Traditions From Generation to Generation
Gluten-Free Kolacky Cookies
The holidays are a time when I get out all the old family recipes and spend hours in the kitchen baking for my husband, kids, and family. There is something about the smell of a fresh batch of cookies coming out of the oven that makes us remember a time or person in our life. It has always been very important to me to make sure my kids get a taste of all of their many heritages and the people who helped make them who they are today.
My husband’s mother Nancy passed on too soon, about 2 years ago. She was a wonderful cook and baker. Luckily for me, she graciously shared many of the family traditional recipes, so I too could make them for my kids. I am so glad my kids can hold onto these memories of her. This particular cookie is one in which my husband, Matt, grew up on at Christmastime. We believe it comes from his Great-Grandma Dastych side. Nancy was given the recipe and continued to make them every Christmas. I now make them every Christmas for my husband. It turns out my daughter Alivia loved them too! When she went gluten-free, because of Celiac, I had to figure out a way to adjust the recipe so she could still partake in the same great memorable flavors. People typically think replacing regular flour with any 1 to 1 gluten-free flour should do, but my goal with converting any recipe is to get it to have the same texture. Therefore, it took some trial-and-error to get the most accurate flour, sugar, and xanthan gum ratio for that same great buttery-flaky texture to come through. Also, since they need to be baked on a lined baking sheet, they need to bake longer.
Alivia is the spitting image of her Nanee (Nancy). With this gluten-free version of the cookie, she can carry on the memory of her grandmother. This is one of Alivia’s many requests when I have the kids put in their Christmas cookie orders before I do the big store run! I hope you enjoy them as much as our family. Merry Christmas!
Alivia and her Nanee! 
Nancy, Alivia, and I Christmas 2018 
Nancy in the kitchen 
Side by side of Nancy and Alivia around the same age
Gluten Free Kolacky Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 TBS whole milk room temprature
- 3 TBS sugar
- 1 egg yolk beaten
- 1 1/2 cups + 2 TBS Namaste Gluten Free Flour Perfect Flour Blend
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
- 12 oz can Solo fruit filling I do apricot and raspberry
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar for sifting on top
Instructions
Cookie Dough Mix
- Cream together butter, cream cheese, milk, and sugar. Add in beaten egg.
- Sift flour, baking powder, and xanthum gum.
- Add flour mixture to butter/cream cheese mixture stirring until well combined. Be sure to no over stir, gluten free flour can become very stiff.
- Place in fridge covered and chill for 30+ minutes.
- Preheat oven at 400 degrees
Cookie Shaping/Baking
- Traditionally these are rolled, I do not roll mine out! Because I bake so many different types of cookies at Christmas its all about conveinence for me. So I came up with my own easier kolacky shaping process.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- After the dough has chilled, using a cookie scooper, scoop 12 balls and place on silicone baking sheets (I use sheets with circles for shaping).
- Flatten each cookie in a circle shape.
- Using your thumb indent the dough in the center.
- With a spoon place the desired amount (typically 1 tsp) of solo pastry filling in the center of the cookie.
- Put in a preheated oven for about 15 minutes. You want the bottoms to be light brown in color.
- While baking place dough in the fridge to keep chilled, remove when ready to bake the next batch.
- Remove from oven and let cool for 2 minutes on baking sheet.
- After 2 minutes place on cooling racks.
- When all the way cooled, sift powdered sugar over the top. I wait to do this right before serving or putting them onto a cookie tray when guests are coming over.
