On a recent overnight stay at the Inn on Lake Granbury, during their evening happy hour, they served this delicious, savory appetizer. If you are looking for a nice getaway, this Inn is one of my favorite places to stay.  Only 40 minutes from Fort Worth, this boutique hotel sits right on Lake Granbury.  Even on the hottest day of the summer, the cool breeze from the lake makes it a restful place to relax and regroup.

When I asked for the recipe, they were nice enough to share it with me.  I love thumbprint cookies of the sweet variety with icing piled on top.  But, this savory option is buttery, cheesy and the hot/sweet of the pepper jelly makes for the perfect yum with wine.

Cheesy Thumbprint Cookies with Hot Pepper Jelly

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (shred your cheese, don’t use the pre-shredded bag cheese)

1 cup all-purpose flour

6 TBL. cold, chilled butter, chopped

1/2 cup hot pepper jelly

  1. Blend cheese, flour and butter in food processor until dough is a course-meal texture and forms into a ball.  Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  2. Preheat oven to 400.
  3. Shape dough into eleven, 1-inch balls and place 1 inch apart on baking sheet.
  4. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes.  Remove from oven, press thumb into top of each ball, creating an indentation.  Spoon about one tsp. pepper jelly into indentation.  Bake until edges are golden brown, about 5 minutes.