Savoury thumbprints

These cheesy morsels bring a savoury spin to classic Christmas thumbprints.

Turn up the heat with a pretty dollop of pepper jelly, and they’re the perfect little nibble to serve with cocktails at holiday gatherings.

Some variations include pecans, others add Rice Crispies, and some make them spicier with cayenne or hot sauce.
But for this adaptation of the various recipes we keep it simple to let the flavours of the pepper jelly shine.

3/4 cup butter, softened

230 g tub MacLaren’s Imperial cheese, at room temperature

1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups flour

Cream butter and cheese together until well blended, add Worcestershire and salt, then blend in flour.

Using about 1 tbsp of dough for each cookie, roll into a small ball and place on parchment-lined baking sheet.

Make a deep indent in the centre of each cookie.

Bake at 350 F for about 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges.

Remove from oven and immediately press into the indent again to hold its shape - careful, they’re hot so use the back of a metal teaspoon or something similar to do this.

Cool on a rack and fill with a dollop of pepper jelly just before serving - we like using Cranberry Jalapeno & Jalapeno for a festive red & green touch!