Apricot Kolacky Cookie (Kiffles) Baked Until the Edges Set

For Apricot Kolacky Cookie (Kiffles) Baked Until the Edges Set, the counter starts with all purpose flour, kosher salt, and oz cream cheese. Portion it for 36 Cookies.

Count on 20 minutes of prep, 12 minutes of cooking, 2 hours of resting, about 2 hours from the first measurement to the plate.

Ingredients Method

What goes in the bowl

For the Pastry

• 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1 cup unsalted butter softened
• ½ cup granulated sugar for rolling

For the Apricot Filling

• 1 lb dried apricots sulfured for color
• 1 cup granulated sugar

How the cooking goes

To make the Apricot Filling

1. Place dried apricots in a small saucepan then 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.
2. Put the sugar and continue to cook until thick.
3. 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.
4. You can make the filling ahead of time and freeze it until you are ready to use it. Just thaw at ambient temperature when you are ready to use.

For the Pastry Dough

1. Whisk flour and salt together in a medium mixing bowl and keep it to one side.
2. Beat the cream cheese and butter together with a electric mixer or a hand mixer until completely incorporated and creamy (3-5 minutes).
3. Reduce the speed of the mixer and slowly add in the flour. You used 5 additions and completely mixed in the flour each time. The dough will be soft but not sticky.
4. 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.

Assembling the Kolaches

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375F. Move the oven rack one setting higher than the center.
2. 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 the Husband remembered them being thinner.
3. With a pastry wheel or sharp knife, trim the dough into a square and then cut the square into 16 smaller squares. the dough never rolled out into a perfect circle so you would just cut as many 1 1/2 “ squares a possible, saving the scraps for later.
4. Set a dollop of filling into the center of each square. You used ½ teaspoon to ¾ teaspoon for each.
5. 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 sheet pan. Repeat with all remaining squares.
6. Scatter the middles of the kolaches with just a touch of granulated sugar.
7. Placing the kolaches no closer than 1” apart.
8. Oven-bake 12-14 minutes or until the bottom edges are a golden and you can smell them. Allow it to cool slightly on the pan on a wire rack and then move them gently to a wire rack to cool until it is no longer warm.
9. Repeat with all remaining dough. Refrigerate and re-roll your scraps. Amazing.

After it comes off the heat

Cool the sheet on a rack before the pieces are stacked. A covered tin keeps them for a few days.

If you want another plate from Cookies, open Traditional Speculoos Cookies Baked Until the Edges Set and Peanut Butter Cup Cookies Baked Until the Edges Set.