Low Sodium Kolacky Cookies Recipe
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Jump to RecipeThese low sodium Kolacky cookies are a tasty, easy, and delicious cookie recipe – made without added salt! These classic Polish Christmas cookies are great for low sodium holiday baking, or delicious to make any time of year.
Start by making a simple dough with unsalted butter, rolling it out, and filling it with your favorite flavor of jam or preserves. A great addition to holiday baking, these cookies are fun to make, great to gift, and a treat to eat.
Want more low sodium cookies? Try our low sodium sugar cookies, low sodium peanut butter cookies, and low sodium chocolate chip cookies!
If you’re into holiday baking (or making these cookies any time of year), you can’t beat a good kolacky cookie! This recipe is adapted from one from my grandma, so it holds a special place in our hearts – I just made a lower sodium version so we can still enjoy it.
Kolacky cookies are a classic Polish Christmas cookie with a tasty buttery dough filled with sweet, tangy jam. This recipe works great doubled, or even tripled, if you want to make a few batches at a time for the holidays.
Why This Recipe Works
- These cookies are flaky and buttery on the outside, and sweet and jammy in the middle.
- These are a classic Polish Christmas cookie, tried and true.
- Versatile – add your favorite jam in the middle: apricot, raspberry, and strawberry are our favorites.
- This recipe is a family-favorite, adapted one given to me from my grandma.
- These make great low sodium holiday cookies to enjoy at home or to bake as gifts for family & friends.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Cream Cheese – for the dough. My grandma specifies in the notes “use Philadelphia cream cheese, don’t use ‘cheap’ brand” – however if you can find a different lower sodium brand of cream cheese, do substitute that one.
- Unsalted Butter – I always use unsalted butter to reduce the amount of sodium in my cooking.
- All Purpose Flour: I use all purpose flour for all these cookies.
- Jam – I like apricot and raspberry jam for my kolacky cookies
- Powdered sugar – to give these cookies a little extra sweetness after baking!
Substitutions and Additions
- For the jam, you can try this recipe with any jam, jelly, or preserves you like! There are so many wonderful flavors out there: blueberry jam, orange marmalade, peach preserves, etc. Try this recipe with your favorite jam and see how it goes!
- You could also use a low-sugar or no sugar jam which would work well to reduce the carbs and sugars in this recipe.
- You can try substituting a 1:1 gluten free baking mix instead of the flour, if desired.
How To Make These Low Sodium Cookies
- In a large bowl, or a stand mixer, mix the softened cream cheese and unsalted butter together. Add the flour and mix well to combine.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit
- Roll out dough onto a floured surface. Cut dough into 4-inch squares.
- Fill each square with approximately 1/2 teaspoon apricot jam. Take diagonal corners of the dough squares and fold them over the jam, to make the kolacky shape.
- Place the cookies onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake cookies for 30 minutes until browned.
- Remove from oven, and allow cookies to cool fully before enjoying.
Recipe FAQs
These low sodium kolacky cookies have 42mg sodium each, as they use unsalted butter and no added salt. If you get kolacky cookies from a store or bakery, the sodium content may vary based on the ingredients used – always check the labels of store-bought cookies before enjoying.
Many types of jam work well for kolacky cookies: apricot, raspberry, strawberry, or a berry blend jam would work well. I like adding jams that have a bit of sweetness and acidity to balance the flavor of the buttery cookie dough.
If you have leftover cookies, you can store them in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the baked cookies in a plastic freezer bag, and take out 1-2 to enjoy as a little treat.
Expert Tips
- This recipe can be doubled or tripled, and you can make a few batches using different jams!
- These cookies are a great low sodium Polish recipe, as kolacky cookies are traditional for Christmas. Don’t let the time of the year stop you though- you can make these with jam anytime!
- Make sure both the cream cheese and butter are softened to room temperature before making the dough – they need to be soft to be mixed well into the cookies.
More Low Sodium Holiday Dessert Recipes
- Low Sodium Carrot Cake
- Low Sodium Pumpkin Pie
- Easy Low Sodium Chocolate Cupcakes
- Low Sodium Rice Krispie Treats
- Low Sodium Hot Chocolate
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Low Sodium Kolacky Cookies
Equipment
- Mixer
- Baking Sheet
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup jam I used apricot and raspberry
- ¼ cup Powdered Sugar for garnish
Instructions
- In a large bowl, or a stand mixer, mix the softened cream cheese and unsalted butter together. Add the flour and mix well to combine.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit
- Roll out dough onto a floured surface. Cut dough into 4-inch squares.
- Fill each square with approximately 1/2 teaspoon apricot jam. Take diagonal corners of the dough squares and fold them over the jam, to make the kolacky shape.
- Place the cookies onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake cookies for 30 minutes until browned.
- Remove from oven, and allow cookies to cool fully before sprinkling on the powdered sugar.
Notes
- This recipe can be doubled or tripled, and you can make a few batches using different jams!
- These cookies are a great low sodium Polish recipe, as kolacky cookies are traditional for Christmas. Don’t let the time of the year stop you though- you can make these with jam anytime!
- Make sure both the cream cheese and butter are softened to room temperature before making the dough – they need to be soft to be mixed well into the cookies.
Nutrition
*Please note, all nutrition content is estimated based on the ingredients we used, it may vary based on your ingredients. Always check your nutrition labels to verify sodium amounts.
These are tasty cookies I’ll include on my Xmas plate for sure