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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2017
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Courtesy
Gail Henrikson
Kolachkies
THE PIES
THAT BIND US
Kolachkies bring the
taste of Christmas
BERNIE’S
KOLACHKY RECIPE
By GAIL HENRIKSON
The Daily Astorian
• 1 pound margarine (softened)
• 2 packages cream cheese (softened)
• 4 cups flour
N
ow that we are at the crest of the
tinseled tsunami known as “The
Holidays,” it seems only appro-
priate to dab the cooks with blobs of
honey. Fa la la la la la la la la.
Seriously, visions of sugar plums and
wassail aside, I do want to salute the
many cooks who year after year produce
the sugary confections that define our
family holidays — that one special sweet
without which a holiday would be just
another awkward and stressful meal with
your family.
These are the desserts that unite gener-
ations, extinguish political arguments and
relegate intrusive questions about poten-
tial partners and future grandchildren to
the corner of the room. These are the pies
(and cookies, cakes and tarts) that bind
us.
Growing up in a rural town in central
Wisconsin, I experienced Christmas as a
fairly low-key affair. Presents often con-
sisted of underwear and socks, with one
or possibly two non-utilitarian gifts.
One year it was a teddy bear (which I
couldn’t cuddle, because I was covered in
chicken pox). One year it was a high chair
for my doll. We won’t talk about the year
my mother took a sewing class and made
matching pajamas for my brother and me.
As a family, we leaned more toward
the Kranks than the Griswolds. How-
ever, even if we didn’t install eye-pop-
ping, neighborhood-annoying spectacles
of sound, light and mistletoe, we had one
tradition that was the epitome of the sea-
son: my mother’s kolachkies.
Ah, the kolachkies … slightly flaky
pieces of dough, gently swaddling a fruit
filling, dusted with powdered sugar as
fine as new-fallen snow. Nothing more
than bite-sized morsels, they encapsu-
lated the taste of Christmas.
At some point between Thanksgiv-
ing and Christmas, my mother would
take a day to make dozens and dozens
of these holiday treats, working indus-
triously while my brother and I were in
school. We would one day come home to
find a large platter of the delightful dain-
ties on the dining room table. They were
always carefully stacked in circles on a
• 1-2 cans Solo pastry filling
Mix margarine and cream cheese
until smooth. Add flour, 2 cups at a
time, until dough is pliable but not
sticky.
Roll dough to approximately 1/8
inch to 1/4 inch thick and cut to
desired diameter. Place a small
teaspoon of pastry filling in the middle
of each circle and folder over edges
of dough.
Place on an ungreased cookie
sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 15
to 20 minutes or until dough is a light
golden brown.
Optional: Dust with powdered sugar
once cooled.
Courtesy Gail Henrikson
“Kolachkies: The Next Generation.” Gail Henrikson and her daughter, Athena
Kifah, create memories and tasty treats in 1994.
special green glass platter and covered in
plastic wrap. It was always a challenge
for me to see how many I could sneak
without my mother catching me. Often-
times, my brother would tattle on me, a
wound from which I am not sure I have
ever recovered.
Through marriages, deaths and births
— through times of closeness and times
and when our family ships seemed to be
passing in the night — my brother and I,
our kids, and our various spouses and sig-
nificant others have always agreed on the
fact that my mother’s kolachkies are the
best. That their presence is demanded at
every family convening testifies to that.
As our familial diaspora grew, tins
of kolachkies would arrive in Florida,
Pennsylvania and California — boxes of
fruit-scented memories. The preparation
changed as well. Gone was the prune fill-
ing, ousted by almond and apricot. Cherry
made an occasional appearance, but only
on rare occasions. Powdered sugar? Dis-
missed as easily as the last flurry of spring
snow.
Interestingly, the little treats that were
once barely as wide as two fingers, have
grown over the years to almost the size of
a computer mouse. My mother will freely
confess that this is due to laziness on her
part, as larger kolachkies take less time to
make than the smaller versions.
As you pass from gingerbread house
to gingerbread house this holiday season,
remember to thank the bakers and cooks
who create the memories that outlast the
toy of the year or the ugly sweater from
your Aunt Matilda.
In particular, I want to heap praise
on my mother, who continues to bake
these treats for our family and for vari-
ous leukemia fundraisers in memory of
my niece. Her recipe is based on a rec-
ipe from her mother, which has now been
handed down to three successive genera-
tions of Strempleski women. Enjoy!
When not designing ads at The Daily
Astorian, Gail Henrikson can be found up
to her elbows in flour in the oddly painted
kitchen at her home (aka, the“Astoria
Mystery House”).