Polish Kolaczki Recipe - Fantastic Fun & Learning (2024)

Recipe 3 of the Christmas Cookies Around the World Holiday Project for Kids: Yummy Polish Kolaczki Recipe

Baking cookies and learning about new traditions is a great way to learn about other places around the world in an easy way that kids can understand. By baking different kinds of cookies, you can introduce your kids to different cultures. Teach your kids to take baking inspiration from traditional Christmas cookies from around the world, and bake up a batch of these delicious Polish Kolaczki.

This post is the third in a series of Christmas Cookies Around the World. Join us as as we take a tour around the world and learn about popular Christmas cookie recipes. Along the way we’ll also learn about Christmas traditions in different countries through book recommendations and videos.

The Christmas Cookies Around the World series is a fun way to introduce children to:

• World geography
• Holiday traditions
• Popular cookies from various cultures and parts of the world

This series is also designed to encourage togetherness through baking and kindness through sharing with others. In addition to this packet, there is a full series of additional articles with tips and baking videos availablehere on the Christmas Cookies Around the World main page.

Christmas Cookies Around the World Taste Test Journal

In the complete Christmas Cookies Around the World set we’ve included a 15-page Taste Test Journal so kids can record their observations about each of the cookies they learn about and taste as part of the series.

The printable Taste Test Journal includes:

• 2 cover options
• World map to identify country associated with each cookie
• Individual taste test pages with country flag outlines for each cookie featured in the series
• Blank taste test pages to be used for additional cookies if you choose to feature different cookies in your project

Journals can be completed one page per day as you learn about the featured country and taste its cookie, or journals can be taken from room to room and completed during a Christmas Around the World grade-level party.

About Polish Kolaczki

How do you say Kolaczki anyway? Click here to listen to the pronunciation.

Kolaczki is a traditional Polish cookie. The pastry-like cookie dough is often filled with jams, but other variations like cheeses are also popular in some places. They look beautiful, but they are still very simple for kids to make.

Fun Facts About Poland’s Christmas Traditions

1. During Advent (the period leading up to 25 December) many Polish households bake piernik (gingerbread).
2. There must be 12 dishes served on the Christmas table.
3. The most important day is Christmas Eve.
4. Santa Claus comes on the 6th of December.
5. Polish Christmas trees are traditionally decorated with garlands, fruit, wrapped chocolate, candles, painted eggshells, and other homemade ornaments.
6. Meat is not served on Christmas Eve in Poland.
7. In Poland, Christmas Carols are often sung after Christmas Day until February 2.

Videos About Christmas in Poland

Wigilia for Kids – Polish Christmas Eve Celebration Traditions

Learn how to celebrate Wigilia, a famous Polish Christmas Eve tradition.

How do Polish People Celebrate Christmas?

Learn everything you need to know about how the Polish celebrate the Christmas season.

A Very Polish Christmas

Learn about all the words, symbols, and traditions of a Polish Christmas.

Additional Resources for Teaching Children About Poland

22 Interesting Facts About Poland That You Should Know

In this video, you’ll learn many amazing facts about Poland and Polish culture.

Books about Poland

My First Bilingual Book Christmas English-Polish by Fun And Mind Publishing

My First Bilingual Book Christmas English is the perfect Polish story for children wanting to learn a second language during the holiday season.

If You Were Me and Lived in… Poland by Carole P. Roman

Learn about customs and culture in Poland in If You Were Me and Lived in… Poland.

Unbelievable Pictures and Facts About Poland by Olivia Greenwood

Unbelievable Pictures and Facts About Poland will take your kids on a fun and photographic journey as they see all the sights in Poland.

P is for Poland by Agnieska Mrowczynska

P is for Poland celebrates all of the things that Polish people love the best about Poland.

Polish Kolaczki Recipe

Watch this short video to see how easy it is to make this Polish Kolaczki recipe.

Polish Kolaczki

These sweet cookies are almost a pastry and are traditionally filled with poppy seeds, a mashed fruit mixture, and nuts.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

See Also

Keto Swedish Meatballs Recipe

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine Polish

Servings 60 Cookies

Ingredients

Pastry:

• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1.5 cups butter
• 3 cups flour
• .5 tsp salt

Filling:

• .75 cup dried fruit apricots, cranberries, blueberries
• 1.5 cup water
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Instructions

• Use stand mixer or hand mixer to blend the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy.

  

• Add the flour and the salt.

• Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.

• While dough is chilling make the filling.

• Place dried fruit and water in a saucepan. Add the sugar and lemon juice. Simmer until fruit is tender (may take up to 25 min). Mash by hand or puree with an immersion blender.

  

• Preheat oven to 350 F.

• Dust your work surface with granulated sugar. Roll out the dough to approx. 1⁄4 inch thick. Cut into 2 inch squares.

  

• Place a teaspoon full of filling in the center. Fold over opposite corners. Pinch to seal well.

  

• Bake for 15 minutes or until corners are light brown.

• Cool and then dust with powdered sugar.

  

Notes

These can also be made as a savory appetizer using taco meat or spinach and feta.

Keyword Christmas Cookies, Cookies, Kolaczki, Polish Kolaczki

Get Your FREE Christmas Cookies Around the World Taste Test Recording Sheet

Use the taste test recording sheet to have kids record information about the cookie(s) they tasted and rate how well they liked the cookies. Individual pages can be compiled into a taste test booklet for all the cookies you try in the series, or you can choose to have kids record only their favorite cookie if you prefer.

Save paper by printing two or four to a page if preferred.

Get the entire 12 Days of Christmas Cookies Around the World project

For those interested in expanding the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies Around the World project into a class or family project we’ve created a 50+ page activity guide to make it super easy for you.

Inside you’ll find:

• Quick Reference List of Cookies and Countries
• Generic Cookie Taste Test Recording Sheet
• Cookie Taste Test Recording Table
• Class Graphing Header and Voting Cards
• Christmas Cookies Around the World Passport (three versions)
• Taste Test Journal
• Cookie Recipe Cookbook
• Editable Cookie Recipe Page to add in additional family and multi-cultural options
• Gift Tags
• Notecards
• My Family’s Favorite Cookie Recipe (two versions)
• Editable Parent Letter (two versions)
• Ingredient List by Cookie

The project is designed for use in the classroom, at home, or in community programs. Suggestions and modifications for each setting are included in the resource.

Get your Christmas Cookies Around the World Project

This project is also available on Teachers Pay Teachers.