Cheesy Thumbprint Cookies
These tiny, savory cheesy cookies get a salty kick from Pecorino Romano PDO. These are the perfect bite-sized appetizers for entertaining or a fun addition to any cheeseboard.
Servings: 15 small thumbprint cookies
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted 57g
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1 scant cup Pecorino Romano PDO, freshly grated* 112g
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour 75g
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar, for rolling
- 3 tbsp jam, any kind I used apricot but you could try fig, raspberry or hot pepper jelly
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, stir together the butter and black pepper. Stir in the cheese until well combined.
- Stir in the flour until you have a crumbly dough. Use your hands to gather the dough into one big mass, kneading gently until all the loose crumbs are incorporated. The dough will still feel a little crumbly--keep kneading until most of the dough holds together in a ball.
- Roll dough into 1 tbsp-sized balls (about 15g each). Roll each dough ball in granulated sugar.
- Use your finger to press a divot into each dough ball, then gently smooth out the edges--a few cracks are okay!
- Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and fill each dough ball with a scant 1/2 tsp of jam. Freeze cookies for 25 minutes. If you'd like to make these cookies ahead of time, you can also flash freeze the cookies at this point (freeze until hard), place in a freezer-safe container, and freeze for up to a week. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 375 Farenheit.
- Bake cookies for 20 minutes, or until fragrant and golden brown around the edges. Let cool and enjoy!
Video
Notes
*Weighing is the most accurate way to get the right amount of cheese in this recipe. If you're grating your Pecorino Romano PDO fresh, 112g should equal around 1 scant cup. However, you can also find pre-grated cheese in stores. Pre-grated cheese is just as good, but tends to pack down a little more densely--so if you're not weighing your cheese, use closer to 2/3 cup of cheese.