Kolaczki

In a stand mixer or with a hand beater, cream the cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Add the vanilla and mix to blend well.

Sift the flour, ¼ cup powdered sugar and the salt together and then add the mixture to the creamed butter mixture, a bit at a time, until incorporated, but do not over mix.

Flatten the dough into a rectangle onto a piece of plastic wrap and cover it well. Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour. It keeps well at this stage for a couple of days.

Preheat oven to 350F

Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Roll the chilled dough out into a large square, about ¼-inch thick. Cut the dough into even squares, trimming off any ragged edges. It doesn’t really matter what size the squares are.

Place the squares onto the baking sheet and put a scant teaspoon or so into the center of each square. Spread the jam out a bit into an oval shape diagonally across the center of the cookie. Lightly moisten the tips of the corners that are jam-free with water and fold them over to meet in the center above the jam. Pinch the ends of those two corners together and smooth the dough out gently. It helps to hold your pinch for several seconds to ensure that they attach.

Bake for seven minutes and then rotate your pans in the oven. Bake for about another seven minutes until the cookies are golden. Remove from oven and allow to rest on the sheet pan for a minute before removing them to a cooling rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.