Holiday Kolache Cookies with Cranberry-Sugar Bombs® & Cucumber-Apple Jelly

For the Cranberry-Sugar Bombs® Jelly:

• In a blender, combine the tomatoes, cranberry juice and orange juice. Blend until tomatoes are completely broken down. Strain into a medium-sized saucepan. 
• Heat the saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar and orange zest and bring to a boil. Add the pectin and allow to boil for an additional minute, stirring constantly.
• Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely. Skim off the surface if necessary.

For the Cucumber-Apple Jelly:

• In a blender, combine the cucumber and apple juice. Blend until cucumber chunks are completely broken down. Strain into a medium sized saucepan. 
• Heat the saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar and vanilla extract. Bring to a boil and add the pectin and allow to boil for an additional minute, stirring constantly.
• Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely. Skim off the surface if necessary.

For the Kolache Cookies: 

• In a large bowl, cream together the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the salt and ½ cup of flour at a time until just combined, scraping down the sides as needed. Be careful not to overmix. Form the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Allow it to chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour. 
• Dust a working surface and rolling bin with flour and roll out the dough into a large rectangle. Cut the dough into 3” squares. Gather any excess dough and repeat the process to create more squares. 
• Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer the squares to the baking sheet with the corners facing up and spoon ½ tsp. of jelly into the center of each square, alternating jellies if using both. 
• Fold over one corner, overlapping about half of the jelly. Using milk or water, lightly wet the corner of the other half and tuck over the edge of the opposite corner, pinching to seal the cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies. 
• Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges just begin to brown. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before dusting with confectioners sugar. Reserve remaining jelly for other uses.