These Cheesy Thumbprints with Red Pepper Jelly are perfect for your next cocktail party! They’re savory, delicious and incredibly easy to make. A crowd favorite for the holidays!
The holiday season is upon us folks, so that calls for a tasty little appy recipe that’s sure to be a hit at your next cocktail party!
These Cheesy Thumbprints with Red Pepper Jelly are ridiculously easy to make and absolutely dee-lish!
I get my love for throwing cocktail parties from my mother. Mom was the hostess with the mostess. We’d stock up the freezer with her homemade olive balls and mini hot dogs weeks in advance of the holiday season so if any unexpected guests dropped by, she’d be ready. I never saw her panic before a party. She enjoyed every minute of it.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
I think you’re going to love the cheesy taste of these thumbprints. The combination of pecorino romano and gruyère is savory and soooo delicious.
These are simple to make and you can make the thumbprints and freeze to use later, so you always have a batch ready to bake when you need them. They’re just perfect for the holiday season.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- unsalted butter
- grated pecorino romano cheese
- gruyère cheese
- all-purpose flour
- salt and pepper
- garlic powder
- cayenne
- red pepper jelly
Step-By-Step Instructions
The first step is to mix your room temperature butter with your finely shredded gruyère and grated pecorino romano cheeses with a rubber spatula until smooth.
The second step is to whisk together your flour, salt and pepper, garlic powder and cayenne.
The third step is to add your flour mixture to your butter/cheese mixture with a rubber spatula and mix until well combined.
The fourth step is to shape your dough into roughly 1-inch balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet 1-inch apart. Use the bottom side of a teaspoon measuring spoon to make an indent in the center of the thumbprint for your jelly.
Place the tray in your freezer for 20 minutes.
The fifth step is to remove the tray from your freezer and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and fill each indent with some red pepper jelly. Place back in the oven for an additional 9-10 minutes, or until lightly golden around the edges.
I hope you bake multiple batches of these this holiday season because I know you’re going to love them!
Please let me know if you give the recipe a try. And if you have any questions about the recipe, just drop a comment below. Enjoy!
A Few Cook’s Notes for Cheesy Thumbprints with Red Pepper Jelly
You want to finely grate your gruyère cheese for this recipe.
I use Stonewall Kitchen’s Red Pepper Jelly for this recipe.
More Delicious Appetizers to Enjoy
Cheesy Thumbprints with Red Pepper Jelly
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2/3 cup grated pecorino romano cheese
- 2/3 cup gruyere cheese, finely grated
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne
- 1/2 cup red pepper jelly
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine your room temperature butter with your finely shredded gruyère and grated pecorino romano cheeses with a rubber spatula until smooth.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together your flour, salt and pepper, garlic powder and cayenne. Add your flour mixture to your butter/cheese mixture with a rubber spatula and mix until well combined.
- Shape your dough into roughly 1-inch balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet 1-inch apart. Use the bottom side of a teaspoon measuring spoon to make an indent in the center of the thumbprint for your jelly. Place the tray in your freezer for 20 minutes.
- Place rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.Remove the tray from your freezer and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and fill each indent with some red pepper jelly. Place back in the oven for an additional 9-10 minutes, or until lightly golden around the edges.
I am making these for Thanksgiving ahead of time. Do I make the cookies with the indentation and freeze them? How long do I have to take them out of the freezer, before I bake them?
Thanks for the recipes. I’ve made the coins to be used with cream cheese topped with a bit of pepper jelly. A huge hit. I’ve been looking at the thumbprint, and the olives recipes too the cheese base seems pretty close in all 3 recipes. Can I just make double or triple the cheese dough and use it a base for all 3 recipes. Is it better to use one rather than another. I like the garlic and red pepper will that work with all 3. And should I freeze the dough first in all 3 recipes. Thanks so much
Hi Sharon. That’s great to hear! Doughs are all very similar. The garlic and red pepper will work with all three. You can double or triple if you’d like. All three flour measurements are different, but I think you’d be ok with 1 1/4 cups for all three. You don’t need to freeze the dough first. Just make the dough, proceed with each recipe and then freeze. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!