As a child, I made these pastry style cookies every year with my mom. I was the official dough roller some years. While other years, I was on preserve duty or dough pinching duty.

As an adult, I often make them with mom and my (now grown) children. Kolatchkies are a family and friend favorite, and this recipe with vanilla ice cream in the dough absolutely cannot be beat. 

There's a pint of vanilla ice cream and a pound of butter in the dough... need I say more?

I'm thrilled to share this family recipe with you. Let's bake!

What you'll need

4 cups flour

2 tbsp sugar

1 pound butter (4 sticks)

1 pint vanilla ice cream (2 cups)

assorted flavors of preserves (my fav is apricot!)

Prepare the dough

1. Blend the flour and sugar.

2. With a pastry blender, cut in butter until the mixture resembles a fine meal.

3. Add the partly softened ice cream and blend by hand.

4. Wrap in foil or wax paper and chill overnight.

Assemble the cookies

1. In sections, roll out dough to 1/8" thick. 

2. Using a cookie cutter, cut into rounds.

3. Put a small amount of filling in the center of each piece. (Be careful not to overload, as too much preserve will cause the cookies to pop open and leak on the tray in the oven.)

4. Fold sides together and pinch to close. (I usually pinch once, fold down a slight bit and pinch again.)

5. Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes. (The original recipe reads 20-25 minutes, but I've noticed that in my brand new oven they bake faster.)