A savory twist on your classic jam-filled sweet thumbprint cookie – Savory Cheese Thumbprint Cookies with Bourbon Tomato Jam are truly the PERFECT party appetizer. These Savory Cookies are insanely flavorful, easy to make and vegetarian!
If you thought we spent all of December eating homemade Twix candy bars, or buttery and crumbly melting moments cookies, or chocolate beer truffles, that would only be partially true. 🙂 After all we made thumbprint cookies too! Except, these aren’t the kind you’d expect. These babies are savory cookies! Savory Cheese Thumbprint Cookies with Bourbon Tomato Jam to be precise. I’m going to be quite frank, there’s no way I can do these cookies any justice with words here. These are some of the best cookies (savory or otherwise) that I’ve had, and I don’t say that lightly.
Mr. K is very easy to please when it comes to the food I make. He’s one of the least picky eaters out there and he will literally eat anything I put in front of him (bless him) with gusto. If he’s fairly quiet, then I can expect a standard “good food, thank you” response. But the more vocal he gets, the more he enjoyed it, I can tell. And these savory cookies, he couldn’t stop talking about!
Crisp on the edges, soft in the middle, with a kicked up sweet and spicy tomato jam in the center, these cheesy savory cookies will be the perfect appetizer for your Christmas party or New Year’s Eve party. Or any party for that matter. And they are vegetarian cookies to boot. Imagine how your guests would be bowled over when they realize that these aren’t actually sweet cookies. Plus, this might be your only chance to get the better of your friend’s annoying kid, when he/she bites into one of these thinking they are regular sweet thumbprint cookies. That expression alone would be worth the effort, would it not? Not that I would know. I mean, I’d never do such a thing. Noooo, never.
Aaaand they are so easy to make, even my hubs could make them. Seriously. The dough comes together quickly and you just make an imprint with your thumb to fill up with some delicious jam/jelly. So really, you got no excuse not to make them. They’d do really well as a party appetizer or even as a game day snack. I made these because I needed a break from sweet cookies, and being a huge fan of thumbprint cookies, I decided to give them a spicy, savory, flavorful twist. The result is truly glorious.
These cookies are crazy delicious with a fantastic jelly center. Here I made a cheese and rosemary cookie dough base and gave it a little bit of a spicy kick, using deseeded jalapeno. So the cookie on its own tastes insanely good, if you choose not to have a jelly/jam center.
But I’d recommend the jam though. I filled these up with an amazingly flavorful tomato jam that incorporates garlic and a few spices and then kicked it up with bourbon! Bourbon folks. Does it not scream PARTY APPETIZER??
If you love CLASSIC THUMBPRINT COOKIES, then you will love this detailed guide to make perfect thumbprint cookies!
Or these NEW Savory cookies – Thyme and Cheddar Cheese slice and bake cookies
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Ingredients:
Savory Cheesy Thumbprint Cookies
- 8 oz / 225g unsalted butter softened
- 3.5 oz / 100g white cheddar cheese grated
- 3.5 oz / 100g monterey jack cheese grated
- 1 deseeded jalapeno finely chopped
- 1 large rosemary sprig leaves only, finely chopped
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 0.9 oz / 25g white sugar
- 1 small egg
- 6.7 oz / 190g AP flour
- 5.3 oz / 150g semolina
Bourbon and Tomato Jam
- 1 lb cherry tomatoes halved
- 5.3 oz / 150g sugar
- 5 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- Up to 1 tbsp chilli flakes/crushed red pepper optional - but recommended
- 1 large clove of garlic minced about 1 tsp minced garlic
- 2 oz diced white/yellow sweet onion
- A pinch of cumin
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 3 tbsp bourbon
Instructions:
Savory Cheesy Thumbprint Cookies
- Chop the grated cheese roughly and mix it with the rosemary and jalapeno. Alternatively, you can grate the cheese using your food processor, and add the deseeded jalapeno and rosemary leaves, and process finely. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, place the softened the butter, sugar and salt and cream it together using a whisk/spatula or wooden spoon. Add the cheese-herb mix and mix it through using a spatula or wooden spoon.
- Add the egg and mix it in until well incorporated in the dough.
- In a separate bowl, mix the flour and semolina together. Add this in two batches to the butter-cheese mix and mix it to form a dough. You may need to use your hands (well-floured) to bring the dough together. Cover and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes until the oven has preheated.
- Preheat oven to 350°F / 180°C. Line two cookie trays with parchment paper.
- Make 1 ½ inch round dough balls and place them on the cookie tray with about 2 inches of space between each (I placed 14 cookies on each tray).
- Create a deep well/imprint in each dough ball using a moistened thumb/finger.
- Fill each well generously with bourbon tomato jam (recipe below).
- Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. Switch the position of the two trays in your oven half way through baking (please see note). The cookies should be golden on the bottom and light-golden on top.
- Remove from the oven and let them cool slightly. Serve.
- If you're storing the cookies, DO NOT STACK (the jam will stick to the bottom of the cookies).
Bourbon Tomato Jam
- Mix all the ingredients except for the bourbon in a saucepan. Bring the mix to a boil on medium-heat, while stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once the mix has come to a boil, increase the heat to keep it at a boil.
- Let the mixture boil while stirring and gently crushing the tomatoes with a spoon as they soften. After about 5 minutes of cooking time, add the bourbon and mix through.
- The mixture should keep cooking until the liquid has become syrupy and thick. The time depends on the heat of your stove, and how much liquid is present in the tomatoes. The end product will resemble preserves with tomato pieces in it.
- These can be stored in mason jars until needed (makes enough for 1 ½ batches of these cookies).
Tips & Tricks
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
Honestly, these came out even better than I expected, and we have now frozen the remaining cookies for later. You can easily refrigerate or freeze the formed cookies (before baking) without filling the center with jam, no issues there. Or even freeze the baked cookies in a single layer (if you stack them, the jam can stick to the bottom of the cookies). These cheesy savory cookies will go really well with a cocktail, so all in all, these were meant to take center-stage at a party. Oh, and I made an even more amazing, flavorful dip for these cookies, but that recipe will be for another day in the near future. 🙂, and you can find the recipe for that super easy, sweet and spicy Mango Jalepeno Jam (and Cream Cheese Dip) right here.
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Sharon says
The tomato jam was delicious. I used 2 TBS less in the jam. The cookie itself lacked flavor even with the jalapeño. I would substitute both cheese for possibly a pepper Jack or another hard cheese that is tangy or has a kick. The ratio of flour to butter seems a bit low. I had to translate ounces to cups or TBS which is annoying. I will attempt to make with my suggested substitutions.
Dini says
Hi Sharon
If you added too much flour then the cookie will absolutely lack flavor. The cheese and flour ratio by weight gives the cookie the cheese flavor without it being too dry or bland.
Weight measurements are more accurate than volume measurements. Volume measurements will vary too much and will absolutely throw off the ratio of cheese to flour. But you are absolutely welcome to try the new recipe that you have created next time too!
Pat says
This looks so good! Not sure when i will find the time to convert to American measurements, but i’m sure i will eventually! Looks too good not to try.
Jane McNabb says
Hey! I just made a quadruple recipe of the cookie dough and have realized I forgot to add the egg. Help! Should I bring the dough back to room temperature add mix in the egg now? Thanks for any advice!
Dini says
Hi Jane
Sorry for the late reply.
The egg is used as a binder, so without it the cookie may be very crumbly. Not a bad thing, but if not enough moisture is in the dough it would be hard to form cookies. If enough moisture is in the dough, then the resulting cookie will have a crumbly texture like shortbread.
If you try to mix in the eggs AFTER the dough has already made, especially for a quadruple batch, you risk making the dough tough by overmixing it. So you have to be very careful.
Marcia dewberry says
Excellent recipe! Mine came out a little dry, is there way to resolve this ? I only baked them for 20 mins.
Dini says
Hi Marcia
Some ovens can run a little hot especially if it’s convection ovens. You can either bake the cookies for a shorter time, OR lower the heat of the oven by 25 F and see if that will help with the dryness.
I hope that helps!
Paul C says
OK, first of all, I almost never five star a recipe. But this is a necessary exception. I don’t know who came up with this combination but it is absolutely amazing! Sometimes I will substitute the sugar for honey and believe it or not if you do not have semolina flour readily available cornmeal in a little lower proportion actually works fine as well. It can also be made with a gluten-free flour option and they turn out just fine. These are delicious and definitely one of my go to apps.
Vandana says
You said vegetarian but you are using a small egg. How do I not use since u don’t consume eggs ? And another substitute for the cheese ? What can I use. Thanks
Dini says
Hi Vandana
This recipe is for vegetarians who eat dairy and eggs but exclude meat.
The cheese is an important part of the cheesy thumbprint cookie unfortunately. Not only is it the main flavor, but it also acts as a binder. The eggs can be substituted with some plant milk.
You can try to make it with vegan cheese, but I haven’t tried this substitution. If you don’t consume dairy or eggs, I highly recommend finding a vegan savory cookie through google which will definitely cater to your dietary needs.
Hope that helps.
Lindy says
She can also try aquafaba, the liquid from a can of chickpeas. I use it all the time and it works just fine. 3T. equals one egg. 2T equals one egg white.
I will be making this recipe for non-vegans this weekend, so will follow the recipe exactly. Hoping mine comes out as good as yours.
Sarah says
You could do a flax egg substitute
Harpette says
Great recipe! Have made it several times.
Laurie says
I love these!
When I found the other filling you used I can’t wait to try that! Jalapeño, Mango!
N El Minyawi says
Dear thank you for the great recipe but is there a raising agent missing? Baking powder or so
Dini says
Hi N El Minyawi
No there is no baking powder.
Bev H says
I loved these cookies. I had some tomato jam I preserved from this summer so I used it. I loved the dough but is went flat. It was hot in my kitchen so I put the second batch in the refrigerator to cool before baking. Both batches turned out flat and not like the photo in the post. However, they tasted delicious and I will make again! What do I need to do to keep them from going flat?
Nitya says
Hi, could I substitute semolina flour with AP flour?
Dini says
Hi Nitya
It is possible. However I haven’t tried it myself. An equal amount (by weight) should work hopefully.
Hope that helps
Nitya says
Thanks so much:) will try it and let you know:)
lwntrtn says
These were incredibly delicious. I did cut back on the sugar, to make them less sweet (my preference). I added toasted pecan pieces to the jam to give it a bit of crunch. And added a bit more bourbon Mine came out larger than I would have liked for an appetizer, so will make them a bit smaller next time – maybe with 1 tablespoon of dough each.
Mel says
Made them for Mother’s Day lunch as an appetizer. Wow…they were fantastic. I also filled 3 of the cookies with jam and they were great.
NB: I will say that the amount of sugar for the tomato jam was a bit too much.
J. Wilson says
These are excellent! I was looking for something different and these fit the bill.
Nadine Pereira says
I’ll be making this recipe. I was wondering if I do decide to freeze the cookies unbaked without filling, should I defrost before baking or bake from frozen?
Thanks!
Dini says
Hi Nadine
You can bake them either way – thawed or from frozen. The frozen cookies will take longer to bake though that could have an impact on the filling (the sugars might burn), but I can’t be sure.
I would test out one cookie first, and if the filling doesn’t burn with the extra cooking time, then I would follow with the rest.