These Lemon Cream Cheese & Blueberry Kolaches are by far one of the most delicious things I’ve made lately. A breakfast/dessert with its origins in the Czech Republic that have gained massive popularity in Texas! The dough is so lovely, soft and pillowy. A simple cream cheese filling with a perfect hint of lemon and topped with some NJ blueberries and a little crumble.
Happy Friday friends! Today is a special day-our Freaky Friday Summer Edition Recipe Swap and I am so excited to share this recipe with you! A bunch of my fabulously talented blogger friends and I get assigned a blog to choose a recipe from then create and share with our readers. We don’t find out who we’ve been assigned until today! I feel SO honored to have been assigned the incredibly talented Kathy from Lemon Blossoms.
Michaela from An Affair From The Heart is so amazing for organizing this whole event and I am so appreciative to be a part of it. When she told me I was assigned Kathy of Lemon Blossoms I was beyond thrilled! Kathy is so incredibly talented and I have so many of recipes saved! Fun facts about Kathy- the girl knows her food! Having worked with the Food Network and just to name a couple celebrity chefs- Bobby Flay and Wolfgang Puck! WOW right?!? I knew every recipe she has shared on her blog would be amazing but here Homemade Kolaches recipe grabbed me!
With recipes like her Grilled Portobello Mushroom Caprese, Citrus Salad with Basil Vinaigrette and Homemade Parker House Rolls its hard not to want to try them ALL! Her recipes are delicious, her photos stunning so what’s not to love about that? Head over and check her out!
The base of these Kolaches is a light, fluffy and just slightly sweet yeast dough. Traditionally Kolaches are a sweet treat but in Texas where these pastries have really a massive following, are also served with savory fillings. Kathy gives you several different filling options on her site so check them out. I knew for me it would be Lemon Cream Cheese & Blueberry Kolaches. I followed her recipe for the cream cheese filling that has a lovely hint of lemon from lemon zest. Being that here in NJ its blueberry season I figured it would be a perfect pairing with the cream cheese filling.
I have to say, in my kitchen I cook up savory eats way more than I do bake up sweet treats which makes it even more special when I do make a recipe like this one. The family went absolutely wild for these Lemon Cream Cheese & Blueberry Kolaches! It starts with activating dry yeast with sugar and warm milk. After sitting for 5-10 minutes you’ll see it come to life. From here you’ll add a cup of flour and let it rise for 20 minutes.
In another bowl, you will whisk together melted butter, salt and eggs until smooth. Be careful not to scramble those eggs. You’ll then combine the egg mixture to the flour mixture and add in the remaining 2 cups of flour. Once gently mixed in a bowl go ahead and place onto a lightly floured surface. You’ll need to knead the dough for 8-10 minutes- adding a little flour as needed to make it a slightly sticky but workable dough. I found it helpful to use my dough scrapper to work with it.
Once it has all come together go ahead and pop it into a lightly greased bowl to allow it to rise. Here is where all the air really gets into the dough. It will sit for an hour or until it has doubled in size.
As you are waiting for the dough to rise you can go ahead and make the lemon cream cheese filling. Super simple here- softened cream cheese, sugar, flour, egg yolk and lemon zest all mixed up with a hand mixer until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
Once the dough has doubled you will remove it from the bowl and onto a lightly floured surface. Punch it down a bit then cut into 12 even pieces. Roll into a ball and place onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Flatten each into about a 3 inch round. Cover once again and allow to rise for 30 minutes. You can make the simple crumble while you wait- just flour, cinnamon, butter and sugar.
After they have risen you will gently make a depression in the center and add the cream cheese filling to each, top with a few blueberries and some of the crumble. They will bake at 375 degrees for about 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden and risen. You will brush some melted butter on them when they come out of the oven. Allow to cool on a cooling rack and enjoy!
Absolutely AMAZING!! We will be making these often! I can’t wait to try different sweet fillings and some savory as well! You all have got to try these kolaches! You’ll understand why they have become so popular!
- For the pastry:
- ¼ ounce (1 packedry yeast
- 1 cup whole milk, lukewarm (110 to 115 degrees)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, divided plus more for kneading
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided (1 1/2 sticks)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- For the Lemon Cream Cheese Filling:
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg yolk
- ½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- blueberries
- For the Crumble:
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Combine the yeast, warm milk and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Let the mixture stand for 5 to 10 minutes to activate. Add 1 cup of flour and mix well. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let rise for about 20 minutes or until doubled in size.
- In another bowl, melt 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of the butter. Let the melted butter cool very briefly then whisk in the eggs and salt. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and blend. Slowly add the remaining 2 cups of the flour. The dough will be moist and soft.
- Turn the dough on a floured surface and knead for about 8 to 10 minutes. Add extra flour as needed to make a soft workable dough. Grease a bowl with some butter or oil. Place the dough in the bowl, cover and let it rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- Go ahead and work on the filling. Using an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. Add the flour, egg yolk and lemon zest. Mix to blend and set aside.
- For the crumble: in a small bowl combine the flour, sugar, butter and cinnamon. Using your fingers, crumble the mixture until it resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.
- After the dough has risen, remove it from the bowl and onto a lightly floured surface. Punch it down and divide it evenly into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet leaving several inches in between each dough ball. Flatten each ball slightly so it is about 3 inches in diameter. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- With your finger, gently make a depression in the center of each dough ball. Fill each one with 1 tablespoon of filling and sprinkle it with the topping. Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes or until risen and pale gold.
- While the kolaches are baking, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. Remove the kolaches from the oven and brush them with melted butter. Transfer them to a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Take a look at all of our 2020 Freaky Friday Summer Edition Recipes:
- An Affair from the Heart – Blueberry Banana Bundt Cake
- Aunt Bee’s Recipes – The Best Ever Chicken Gyros
- Bowl Me Over – Alabama White BBQ Sauce
- Hostess at Heart – Old Fashioned Lemon Icebox Pie
- House of Nash Eats – Smoked Spatchcock Chicken
- Lemoine Family Kitchen – Lemon Cream Cheese Blueberry Kolaches
- Lemon Blossoms – Lemon Poke Cake
- Life, Love & Good Food – Healthy Greek Coleslaw
- Or Whatever You Do – French Onion Risotto
- Sugar Dish Me – Coconut Macadamia Nut Ice Cream
- Take Two Tapas – Cherry Cupcakes with Mint
- The Speckled Palate – Pepperoni Pizza Dip
- West Via Midwest – Buffalo Cheese Dip: Easy Party Dip
Kathy
These look absolutely fabulous and delicious!!! Thank you so much for featuring this recipe in such a beautiful way!
Michele
Kolaches are something that makes me think of home. In Nebraska where I grew up- the town next to us would have Kolache days…. those have always been a great memory for me. It never even occurred to me to try and make them at home… your photos make them totally seem possible— Definitely going to give them a try when the weather is a little cooler here!
Michaela Kenkel
What beautiful kolaches! My favorite aunt makes them every year for Christmas and they are such a huge treat! I have to admit I have always been a little chicken to make them myself. You gave me the courage to try! Thanks, Angela!
Nicole J
I’d never heard of these before, but now I really want to make them and try them! What a fun breakfast treat.
Sheila Thigpen
You’ve inspired me to do some baking! Great directions and tips for this yummy treat!
Erin Parker
As a Texan, this recipe is making me SO HAPPY! Because we have a special kolache place where we stop as we’re driving by (which, sadly, is about 3 hours from our house), and I’ve never attempted these beauties at home. You better believe my kids and I will be baking these this weekend because kolaches with cream cheese and blueberries are simply the best!
Amy Nash
I have had these on my “must make” list for too long now! They look amazing and honestly, even better than many of the ones I have bought from a bakery!
Julie Menghini
You’ve got such amazing baking skills! We love Kolaches and this lemon blueberry combination sounds so amazing!
Jennifer Stewart
I am dying to try these! I love blueberry and lemon together! I haven’t tried making too many doughs from scratch because I am scared to death I will screw it up. I am definitely trying these as your tips and steps are so easy to follow!
Brandi Burgess
Lemon & blueberry is my favorite dessert combination. These look out of this world delicious!