Kolachky Cream Cheese Dough

Every great kolachky starts with this dough, the rich, tender cream cheese pastry behind the beloved Eastern European cookies. With just flour, butter, cream cheese, egg and a little sugar, it bakes up flaky and almost melt-in-your-mouth.

The overnight chill is not optional. This is a soft, butter-and-cheese-rich dough, and it needs a long rest in the fridge to firm up enough to roll thin and handle without tearing.

Here is the traditional trick: roll the dough out on a mix of flour and sugar rather than flour alone. The sugar lightly sweetens the dough and caramelizes as it bakes, giving the pastry a delicate crispness.

Cut the rolled dough into squares and fill each with the classic choices, lekvar (prune butter), apricot, sweetened walnuts or poppy seed, then fold the corners over. It is a make-ahead foundation for a holiday cookie tray.

Pro Tips

• Do not skip the overnight chill. The dough is too soft to roll otherwise, and chilling also keeps it flaky.
• Roll on a flour-and-sugar mix as directed. The sugar sweetens the dough and helps it crisp.
• Do not overfill the squares. A small spoonful keeps the filling from leaking out as they bake.

Variations

• Fill with prune lekvar, apricot, raspberry, sweetened walnut or poppy seed, the traditional options.
• Dust the baked cookies with powdered sugar for the classic finish.
• Pinch two opposite corners together over the filling for the signature kolachky shape.