Grandpa's Hungarian Kolacky

bug @<'s Note:

These cookies are SO light and SO YUMMY! This is my late grandfather's recipe; his favorite cookies to make for us, and my favorite to eat! Not sure if the spelling is completely correct; but he came straight from Hungary so I guess he'd know. :) Prep time does not include chill time. Yield is an estimate. (The jellies/pastry fillings used in this recipe can be found in cans in the baking isle of most grocery stores. I recommend using the "SOLO" brand.)

• Total Time: 38 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 8 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 64 cookies

• 1 cup butter or 1 cup margarine, softened
• 2 (3 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• assorted baking jelly or pie filling (my favorites are apricot, poppy seed, almond, and raspberry)
• powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Combine butter and cream cheese completely, add flour and mix well.
2. Divide dough into 4 balls; wrap each in plastic wrap and chill 24 hours.
3. Roll out each ball (on floured surface) to 1/8". (Be sure to keep them thin, as this keeps them "light!")
4. Cut out silver-dollar sized cookies; place on ungreased cookie sheets.
5. 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!
6. Lightly sift powdered sugar over cookies and serve.

Reviews

[Dolores #2]

Hi Jenna Marie, I have been looking and looking for this recipe for quite sometime. I was so happy to find this one as your grandpa being right from Hungary had the exact recipe I had been wanting!! My husband and I made this recipe back in the 60's and from time to time however, we lost it and hadn't made it in all those years. You just don't know how happy you have made the both of us especially since we made up and batch yesterday and made them today!! Yummy!Yummy!! Just like it was 1960 again and we were just starting out together again!!! :) Thank You so very much for make us such a happy twosome for the upcoming holidays!!!!! Through You, your Grandpa is still touching others in a special way! Have a Blessed Thanksgiving and a Merry Christmas!! Dolores

[DeAnna Owens]

My great-grandmother is Slovakian and used the exact same receipe. The only thing I have to add is that the Prune Solo filling is a must try! It can be hard to find in the market, so everytime I see a can, I buy it. Also, a quick tip to get the fruit filling easily onto the cookie -- use a frosting decorator (bismarck tip). My mom and I tried this last Christmas and it cut the prep time in half... plus we didn't get sticky fingers from the filling!

[Chef #180740]

Thank you Jenna Marie!! I remember making these cookies in the '60's-'80's! My mother (an avid cookbook reader and great cook herself) gave the ethnic church cookbook to my brother years ago. I am having them all, over to my house this year for Christmas. And I have been DESPERATELY trying to find the recipe. I feel like I hit the lottery! We made these cookies every Christmas when I was growing up. The only difference is that we would roll the dough to silver dollar sized and put the filling inside the center and then roll it closed like you are rolling a sausage. I never saw them made "flat." And you do have to be careful that you don't lump all the filling in the middle before you roll it closed. My mother also would take the dough from the first step and roll the dough into 4(?)sausage- like 1-foot "logs" before she put them in the refrigerator. This way, after they set overnight, you just slice off 3/4" pieces so that you have uniformity, and some sort of portion control. These are the most AMAZING cookies I have every tried (and it brings back wonderful childhood memories), they are always gone in a FLASH at our house!