Plum Jam Kolaches

These fancy little cookie envelopes hug homemade plum jam in a simpler version of the classic Czech pastry. 219: Plum Jam Kolaches

Maybe it’s the mood I’m in right now, but these cookies really look like they’re hugging their jam filling. What could be happier than a cookie hug?

Some of them spread a little in the oven, so they’re just tapping their little cookie fingertips together. Not quite as comforting as a hug, but they’ve still got the best intentions!

For anyone new to the term kolache (like me!), it’s a traditional Czech pastry with a sweet yeasted dough base and topped with poppy seeds, jam or any number of yummy fillings. As you can see, mine are more cookies than pastry – the texture of the base is closer to short crust than a yeasted bun. I haven’t been able to find when and where the change was made, but it appears that both versions of kolaches are common in the world of online recipes. If anyone knows more about the deviation from a jam-topped bun to a jam-filled cookie, please let me know! I’ll have to make a yeasted version soon for the sake of comparison (and because they look delicious!)

This dough has a secret, and if you lean in closer I’ll tell you what it is.

It has vanilla ice cream mixed into the dough! What? I know! Why?? Great question.

I suppose it adds richness, since the ingredients in vanilla ice cream are usually heavy cream, sugar and vanilla. If you use French vanilla ice cream, it will probably add a lil somethin’ to the flavor thanks to the egg custard base.

Yes it will look curdled at this point, and I promise it will be okay!

See? Once you add in the other ingredients it will actually start to resemble dough.

Having a supervisor helped keep me motivated. She was very invested in the outcome of this dough.

I added in some cinnamon, since I was afraid it would be too bland. (The ingredients are literally sugar, butter, flour and ice cream, so you see what I mean.) I love adding cinnamon to my tart crusts too! Just a little bonus in a pastry element that usually all about the texture and less about the flavor.