Savory Fig & Cheddar Thumbprint Cookies

Cheesy shortbread and sweet jam are a perfect match in this easy recipe for deliciously decadent Savory Fig & Cheddar Thumbprint Cookies!

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If a really good cheese or charcuterie platter is your favorite part of a fancy party, you are going to love these Savory Fig & Cheddar Thumbprint Cookies. Inspired by that snacking stand-by, these bite-size treats work just as well as an easy appetizer as they do for an interesting dessert option. Whether the fig jam is homemade or store bought, I can assure you that your guests, family, and friends will be impressed with this savory twist on a classic thumbprint cookie. Best of all, they are a real cinch to make!

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Savory Fig & Cheddar Thumbprint Cookies

Once you start preserving your own foods, you quickly find you can never have enough cabinet space (especially if you are an apartment dweller like me!). This often means you seek out ways to use up  supplies as the seasons change and you need to make room for freshly made jams and pickles. No matter how much you love it, a lady can only eat so much jam on buttery toast. What you haven’t given as gifts or pawned off to your friends is still perfectly good – you just need to find new ways to utilize those jars for some variety.

Enter these Savory Fig & Cheddar Thumbprint Cookies. The shortbread is rich with sharp cheddar cheese and a touch of salt, balanced nicely with mildly sweet fruit jam. While I single out fig jam specifically, you should feel free to use any jam you’d serve with a nice cheese in these cheddar thumbprint cookies – it’s a highly versatile recipe meant to help you use up your jam stores (if you have them). I could see the cheddar thumbprint cookies working well with pear, apricot, apple, and a wide variety of other jams as well. Given the choice though, a decadent fig jam is pretty fabulous.

I’ve already spoken about my love of fig jam in a previous post, and about how I think it’s the perfect way to elevate a charcuterie platter. In fact, I think my recipe for Spiced Fig & Plum Jam is the perfect addition to this recipe. The warm spices in the jam will be particularly appropriate for the upcoming fall and winter holiday seasons. But, if whipping up a batch of homemade jam isn’t your thing, store-bought fig jam will be just as delicious.

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Make Savory Fig & Cheddar Thumbprint cookies for your next dinner party, or just as a fun snack to keep around the house. After all, there’s no harm in celebrating even the smallest achievements.

Savory Fig & Cheddar Thumbprint Cookies

Cheesy shortbread and sweet jam are a perfect match in this easy recipe for decadent Savory Fig & Cheddar Thumbprint Cookies.

4.50 from 2 votes

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Servings 40 cookies

Ingredients

  

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• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sharp cheddar, thickly grated
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 cups flour
• ½ cup fig jam (about 4 oz or one quarter pint)
• Flaky sea salt, for topping

Instructions

 

• Heat oven to 350°F and prepare two baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, sugar, and cheese together until smooth. Add the egg and salt, and beat for 1 minute. Add the flour, one half at a time, and mix until a crumbly dough forms.
• Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place them on the baking sheets, pressing your thumb or index finger into each to make a small indentation (this would be source of the "thumbprint" in the name of the cookie). Fill each indentation with a tiny spoonful of jam and add a pinch of flaky sea salt on top. Chill the cookies for an hour or up to overnight.
• Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes until done and let cool on a rack before storing in an airtight container. Serve these savory-sweet delights as an accompaniment to a charcuterie platter or just as an upgrade to your usual cookie game!

Notes

Looking for a nice homemade jam? I recommend trying my recipe for homemade Spiced Fig & Plum Jam as the filling in these cookies!

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!