It’s September! We’ve officially entered what’s known as the “ber” months! Fall is my favorite time of the year, and the best season for entertaining, in my humble opinion.
This recipe for Cheesy Thumprint Cookies with Hot Pepper Jelly was shared with me many years ago by The Inn on Lake Granbury in Texas. It’s the savory alternative to the sweet thumbprint cookies you may be familiar with. What I love about it is the dough can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator for when you want to bake a few cookies for those last minute, “Hey, pop over for a sip,” moments! They are the perfect companion to wine and this recipe for Rosemary Chipotle Nuts.
Cheesy Thumbprint Cookies with Hot Pepper Jelly
Ingredients
- 2 cups extra sharp grated cheddar cheese Do not use pre-grated bagged cheese, grate your own from a block of cheese.
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 6 TBL cold butter cut into small cubes
- 1/2 cup hot pepper jelly, any variety
Instructions
- Blend cheese, flour and butter in food processor until dough is a course-meal texture and forms into a ball.
- Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This makes it easier to work with. But you can chill it longer.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Shape dough into eleven one-inch balls and place once inch apart on a baking sheet lined with a silpat or baking parchment paper.
- Bake for 5 minutes and remove from the oven.
- Press thumb or the back of a teaspoon gently on top of each cookie to make an indentation. Just enough to create a well.
- Spoon 1 tsp of pepper jelly into each indentation.
- Bake until edges are just golden brown about 5 minutes. Be sure to keep watch over the cookies so they don't get too brown.
- Serve warm, but they are also good cold - if they last that long!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Hospitality is in my DNA. I founded Home with a Twist, a daughter’s twist on her mother’s traditions, in memory of my mother to celebrate her life and the gifts she shared with me. Mother loved to celebrate life’s occasions – big and small.
I think that would be really good to take to Concerts in the Garden tonight! Where do I get the jelly?