Last week, I invented a new treat: the Savory Thumbprint cookie. (Yes, I know that the Washington Post today ran a recipe for a cornmeal tomato jam thumbprint, but I served mine last Saturday night and the recipe is easier.)

I started with this recipe. I made one batch according to the instructions, up to beginning the baking. I baked each pan for 6 minutes, then pulled them from the oven, made a thumb-sized indentation (work fast and alternate thumbs — they're hot!), filled the indentation with a half-teaspoon of hot pepper jelly, and returned them to the oven for an additional 3 minutes.

They are tasty cold and even better slightly warm with a bit of ham on top! They will store for about 3 days, but you'll want to eat them before that!

The recipe is easy to vary. On the second batch, I substituted the garlic powder for an equal amount of Old Bay (I live in Maryland, after all). They are addictive.

In future batches, I thought I'd try the following variations:

Swap out the cheddar for Swiss and use bacon jam (mmmmm, bacon).

Swap out the cheddar for Gruyere and use fig jam.

Swap out the cheddar for Asiago and use pesto in place of jam.

I'm so looking forward to experimenting through the cold winter months and serving my creations alongside soup!