This savory thumbprint cookie recipe is perfect for summer when fresh tomatoes and fresh basil are at their prime. The cookie dough is just a little bit sweet, while the feta cheese filling has the perfect amount of saltiness to balance out the flavor of the fresh cherry tomato it is baked on top of. Now sure, you could absolutely put this same feta and basil filling on top of baked bread all summer long, but why do that, when you can have it on top of a savory cookie instead?
Savory cookies. They are indeed a thing. Especially in my world. I mean, sure, sugary sweet cookies are nice and all, but sometimes you just need something different. And these savory basil thumbprint cookies, filled with a halved cherry tomato and then topped with a feta cheese mixture, are definitely that. Different. Different in a good way. Heck, different in the best way possible. Because you know what? Sometimes it’s just good to be different. P.S. These cookies are still a little bit sweet. They’re just a kind of sweet without chocolate, fruit, marshmallow, caramel, or peanut butter involved.
Ingredients:
Cookie Dough:
- 1 Cup Unsalted Butter, Softened
- 1/3 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Sea Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 2 Tablespoons Very Finely Chopped Fresh Basil
- 2 1/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
Cookie Filling:
- 1/2 Cup Finely Crumbled Feta Cheese
- 1 Tablespoon Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Very Finely Chopped Fresh Basil
- 1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 12 Cherry Tomatoes, Cut in Half
Directions:
Cookie Dough:
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar, salt, and pepper together on medium speed for 2 minutes.
- Add the basil; mix on medium speed for 30 seconds.
- Add the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and mix on low speed until just incorporated.
- Cover the cookie dough and refrigerate it for 1 hour.
Cookie Filling:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a small bowl, mix the feta, olive oil, basil, and pepper together until well combined.
- Using your hands, shape the cookie dough into 1-inch balls. (You should end up with 24 equally-sized balls of dough.) Place each ball onto a Silpat or parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Using your thumb, press a large circular indentation into the center of each ball.
- Fill the well of each cookie with half of a cherry tomato, cut side facing up, and then top each tomato half with a little bit of the feta cheese mixture.
- Bake the cookies for 14 to 16 minutes, or until the edges begin to lightly brown.
- Allow the cookies to cool for at least 5 minutes before removing them to a baking rack to finish cooling completely.
Suggestions:
- Make sure to refrigerate your dough. This will ensure that the cookies do not spread out too much during baking. This cookie dough may be a little bit tough to roll. Just work it between the palms of your hands as you roll it into balls. The heat from your hands will help to shape it.
- When you remove the cookies from the oven, sprinkle a little bit of extra freshly ground black pepper over each cookie.
- These cookies taste best the day they are made.
- This recipe will yield approximately 24 cookies.
Improvements:
- Add lemon zest to the feta cheese mixture.
- Use a 1/4 teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes in the feta cheese mixture.
- If you don’t have fresh basil, use dried basil. You will need to use about 1/2 of the amount the recipe calls for.
- Add a 1/4 teaspoon of dried oregano or dried marjoram to the feta cheese mixture.
- CLICK HERE to see a complete list of our past cookie recipes. For more great savory cookie recipes, check out these Honey-Kissed Savory Shortbread Crackers, these Bacon Jam-Filled Cookies, or these Chipotle Pecorino Romano Shortbread.
Ingredients:
- 1 Cup Unsalted Butter, Softened
- 1/3 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Sea Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 2 Tablespoons Very Finely Chopped Fresh Basil
- 2 1/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 Cup Finely Crumbled Feta Cheese
- 1 Tablespoon Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Very Finely Chopped Fresh Basil
- 1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 12 Cherry Tomatoes, Cut in Half
Directions:
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar, salt, and pepper together on medium speed for 2 minutes.
- Add the basil; mix on medium speed for 30 seconds.
- Add the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and mix on low speed until just incorporated.
- Cover the cookie dough and refrigerate it for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a small bowl, mix the feta, olive oil, basil, and pepper together until well combined.
- Using your hands, shape the cookie dough into 1-inch balls. (You should end up with 24 equally-sized balls of dough.) Place each ball onto a Silpat or parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Using your thumb, press a large circular indentation into the center of each ball.
- Fill the well of each cookie with half of a cherry tomato, cut side facing up, and then top each tomato half with a little bit of the feta cheese mixture.
- Bake the cookies for 14 to 16 minutes, or until the edges begin to lightly brown.
- Allow the cookies to cool for at least 5 minutes before removing them to a baking rack to finish cooling completely.
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Make sure to check out all of the other great Baking Bloggers “Baking with Fresh Tomatoes and Fresh Basil” recipes below. A huge thanks to Palatable Pastime for hosting this event.
- Baked Feta Pasta – Sneha’s Recipe
- Baked Gnocchi With Tomatoes and Basil by Magical Ingredients
- Savory Cherry Tomato, Basil, & Feta Cookies by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
- Sourdough Pizza “Baked” on a Grill by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Thai Tomato Basil Baked Chicken by Palatable Pastime
- Toasted Eggplant Crust Mini Pizzas by Food Lust People Love
- Tomato and Goat Cheese Tarts by Karen’s Kitchen Stories