Cream cheese kolache are puffy, soft pillows of buttery dough filled with a pool of rich, creamy cheesecake, then topped with sweet crumbles of streusel. If you've ever had one you probably have an addiction. They're easy to make at home with this vintage recipe.
Ingredients
These are SO good - definitely one of my favorite holiday treats!
- Yeast can be active dry yeast or rapid rise - they both work well.
- Ground ginger helps to wake the yeast up and get it going.
- Sugar is necessary for sweetness as well as giving the yeast colonies something to feed on.
- All-purpose flour is fine for this recipe. You don't need bread flour.
- Kosher salt is what I normally use. If you use regular table salt you'll need about ⅓ as much.
- Instant potato flakes help the dough rise high and stay soft.
- Eggs add richness.
- Cream cheese is the most decadent filling - be sure to use regular and not low fat. Low fat or reduced fat will not work.
- Cinnamon adds flavor.
💭 Tips for success
If you've tried my fruit kolaches and my sausage kolaches you know that I found the perfect kolache dough recipe in an old OLD cookbook with handwritten notes.
The trick is to whip the dough at the end of the kneading time for about a minute AND to bake these in a hot oven - around 425F. You'll have the lightest, fluffiest, billowiest, most beautiful homemade kolaches in the universe.
You know... for when you get tired of sweet rolls and waffles!
- Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature unless otherwise directed in the recipe.
- Use an insta-read thermometer to ensure your liquids aren’t too hot or too cold.
- You can let the dough rise overnight in the refrigerator if you want to.
- Using too much flour or overworking the dough will make them tough.
- Homemade kolache are best eaten the same day they are made or frozen.
FAQs
Here are the questions I am most frequently asked about this recipe.
It's a soft, fluffy sweet roll with some sort of filling that can be either sweet or savory. Fruit, cream cheese, sausage...
Kolache originated in Eastern Europe and came to Texas with the Czech immigrants.
Yes, they freeze well baked or unbaked for up to 3 months
Danish are light and flaky. Kolache are more bready... like a cinnamon roll - sort of.
Only as far as it came to Texas with Czech immigrants. Since Texas has a large Czech population kolache is popular as well.
📚 Related recipes
Here are more of my favorite homemade sweet rolls -
- Cinnamon Cream Cheese Crowns are sweet, rich rolls with a creamy cheese filling. They are easy because they rise overnight in the refrigerator.
- Peanut Butter Sweet Rolls (Whirlamajigs) are filled with a layer of peanut butter cookie with a peanut butter glaze on top. A nice change for cinnamon rolls!
- Gingerbread Donuts are spicy sweet and perfect on a crisp, autumn day. Bake or fry.
🥄 Equipment
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I buy a large amount of yeast at a time. A one pound bag is almost the same price as the small jar in the store! Parchment paper keeps the bottoms from burning, keeps the homemade kolache from sticking, and helps give the crust the texture that is a sign of a good cream cheese kolache.
Looking for something as yummy as these but quicker and easier? I've got you! Check out these 20 minute cheese danish!
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it a 5 star rating. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Cream Cheese Kolache
Print Pin Recipe SaveEquipment Needed
Ingredients
Kolache Dough
- 2 ¼ teaspoons yeast, or 1 packet
- Pinch of ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ¼ cup warm milk, 110F
- ½ cup whole milk
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
- 2 ½ cups to 3 ½ all purpose flour, about 3 if using a bread machine
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons instant potato flakes, unflavored
- 1 large egg, room temperature
Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
Crumb Topping
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons flour
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 ½ tablespoons melted butter
Instructions
Kolache Dough
- Add the yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar, and ginger to the ¼ cup milk and set aside.
- Put the ½ cup milk and butter in a microwave-safe bowl and heat until the butter melts.
- Let cool to 110F.
- It should feel comfortably warm to when you drop a few drops on your wrist.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment combine 2 cups of the flour with the salt, sugar, and potato flakes.
- Add the yeast mixture and the cooled milk mixture and stir until blended.
- Add the egg and blend it in.
- Add another ⅓ cup of flour. The dough will be sticky.
- Switch to the dough hook.
- Add flour a tablespoon or two at a time until the dough doesn’t stick to the sides of the bowl.
- Knead until dough is smooth and elastic. It should be easy to handle at this point.
- Knead on high for about 30 seconds to a minute.
- Remove from the mixer bowl and form into a ball.
- Rub the ball with melted butter then place it in a greased bowl.
- Turn the ball over once.
- Cover the bowl loosely with a clean tea towel.
- Let it rise for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until doubled in bulk.
- Punch down.
- Divide the dough into 12 pieces about the size of an egg.
- Roll into balls and arrange them 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment.
- Brush with butter, cover loosely with tea towels or plastic wrap, and let rise for 1 hour.
- Make indentations in the buns and fill with cheese mixture.
- Sprinkle with crumb mixture.
- Bake at 425F for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Watch carefully.
Cream Cheese Filling
- Beat together cream cheese with sugar until smooth.
- Add the egg yolk and vanilla.
- Beat until completely incorporated.
Crumb Topping
- Combine sugar with flour and cinnamon.
- Stir in the melted butter until the mixture forms crumbs.
Notes
- Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature unless otherwise directed in the recipe.
- Use an insta-read thermometer to ensure your liquids aren’t too hot or too cold.
- You can let the dough rise overnight in the refrigerator if you want to.
- Using too much flour or overworking the dough will make them tough.
- Homemade kolache are best eaten the same day they are made or frozen.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
Nadine
First of all, thank you for your service to our country.
I’m not a new baker by any stretch of the imagination, I’ve only been making kolachi a couple of months. I will make your recipe next time. Thank you for sharing.
Kristinna Kristinek Brown
A kolache does not have meat, only fruit or cheese… breads is klobasniky or klobasnek
Kristinna Kristinek Brown
I meant meat in bread is klobasnek… or a pig in a blanket. Kolaches do not have meat
Marye
I know - however this is what they are called here.
Lilyn
Hi Marye
I would like to make this Cream Cheese Kolache. Do you have in grams / ml?
🌷
Marye
No I'm sorry - I don't measure that way.