The Best Cream Cheese Kolaches

Name: Kolaches
Prep time: 3 min
Cook time: 25 min
Ingredients: 3 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 17.5 oz); 2 1/4 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast; 1 teaspoon sea salt; 1 cup milk (whole milk, room temperature ); 10 tablespoons butter (unsalted, melted); 1/3 cup sugar; 1 egg (plus 2 egg yolks, room temperature ); 8 oz cream cheese (softened); 3 tablespoons sugar; 1 egg; 2 teaspoon lemon juice; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 2 tablespoons sugar; 1 tablespoon butter (cold, cut into small cubes); 1 egg yolk (for glazing kolaches before baking)

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Cream Cheese Kolaches Recipe - rounds of dough filled with a sweet and tangy lemon cream cheese filling topped with a sugary streusel. Golden and creamy, this cream cheese kolache recipe will become your new favorite treat!

When YOU make Cream Cheese filled Kolaches please tag us on @munchkintimeblog on Instagram, we would LOVE to see your creation!

If you’ve never had kolache before, allow me to introduce you to one of my favorite things to bake around Easter!

Learn how to make kolaches with my step-by-step recipe. It’s a recipe perfect for beginner bakers and I walk you through working with yeast, and it’s just as great for the expert baker too!

We’re making a sweet version with a lemon and cream cheese filling, and although there are a few moving parts, it is well worth the wait.

They are unbelievably good. One bite and you’re hooked!

What is Kolache?

Kolache is a popular baked pastry popular in the US, especially in Texas, brought over by Czech immigrants. These little desserts are made with soft, slightly sweet dough rounds that look like little discs (or mini pizzas!), that are filled with a variety of sweet or savory fillings.

They’re a tradition around holidays and special occasions, but crave-worthy and easy enough to make any time you want. Enjoy them for breakfast, snacks, or dessert.

Ingredients Needed

The Dough: All-purpose flour, rapid-rise yeast, salt, warm milk, melted unsalted butter, sugar, 1 whole egg, and egg yolks. We’re using rapid-rise yeast which means it doesn’t require any proofing. The warm milk and the sugar helps to activate it as it combines. The eggs help to bind the dough, but the yolks add the fat needed to keep the dough rich and moist.
For the Filling: Softened cream cheese, sugar, egg, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.

Be sure to bring your cream cheese to room temperature ahead of time. Use freshly squeezed lemon juice if you can!

Streusel Topping: All-purpose flour, sugar, and cold butter cubes. Together these form a crispy sugary topping when baked.

How to Make Kolaches

Making the Dough

Step 1: In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the flour, yeast, and salt.

Step 2: To a separate bowl, add the milk, butter, sugar, egg, and yolks and whisk until the sugar dissolves.

Step 3: Now, using the dough hook attachment on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix for about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you mix.

Step 4: Next, increase the speed to medium-low and continue kneading the dough for 10 minutes until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

Step 5: Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and begin to knead with your hands for about 1 minute to form a round ball. Place it into a greased bowl and cover it with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Allow it to sit and rise in a warm area for 1 or 2 hours until it doubles in bulk and size.

Step 6: Once the dough has risen, transfer the dough to a clean surface. Divide the dough in half, then into quarters. Cut each quarter into 4 equal parts for a total of 16 pieces. Roll each one into a smooth ball.

Step 7: Place the rolled balls of dough seam side down onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving room between each one to spread. Cover with plastic wrap and allow them to rise again for another couple of hours.

Step 8: In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350F and make sure the oven racks are on the upper-middle and lower-middle positions.

Step 9: Once the dough balls have risen, remove the plastic wrap and spray the bottom of a ⅓ measuring cup with cooking spray or brush with oil to prevent it from sticking. Press it gently into the middle of the dough to make a groove. This space will be used for filling. Move them to a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Make the Filling

Step 1: Clean out the bowl of the stand mixer or use a separate mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer. Beat the cream cheese using the whisk attachment until smooth and fluffy, scrape down the sides as you mix.

Step 2: Add the remaining ingredients which include sugar, egg, lemon juice, and vanilla, and mix well to combine.

Prepare the Streusel

Step 1: Combine the flour, sugar, and cold butter cubes in a mixing bowl. Use a pastry cutter or your fingers to crumble it up until coarse crumbles appear.

How to Assemble the Kolaches for Baking

Step 1: First, use a small ice cream scoop to scoop out the cream cheese filling for kolaches and add it to the center of the dough.

Step 2: Brush some egg yolk around the edges of the dough and sprinkle the streusel over the top.

Step 3: Finally, bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, rotating baking sheets once, until golden brown.

Enjoy!

Recipe Tips

Be sure to test your yeast ahead of time. When using instant yeast, there’s no need to proof so there’s no opportunity to see if it foams separately. Check the expiry date and only use fresh yeast so there’s no concern that your dough won’t rise.
Use cream cheese from a block. Avoid using the spreadable cream cheese from a container, it has a higher water content and could make your filling runny.
The best way to tell if your dough balls are the same size is to weigh them on a kitchen scale. This helps with even baking.
Rotate the baking sheet halfway through baking for even browning on all sides.

Recipe FAQs

Best place to let the dough rise?

You always want to make sure to keep your rising dough away from any cool air or drafts. Sometimes if it’s sunny outside, I’ll put it by the window.

Otherwise, if the oven is already on for some reason, I will put the dough on top of the stove or in the proofing drawer on the bottom.

Depending on the temperature in your kitchen will determine how fast or slow your dough will rise.

How many calories are in a kolache?

There are 274 calories in a single serving of Kolache.

What other sweet fillings can I use?

You can use all sorts of preserves. Peach, apricot, blueberry, cherry, strawberry, lemon curd, you name it! You can use them on their own, or along with a cream cheese filling.