Cinnamon Apple Candy Cane Kolache with Cinnamon Drizzle

Every year we have family over to our house for Christmas breakfast and every year I make Kolaches. Kolaches are a Czechoslovakian pastry. We are not Czech, but when I saw a recipe for them in Better Homes and Gardens in April, 1997, while waiting to see a doctor, I knew my family would love them. So I asked the receptionist to make a copy of the recipe for me and I've been making them ever since.

This year, Lori at Recipe Girl posted a fun recipe for Candy Cane Coffee Cake. So I thought it would be fun to make Kolaches in the shape of a candy cane. Which I guess means they weren't technically Kolaches anymore. But delicious just the same!


I used my favorite roll recipe for the dough (adding a teaspoon of vanilla) and the Daring Baker's apple filling recipe. Jenny at Picky Palate has me addicted to cinnamon chips and I thought they would be a great addition to the apple filling. So I added half a cup of chips to the filling and added a cinnamon drizzle on top. It tasted amazing! Definitely one I'll make next year!

Create Braid:

1. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 15 x 20-inch rectangle, ¼ inch thick. (I usually roll it out on floured parchment.) If the dough seems elastic and shrinks back when rolled, let it rest for a few minutes, then roll again. Place the dough (parchment) on the baking sheet.
2. Along one long side of the pastry make parallel, 5-inch-long cuts with a knife or rolling pastry wheel, (I use a pizza cutter) each about 1 inch apart. Repeat on the opposite side, making sure to line up the cuts with those you’ve already made.
3. Spoon the filling you’ve chosen to fill your braid down the center of the rectangle. Starting with the top and bottom “flaps”, fold the top flap down over the filling to cover. Next, fold the bottom “flap” up to cover filling. This helps keep the braid neat and helps to hold in the filling. Now begin folding the cut side strips of dough over the filling, alternating first left, then right, left, right, until finished. Trim any excess dough and tuck in the ends.


Cinnamon drizzle recipe from the package:

2/3 cup chips
1 1/2 teaspoons shortening (do not use butter, margarine, spread or oil)

Melt in microwave at high for 1 minute; stir until chips are melted and mixture is smooth.