repeat with all remaining dough. Refrigerate and re-roll your scraps. Amazing.

APRICOT KOLACHES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, sugar, yeast and salt. In a saucepan, heat milk and 1 cup butter to 120°-130°. Add to dry ingredients; beat until moistened. Add egg yolks; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on high for 3 minutes. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough., Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. , Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Shape into 1-1/2-in. balls; roll each into a 2-1/2-in. circle. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes., Using the end of a wooden spoon, make a 1-1/2-in. indentation in the center of each roll; fill with about 2 teaspoons apricot filling. Melt remaining butter; brush over dough., Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks. Combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over warm rolls.

APRICOT KOLACHE FILLING

Steps:

• beat together until smooth.

POLISH KOLACKY COOKIES

Steps:

• Combine flour and baking powder. Beat butter, cream cheese and granulated sugar in large bowl with mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in flour mixture.
• Divide dough into thirds; shape each into ball. Flatten each ball slightly; wrap separately in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 1 hour.
• Heat oven to 350°F. Roll out 1 ball of dough into 1/8-inch thickness on lightly floured surface. Cut into 2-1/2-inch squares, rerolling trimmings as necessary. Spoon about 1/2 tsp. pastry filling onto center of each square. Use finger tip to lightly moisten 2 opposite corners of each dough square with water, then overlap corners in center and press together to seal. Place, filling sides up and 1 inch apart, on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Bake 13 to 15 min. or until lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets 3 min. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.
• Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar before serving.

GRANDMA OLGA'S KOLACKY

Steps:

• In a bowl, dissolve the sugar in the warm water, and stir in the yeast. Let stand until the yeast forms a creamy layer, about 5 minutes. In another bowl, mix the flour and margarine until well blended, and stir in the egg yolks, one at a time. Mix in the yeast mixture until incorporated, then stir in the sour cream to make a soft but not sticky dough. Cut the dough into 6 equal-sized pieces, cover with a cloth, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease baking sheets, or line with parchment paper.
• Working on a floured work surface, roll out one of the dough balls into a square about 6x8 inches, about 1/8-inch thick. Keep the other pieces of dough refrigerated. With a pastry cutter or pizza roller, cut the square into 12 smaller squares about 2 inches on a side. Place about 2 teaspoons of fruit filling in the middle of each square, and fold two opposite corners of dough together to meet in the center. Pinch the corners together to partially enclose the filling. Place the filled kolacky on the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the cookies begin to turn golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets for about 2 minutes before removing them to wire racks to finish cooling. Sprinkle the kolacky with confectioners' sugar.