Farmer Boy Christmas Recipes - Kolackys

This recipe is attributed to my great aunt, Adelyn.  As far back as anyone in the family could remember, she made these luscious cookies.  I got the recipe from her and have made them for years.  But, the origins of the recipe may be a bit more obscure.  When she passed away I found an old copy of the recipe among her personal papers.  This one was written by someone else!  It was in that "Broken English" that I have found on other family recipes.  At the top of the page was written, "Lieblingsnachtisch der Mutti".  Which is translated from German as, "Mommy's favorite dessert".  Now, the only one I know of ever referred to as "Mutti" in our family was her grand mother, my great great grandmother!  So, I have no idea who first brought this recipe into my family.  It may have come over on the boat!

I have done some research online of the origin of the recipe.  The idea was a pastry made to represent the baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes, in the manger.  Everything that I've discovered points to a Czech, Slovak, or Polish origin.  But nobody in my family had those roots.  So I still don't know how it found its way into our family's recipe collection.  Anyway, I'm sure glad it did!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon of salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 1 package (8 oz. ) Cream Cheese
• Preserves or pie filling (my aunt always used Solo brand*)
• Powdered sugar

Directions: Cream the butter, salt, and cream cheese together.  Add the flour and powder to this, a little at a time.  Cover with wax paper and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.  Upon taking it out of the refrigerator, knead a little.  Divide the dough into 4 pieces, to make it easier to work with.  Roll out dough to about 1/16 inch.  Cut into 3 inch squares. Fold the corners in toward the center.  Moisten each corner with a drop of water to make it stick as you press it down.  I've found it works best if you press your thumb in the middle, making a cradle.  Into the cradle, add about 1/2 teaspoon of the filling. *  Place each cookie on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake in a pre-heated oven, 350 degrees F. for 20 to 22 minutes. (They should be a light golden brown)  Remove from the oven a cool on a wire rack.  Dust with powdered sugar.

This recipe makes about 3 dozen, depending on how thinly you roll them out.  But I suggest you double, triple or quadruple the recipe - they are that good!   They are great as a Christmas gift!  (If you don't eat them all yourself first!)

*Note: You can use any flavor fruit filling, or cheese (like a Danish), or even poppy seed!  A stiff or densse filling works best - looser ones will run as they bake.  It's hard to believe that something so simple could taste so good!

If you make some, be sure to send some to me!  (Just kidding... maybe! :)

Seriously, if you make these, let us all know by leaving a comment here.  Thanks. The Old Man in the Bib Overalls

"We eat too much!  Everyone says so!  But we keep right on eating." Laura Ingalls Wilder