St. Patrick’s Day Cookies: Leapin’ Leprechaun Key Lime Kolaches

St. Patrick’s Day is my favorite holiday.  I’ve probably already mentioned that it is my birthday so it is extra special for me to celebrate.  Growing up it was always fun because everyone I knew always loved to celebrate it with me too.  As an adult, that really hasn’t changed.  My kids and their friends love St. Patrick’s Day just as much as I do and we love coming up with fun treats to celebrate the day.  We love St. Patrick’s Day cookies so we came up with this  Leaping Leprechaun Key Lime Kolaches Recipe as I like to call them.

A Kolache is a Polish cookie that is made with the most incredible, light, flaky crust!  You’ll love them. These St. Patrick’s Day cookies are festive for the love of my Irish side and satisfy the love I have for my Polish heritage too!

St. Patrick’s Day Cookies:  Leapin’ Leprechaun Key Lime Kolaches Recipe

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 1 8oz package of cream cheese
• 1 stick of butter
• 1 cup sifted all purpose flour

Filling:

• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cup raw sugar
• 1/2 – 3/4  cup flour – it needs to be somewhat thick
• 5 tsp Key Lime juice
• green food coloring (you certainly can omit this but it adds to the festive look of the cookies)

Powdered sugar for dusting finished bars.

How To Make Key Lime Kolaches:

Mix together the cream cheese, butter, and flour in a stand mixer.  Form into a disc and chill for 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together the sugar, egg, Key Lime juice, flour, and food coloring for the filling.

Lightly dust your counter or work surface with flour and roll the dough out thin.

Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into 2″ x 2″ squares.

Transfer the squares to a baking sheet or a baking sheet lined with parchment and put approximately 1/4 tsp of filling in the center of each square.

Fold two corners of the squares to meet in the middle.  Use a dab of water to wet the dough to hold it together.

Bake in a preheated oven for 15-18 minutes.  Some of the filling will ooze out and will look messy.  Don’t worry!!! When you pull them from the parchment the mess will be left behind and the Kolaches will be perfect.  Remove from oven when crust starts to turn golden.

Allow the St. Patrick’s Day Cookies to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

After they are completely cool dust with sifted powdered sugar and serve!

Do you think you will make St. Patrick’s Day Cookies this year?  This Key Lime Kolaches recipe is perfect for St. Patrick’s day classroom celebrations!