Authentic Czech kolaches recipe—made with apricot, cream cheese, or prune filling. Small batch, makes 12 small kolaches.
I just found out that my parents used to host Thanksgiving breakfast and Thanksgiving dinner. I know I was around for all of it, but I dont have any memories of just how many kolaches I could shove in my mouth as a kid.
The primary reason they served two meals on Thanksgiving day is because my grandparents and great aunt would arrive early to help with all of the prep work. Since my great aunt owned a restaurant (I know Ive talked about this before), they were happy to give her a much-needed break. Theres something sweet and meaningful about feeding someone who normally spends their day cooking and feeding so many people.
In fact, this staple of Central Texan gastronomy actually hails from Czech Republic, where a koláček (the diminutive form of koláč, pronounced kolach; plural koláčky) is a round yeast pastry with a sweet filling in the center!
Kolaches Recipe Tips and Variations
I like to make a pan of these and alternate flavors (4 of each: cream cheese, prune, and apricot), but feel free to triple one filling recipe to make an entire pan of one flavor.
To make the prune filling, I cooked dried prunes and honey until they were soft and mashable. For the apricot, I used a jar of very thick preserves. You dont want to use jelly or thin jam for kolaches because they tend to boil in the oven. Cooked dried fruit or very thick preserves are the best things to use.
My favorite kolache is prune (but poppy seed is a close second). If youre a kolache virgin, youre going to want to start with the cream cheese–trust me on this.
I posted a photo of these babies on instagram, and immediately, someone asked about the posipka (a very fine crumbly little mixture of flour, butter and sugar thats sprinkled on top of kolaches before baking). Admittedly, I love posipka, but I left it off for the sake of simplicity. I didnt want to dirty another bowl. But to the person who called me out on posipka, youre an amazing human, and you really know your kolaches! Bravo!
What is a Czech Kolache?
Since my grandparents are Czech, Ive always grown up around authentic Czech kolaches. If youve never had a kolache (pronounced KOE-lah-cha…dont say koe-lah-CHEE around me, please), its similar to a soft, egg-y, buttery brioche roll with a fruit filling on top. The most common flavors are: prune, poppy seed, cream cheese, and apricot. Ive also seen blueberry, cherry, and lemon.
Im willing to talk about savory kolaches with eggs, bacon and sausage, but honestly, I didnt grow up on those. Someone can correct me if Im wrong, but I think the savory versions exist only in kolache shops. In all of my research for Czech recipes, I have never found a recipe written by someones grandmother for sausage or egg-stuffed kolaches. But I could be wrong. My family is from Moravia in the Czech Republic; maybe other Czechs have savory ones? Let me know if Im wrong.
Anyway, I scaled this recipe down from one that my grandmother clipped out of an old newspaper. Im assuming she used this recipe because it was a smaller batch than most kolache recipes.
The truth is, my grandmother was the original one to scale down desserts. I inherited a mini 6″ pie dish from her. She would frequently halve cake recipes to bake in smaller pans. She liked to make a half-batch of cake in an 8×8 pan instead of a 9×13 pan.
Im not sure if it was because she was just cooking for herself and my grandfather, or if it was one of those leftover Depression-era traits, where an entire cake seemed so wasteful, but you should know that Dessert for Two comes from a very honest place. Its in my blood to make tiny desserts.
I wasnt privy to my grandmothers small-batch desserts when I was younger, but Im very aware of it now. Every day that I wake up and have the unbelievable privilege of scaling down desserts as my actual job, I think about her. It all just makes sense to me, why Im here doing what Im doing, you know? Its a good feeling.
- Milk. When baking, whole milk is best, but 2% is okay. Do not use anything less than 2%.
- Yeast. We’re using active dry yeast, the kind that comes in the jar. This recipe was not developed nor tested with any other kind of yeast. Once the jar of active dry yeast is open, it needs to be stored in the fridge.
- Sugar. Granulated white sugar.
- Flour. All-purpose regular flour, fluffed and scooped into a measuring cup leveled off with a knife.
- Butter. We need 6 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter.
- Egg. We only need 2 egg yolks for this recipe–do not add the egg whites to the dough. Save them for another recipe.
- Salt.
- For the fillings:
- Prunes. Dried plums (or prunes) if you’re making the prune filling.
- Honey. This is for making the prune filling. Omit if you’re not filling with prunes.
- Apricot Preserves. Technically, any type of preserves will work in these kolaches. Do not use jam, as it will boil and burn in the oven. Use a thick preserve that contains pieces of whole fruit for the best results.
- Cream Cheese. If you’re making the cream cheese filled version, you need softened cream cheese.
- Powdered Sugar. This is for sweetening the cream cheese filling.
Polish Kolaczki Cookies
FAQ
Is a kolache Czech?
What ethnicity makes kolaches?
Who invented the kolache?
Where do kolaches come from?
A kolache is a pastry that was brought over to rural Texas by Czech settlers during the mid-to-late 1800s, and you’ll find many of the very best kolaches in family-owned bakeries in small towns that have a historic Czech influence.
Is kolach a plural word?
One piece is called a “koláč” (a kolach) in Czech. Two or more pieces are called “koláče” (kolache). So, the word kolache is plural in itself! However, in the US, the letter s is often added to the end of the word kolache to form the word “kolaches”. This means that the word kolaches is actually a double plural.
What is the difference between a Czech Kolá and a klobasnek?
In contrast, a Czech koláč is always sweet. [better source needed] Unlike kolache, which came to the United States with Czech immigrants, klobásníky were first made by Czechs who settled in Texas. In Texas, kolaches are often known among people not of Czech origin as “sweet kolaches”, while klobasneks are called kolaches.
What is a Kolache pastry?
Kolache (plural, in Czech kolace) are a round sweet pastry with various fillings. The kolache came to the USA with Czechs who moved there to start a new life at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. Since then, kolache have been a great success, and no wonder they taste fantastic! ➜ What Is Kolache? ➜ Kolache or Kolaches? ➜ What Is Kolache?