I've visited Chicago half a dozen times over the last few years and each time I go I enjoy and appreciate the city more. I live in a small town so the size of a large city can be overwhelming, but it offers the most wonderful range of experiences and diversity that are unknown here. We shopped in an Italian deli where we purchased cannoli filled to order and in a Polish bakery where we sampled many delicious breads and pastries. I saw the largest wine store I've ever seen in my life and visited Fox & Obel in downtown Chicago where one can purchase just about any specialty food item you could think of. I would be in big trouble if I lived close to that amazing place.
We sampled all kinds of pastries and one of my favorites was kolachky, a Polish fruit filled cookie with a shortbread base available with apricot, berry, cherry, poppy seed and cheese fillings. I loved them all but started out with raspberry and apricot for today's baking session. I used Solo fruit fillings, delicious, but didn't care for the dough recipe on the label so instead used my old standby shortbread style dough. The result was just what I wanted, a flaky, not too sweet cookie base that holds up well to the fruit topping.
1 cup butter
6 ounces cream cheese
2 cups flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar
Fruit filling, either homemade or purchased
Powdered sugar for garnish
In a large bowl blend butter and cream cheese together. Add flour and combine well. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate several hours or overnight.
Flour counter surface and roll out dough, one half at a time, to approximately 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes. Make a depression on the cookie with your thumb or the back of a spoon and fill with about a half teaspoon of filling, depending on the size of the cookie. Bake on parchment lined cookie sheets at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. When cold sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Many countries have versions of this delicious cookie, but to me they are kolachky, a cookie I discovered in a wonderful bakery in Chicago.
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