These cheesy cheddar thumbprint cookies filled with red pepper jelly are mostly savory with a hint of sweetness and spice that makes these really something special. This is a unique snack/appetizer, or even a dessert if you don't have a big sweet tooth, to serve at the holidays.
Everyone that has tried these so far has absolutely raved about them. A batch doesn't last more than a few hours in our house โ they're truly that good!
There's just something so addictive about the vinegar-y, spicy bite of the pepper jelly and the tender, biscuit-like cheesy cookie, which has just a tiny bit of sweetness. You won't be able to stop at just one, and if you bring these to a party, you'll have everyone asking for the recipe!
We included a recipe for homemade pepper jelly, and it's actually very easy to make. But if you don't feel like going through the trouble, store-bought is completely fine!
This recipe was inspired by our viral Slice and Bake Cheddar Cheese Coins. Thank you to the Tiktok commenter who suggested we try these. this recipe will be on frequent repeat in our household!
This recipe is part of our 2025 Recipe Advent Calendar. If you missed the first few recipes, try our Kitchen Sink Christmas Cookies or Stained Glass Sugar Cookies next!
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What You'll Need to Make This Recipe
- Cheese: We used sharp cheddar cheese in these thumbprints, which adds great color and flavor to the cookies.
- Butter: We used unsalted butter, and left it out at room temperature to soften.
- All-purpose flour and cornstarch: A mix of AP flour and cornstarch helps prevent the final cookie from being too dense and tough.
- Whole milk: Since the size of your egg will vary, as will the moisture content of your cheese, the amount of whole milk you'll need to use will vary.
- Egg
- Sugar
- Kosher alt
How to Make This Recipe
Make the red pepper jelly
STEP 1: Add the red bell pepper, fresno chili or jalapeรฑo and apple cider vinegar to a medium/large saucepan and use an immersion blender to break down some of the pepper pieces. This is optional, but recommended for ideal consistency.
STEP 2: Whisk in the pectin and turn the heat to medium high. Bring the mixture to a boil for one minute, then add in the sugar slowly, whisking as you pour to prevent clumping. Continue to cook the mixture until it reaches 220หF / 104.5หC, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes
STEP 3: Transfer the jelly into a jar or bowl, let it cool, then cover and refrigerate to cool completely. It will thicken as it cools.
Make the cheesy thumbprints
STEP 1: Using a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and continue mixing until the egg is evenly incorporated.
STEP 2: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, and kosher salt. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and use the mixer or a spatula to combine them. The mixture should look dry, but pea-sized pieces of dough should start to form.
STEP 3: Add in the shredded cheddar cheese and 1 tablespoon of milk and use your hands or the mixer to work the cheese into the dough. At this point, your dough may have come together or it may look a bit dry. Add more milk, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough is soft and workable, not dry and crumbly. The cheese should be mostly worked into the dough, but you should still seem some small pieces of cheese.
STEP 4: Cover (with plastic wrap or a towel) and chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Preheat your oven to 350หF / 175หC. Prepare a large rimmed baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper. You may need 2 sheets depending on the size of your sheet.
STEP 5: After your dough has chilled, use a tablespoon to scoop out heaping tablespoon-sized portions of dough. Use your hands to shape the dough into a ball or hockey-puck shaped piece of dough about 1.5 inches in diameter. Place the dough down onto your prepared baking sheets, and use a ยฝ teaspoon measuring spoon, or your thumb, to make an indent in the cookie.
STEP 6: Bake for 20-25 minutes in the preheated oven, until the bottoms are golden brown. Remove from the oven and immediately use the ยฝ teaspoon measuring spoon to reinforce the indentation in the center of each cookie.
STEP 7: Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Fill each cookie with pepper jelly and enjoy!
Lexi and Beth's Best Tips and Tricks
- Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature: The butter, egg, cheese and milk should all be at room temperature to make sure the dough comes together cohesively.
- Making the dough: We used a hand mixer to bring the dough together, but you could also use a food processor, though you won't get those nice flecks of cheese, as it will become more uniformly incorporated in the dough.
- Add whole milk 1 tablespoon at a time: The size of your eggs and the moisture content of your cheese will affect how wet or dry your dough is. It should be smooth and pliable, not dry and crumbly, so add milk in small increments until your dough reaches the right consistency.
- Thumbprint indent: To make your indent, we'd recommend using a ยฝ teaspoon measuring spoon. Press down directly into the top of each ball of dough, but don't go too far, or the bottom will be super thin and could burn. Once the cookies are out of the oven, you'll want to press them again to re-establish the indent.
- Jam is too thin or too thick: If your jam is too thin, you'll want to return it to a saucepan, and add in a half tablespoon of pectin and ยผ cup of sugar and bring it back to a boil. If it's too thick, return it to a saucepan and warm it up, then add in apple cider vinegar until it thins out to the desired consistency.
- Thumbprint size: To ensure even baking, we weighed each cookie - 30 grams, or about 1 ounce, each.
- Variations: We used red bell pepper and fresno chilis for an all-red jam, but you could also use all (deseeded) jalapeรฑos for a jalapeรฑo jelly.
Storage and Make Ahead Instructions
- Since these cookies have cheese in them, you're going to have to refrigerate them for storage. Place them in an airtight container and store in the fridge, where they'll keep for 3-5 days.
- These are great cookies to make ahead. Just whip up a batch of the dough and refrigerate until you're ready to bake. Then just portion them out, bake, and fill with jam.
More holiday baking recipes to try...
๐ Recipe
Cheesy Thumbprint Cookies with Red Pepper Jelly
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: Two dozen cookies
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These cheesy cheddar thumbprint cookies filled with red pepper jelly are mostly savory with a hint of sweetness and spice that makes these really something special. This is a unique snack/appetizer, or even a dessert if you don't have a big sweet tooth, to serve at the holidays.ย
Ingredients
Cheesy Thumbprint Cookies:
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons (30g) cornstarch
- ยฝ teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (room temperature)
- 1-3 tablespoons whole milk (room temperature)
Red Pepper Jelly:
- 1 cup (about 1 whole pepper) diced red bell pepper
- 1 tablespoon diced fresno chili or jalapeรฑo, seeds included
- ยฝ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon classic (HM) pectin
- 1 ยฝ cups granulated sugar
Instructions
For the Red Pepper Jelly:
- Add the red bell pepper, fresno or jalapeรฑo and apple cider vinegar to a medium/large saucepan and use an immersion blender to break down some of the pepper pieces. This is optional, but recommended for ideal consistency.ย
- Whisk in the pectin and turn the heat to medium high. Bring the mixture to a boil for one minute, then add in the sugar slowly, whisking as you pour to prevent clumping.
- Continue to cook the mixture until it reaches 220หF / 104.5หC, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.
- Transfer the jelly into a jar or bowl, let it cool, then cover and refrigerate to cool completely. It will thicken as it cools.
For the Cheesy Thumbprint Cookies:
- To a medium mixing bowl, add the butter and sugar. Using a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add the egg and continue mixing until the egg is evenly incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, and kosher salt.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and use the mixer or a spatula to combine them. The mixture should look dry, but pea-sized pieces of dough should start to form.
- Add in the shredded cheddar cheese and 1 tablespoon of milk and use your hands or the mixer to work the cheese into the dough.ย
- At this point, your dough may have come together or it may look a bit dry. Add more milk, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough is soft and workable, not dry and crumbly. The cheese should be mostly worked into the dough, but you should still seem some small pieces of cheese.
- Cover and chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 350หF / 175หC. Prepare a large rimmed baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
- After your dough has chilled, use a tablespoon to scoop out heaping tablespoon-sized portions of dough. We weighed ours, and each was 30g, which yielded exactly 24 cookies.
- Use your hands to shape the dough into a ball or hockey-puck shaped piece of dough about 1.5 inches in diameter. Place the dough down onto your prepared cookie sheet, and use a ยฝ teaspoon measuring spoon, or your thumb, to make an indent in the cookie. Repeat until the sheet pan is full (they don't spread much, so you can place them close together).
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the bottoms are golden brown and the cheese starts to ooze out and brown.
- Remove from the oven and immediately use the ยฝ teaspoon measuring spoon to reinforce the indentation in the center of each cookie.
- Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Fill each cookie with pepper jelly and enjoy!ย
Notes
Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature: The butter, egg, cheese and milk should all be at room temperature to make sure the dough comes together cohesively.
Making the dough: We used a hand mixer to bring the dough together, but you could also use a food processor, though you won't get those nice flecks of cheese, as it will become more uniformly incorporated in the dough.
Add whole milk 1 tablespoon at a time: The size of your eggs and the moisture content of your cheese will affect how wet or dry your dough is. It should be smooth and pliable, not dry and crumbly, so add milk in small increments until your dough reaches the right consistency.
Thumbprint indent: To make your indent, we'd recommend using a ยฝ teaspoon measuring spoon. Press down directly into the top of each ball of dough, but don't go too far, or the bottom will be super thin and could burn. Once the cookies are out of the oven, you'll want to press them again to re-establish the indent.
Jam is too thin or too thick: If your jam is too thin, you'll want to return it to a saucepan, and add in a half tablespoon of pectin and ยผ cup of sugar and bring it back to a boil. If it's too thick, return it to a saucepan and warm it up, then add in apple cider vinegar until it thins out to the desired consistency.
Thumbprint size: To ensure even baking, we weighed each cookie - 30 grams, or about 1 ounce, each.
Variations: We used red bell pepper and fresno chilis for an all-red jam, but you could also use all (deseeded) jalapeรฑos for a jalapeรฑo jelly.
Since these cookies have cheese in them, you're going to have to refrigerate them for storage. Place them in an airtight container and store in the fridge, where they'll keep for 3-5 days.
These are great cookies to make ahead. Just whip up a batch of the dough and refrigerate until you're ready to bake. Then just portion them out, bake, and fill with jam.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Baking
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 cookies
- Calories: 429
- Sugar: 27.9 g
- Sodium: 193.9 mg
- Fat: 22.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 50.8 g
- Fiber: 1.2 g
- Protein: 7.3 g
Ashley S says
They turned out really dry and not salty enough. I added 4 or 5 Tbsp of milk but I should have added 7 Tbsp and extra salt. ๐ญ
Alana says
These are DENSE. And I wanted more cheese flavor. But they have promise. Going to up the cheese next time, make smaller rounds, and flatten them before baking.
Erin Jenkins says
Cookies are really dry. I thought theyโd be soft and chewy.
Abby says
I made these for a party this weekend. The thumbprint cookies had a good cheese flavor, but were otherwise bland. I think the main issue was the instructions for baking the cookies. The dough seemed tough, possibly from working the cheese and milk in after it was formed. I weighed each ball at 30g, and they were a little large. I would do 25g next time, and I would leave them as balls instead of "hockey-puck shaped piece of dough." The 30g balls yielded cookies that were at least three bites, so smaller would be better for appetizers. I used a red pepper jelly recipe I already had, so I cannot speak for the jelly.
Candace says
Hello! These look great. Do you think the applesauce or vinegar and baking soda egg replacements will work for this recipe?
Homa says
These look delicious! How long can the dough be refrigerated? Do you think I can leave the ready dough in the fridge overnight and then shape and bake the next day? Thank you!
Lexi says
That would work perfectly fine!
Laura J. says
These look delicious! I have several friends that are sensitive to gluten. Have you tried making a gluten-free version?
Lexi says
I have not unfortunately!
Christy says
I have used King Arthur Measure for Measure and Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour for when I make GF cookies and either one works great and the cookies are always a hit with my gluten-free coworkers and friends. They are both 1:1 ratio so use 2 cups in place of AP flour. Hope that helps you!
Jenn says
Looks delicious! Do you think subbing half and half or heavy cream for the milk would be ok?
Lexi says
That should be ok!
Lisa says
These look wonderful-So festive! Do you think I could freeze the mixed and shaped cheese cookies, then bake them later before serving?
Lexi says
Yes, that would work fine!