Grandma’s Polish Cookies

First grade started Thursday. Liam went. He wore his Red Sox shirt under a blue polo. He carried the blue backpack. He did not cry. He was nervous. He let me walk him to the door. He let me hug him. Then he walked in without looking back.

I cried in the car on the way to work. Not bad. Good crying. First-grade crying. Sean was not there to see it.

Nora started pre-K (her second year, with the older four-turning-fives) Thursday too, at her pre-K center. Miss Rivera still there, still patient. Nora was fine. She walked in like she owned it.

After pickup Thursday Liam said, Mom, I have a friend already. His name is Jamal. He likes baseball too. I said that is great baby. Nora said my friend is Maya, she was my friend LAST YEAR. I said yes.

Clinic Monday through Wednesday was normal. Thursday and Friday I came in to patients and work, and the kids were at school, and Erin picked them up, and at 5:15 I walked in and they were at the kitchen table, doing homework (Liam) and coloring (Nora), and they looked up and said Hi Mom. That is my afternoon now.

Group Tuesday. I said, Liam starts first grade Thursday. The ALS widower said, oh, those days are huge. I said I know. Bernadette said, you will drive yourself home. I said I know.

Shanice the new NP started Monday. She is bright, a little nervous, fast learner. We have coffee Mondays at 8:30 before clinic opens. She asked smart questions. We agreed she will shadow me this week and next, then take her own patients week three.

Saturday pancakes. Burned the first one. Liam did the flip (his second week trying). Nailed it this time. The room erupted. Nora tried and threw batter on the wall.

Sunday dinner at Southie. Ma made waffles for dinner because Liam had told her they were his favorite in August. She doubled up the recipe. Leftover batter in the fridge. She gave me a container to take home for Saturday.

Food of the week: breakfast-for-dinner waffles. Ma's recipe. Buttermilk. A little cornmeal. Crisp outside. She serves with bacon. Always.

Ma didn’t ask if we wanted waffles for Sunday dinner — she just remembered that Liam had said they were his favorite back in August and made them anyway, doubled the batch, and sent me home with a container. That’s the whole thing, right there. So when I went looking for something to bring to Erin’s as a thank-you this week, I went back to Ma’s recipe box and pulled these out — her Polish cookies, the ones she made every time a week felt big enough to deserve something sweet.

Prep Time: 25 min | Cook Time: 14 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 36 cookies

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup apricot or raspberry jam (or your preferred flavor)
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted, for rolling and dusting
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Make the dough. Beat softened butter and cream cheese together with a hand or stand mixer on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes. Add vanilla extract and mix to combine. Reduce speed to low and add flour and salt, mixing just until the dough comes together and pulls away from the bowl sides.
Chill. Divide the dough in half, wrap each portion in plastic wrap, flatten into a disk, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or overnight). The dough must be cold to roll cleanly.
Preheat and prep. Heat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Dust your work surface lightly with powdered sugar instead of flour — this keeps the cookies tender and gives them a faint sweetness.
Roll and cut. Working with one disk at a time (keep the other chilled), roll dough out to about 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into 2-inch squares using a sharp knife or pastry cutter.
Fill and fold. Place 1/2 teaspoon of jam in the center of each square. Fold two opposite corners up over the filling, overlapping slightly, and press gently to seal. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet, spacing about 1 inch apart.
Bake. Bake for 12–14 minutes, until the edges are just barely golden. Do not overbake — these should stay pale and soft.
Cool and dust. Let cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Once fully cool, dust generously with sifted powdered sugar. Serve the same day or store in an airtight container with a sheet of parchment between layers.

Nutrition (per serving)

Grandma’s Polish Cookies — Ma’s Kitchen, Carried Home