The instruction at the bottom is interesting.
These can be made up into kolaches. There’s a kolaches recipe in the same binder. But the thing of it is, the phrase bohemian cookies appears to refer to kolaches, or kolacky, as it’s sometimes transliterated. Apparently the Czech name didn’t roll off the tongue.
Essentially, kolaches are pastry with fruit in the middle; while larger ones are sometimes served as tarts or pies, home bakers tend to make either narrow ones (squares with two opposite corners pulled in, filling peeking out at the unfolded points) or square ones (squares with all four corners pulled in, filling peeking out between the points).
So it’s an interesting comment in that there’s no easy way to figure out what differentiation the author intended between bohemian cookies and kolaches. It’s like saying your hero sandwich recipe can also be used to make a submarine sandwich.
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A family recipe provided by Jennifer Kiel of Washington, DC, from her mother-in-law’s collection, started in Kent, Ohio. |
CHRISTMAS COOKIES
Bohemian Yeast Cookies
1 pkg. granular yeast
1/4 c. warm water
3 cups sifted flour
3/4 tsp. salt
1 c. butter
2 egg yolks
2/3 c. sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
Confectioner’s sugar or cinnamon
Filling:
2 c. seedless raisins
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. sugar
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 c. chopped nuts
Sprinkle yeast over warm water. Sift together flour and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles meal. Combine eggs, cream and vanilla. Add yeast. Add to flour mixture; blend until all flour is moistened. Shape into a ball, cover; refrigerate several hours.
Sprinkle rolling pin or a canvas with confectioners sugar. Roll 1/4 of the dough into a rectangle as thin as pie crust. Cut into long strips 2″ wide.
For filling, put raisins through a food chopper, using fine blade. Add water, sugar and lemon juice, cooking until thick, stirring constantly. Cool. Add nuts.
Spread a thin layer over the dough strips. Cut strips in 2 x 4″ rectangles, Roll each like a jelly roll. Place cut side down on a greased baking sheet. Repeat, rolling 1/4 of the dough at a time. Bake at 375 degrees 10 minutes. Roll hot cookies in confectioners sugar or sprinkle with cinnamon.
Once this dough is taken from the refrigerator, handle quickly. It gets quite sticky. Makes a delicious cookie.
Practically the same recipe but uses 1 cup sour cream:
1 c. soft butter
3 cups flour
1 pkg. yeast
2 Tbsp. warm water
3 egg yolks
1 c. dairy sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
Nut filling: Force 4 cups walnuts through food chopper–medium blade. Add 1 cup sugar, 3 tsp. vanilla and 1/2 cup milk. Mix well.
These can be made up into kolaches.
OK.
Yesterdish reminder: 1 envelope of yeast equals 2-1/4 tsp. of dry yeast.