Spicy Jalapeno Mango Relish

Mango Jalapeno Jam - A versatile sauce you can make and store in your kitchen for anything! Make a Mango Jalapeno Cream Cheese dip by mixing it with spreadable cream cheese! Have it in your sandwiches, or with crackers, or with your cheese plate. The choices are endless. - 1

This Spicy Mango Relish is the PERFECT fruity, sweet, spicy flavor combo for a relish! And this mango relish pairs so well with everything. It’s one of your favorite starter recipes for summer gatherings!

If you like mango chutney , you’ll love this spicy mango relish too.

Nothing groundbreaking here folks, just one of my absolute favorite jam / relish recipes (that often works as a mango chutney too). I love making jam as a way of preserving some of the bounty of fruit that comes with summer and autumn. This strawberry jam , plum jam , concord grape jam , and fig jam are a few of my favorites.

What I love even more than a beautiful summer-worthy fruit relish is the sweet and spicy flavor combination! Like this sweet and spicy peach relish , strawberry relish , spicy sweet chili sauce , sweet and spicy apple curry , spicy margarita with jalapeno simple syrup , spicy pineapple popsicles etc., I find a way to dress up that flavor combo every chance I get!

How to use this spicy mango relish

This is one of those relishes that I just can’t help but put on anything and everything. I’m sure more than a few of you out there have had a relish like this served over cream cheese with crackers.

But imagine putting some of this delicious Jalapeno Mango Relish on toast, or in sandwiches (think grilled cheese sandwich? yum!), or on bagels with cream cheese, or as a salad dressing, or as a fantastic glaze for grilled meats, or pair it with some ice cream for an awesome flavor combo?

Or if you scroll down this post, you’ll see how I used it as a filling for cheesy savory thumbprint cookies !

Still not convinced? Then just pour it over softened spreadable cream cheese and make a Spicy Jalapeno and Mango Cream Cheese Dip that’ll be perfect for game day or for parties! Might I suggest spreading it GENEROUSLY over your favorite cracker? (Like Ritz?)

With something this versatile and easy to make, there really isn’t anything standing between you and a jar of this delicious spicy mango relish.

And if you can’t find mangoes by any chance, go ahead and use peaches instead. BUT if you’d like something different altogether, and something even more impressive – try this bourbon and tomato jam instead! 🙂

What does this mango relish taste like?

It’s sweet, with a little spicy kick (not too hot at all since the jalapenos have been deseeded) from the jalapenos and then with the cream cheese, it’s honestly one of my favorite relishes/spreads!

It just screams party appetizer. And if you can’t figure out a way to pair it with something. just eat it straight out of the jar with a spoon. Works every time for me.

I made these cheesy savory thumbprint cookies a couple of months ago and oh boy, these were some of the BEST things that have ever come out of my kitchen, I can tell you that much.

Those savory cookies were crazy addictive with that fantastic jelly/relish center. The cookie dough itself is flavored with cheese and rosemary, with a spicy kick from deseeded jalapenos.

Plus I used semolina to really up the texture profile of those cookies too. So go ahead and see how you can use this spicy mango relish as a filling in those cheesy savory thumbprint cookies.

Recipe

And if you liked this mango relish, you will DEFINITELY love this mango chutney (and mango appetizer) too!

Another great idea for Parties or for Game Day 🙂 Plus it will go SO WELL with this curry chicken meatball sandwich .

Savory Cheese Thumbprint Cookies with Bourbon Tomato Jam - These savory cookies are the NEXT BEST THING! Buttery, herby cookies with delicious cheddar cheese, and an amazing tomato jam! Comes together easily and its PERFECT as an appetizer, party food, or as a snack! - 8

A savory twist on your classic jam-filled sweet thumbprint cookie. These Savory Thumbprint Cookies with an incredible Bourbon Tomato Jam are the PERFECT party appetizer.

These savory cookies are insanely flavorful, easy to make and vegetarian!

If you thought we spent all of December eating homemade Twix candy bars , or buttery melting moments cookies , or chocolate beer truffles , ginger cookies , or drinking white hot chocolate , that would only be partially true. 🙂

After all we made thumbprint cookies too! Except, these aren’t the kind you’d expect. These babies are savory cookies (just like my thyme and cheddar cheese savory cookies !). Savory Thumbprint Cookies with Bourbon Tomato Jam to be precise. I’m going to be quite frank, there’s no way I can do these cookies any justice with words here.

These are some of the best cookies (savory or otherwise) that I’ve had, and I don’t say that lightly. And that bourbon tomato jam is a guaranteed crowd favorite!

Mr. K is very easy to please when it comes to the food I make. He’s one of the least picky eaters out there and he will literally eat anything I put in front of him (bless him) with gusto.

If he’s fairly quiet, then I can expect a standard “good food, thank you” response. But the more vocal he gets, the more he enjoyed it, I can tell. And these savory cookies, he couldn’t stop talking about!

Why we love these savory thumbprint cookies

Crisp on the edges, soft in the middle, with a kicked up sweet and spicy tomato jam in the center, these cheesy savory cookies are just so flavorful and unique!
And these make the best starter recipes for your Christmas party or New Year’s Eve party. Or any other occasion for that matter.
And these are vegetarian cookies to boot.

Imagine how your guests would be bowled over when they realize that these aren’t actually sweet cookies. Plus, this might be your only chance to get the better of your friend’s annoying kid, when he/she bites into one of these thinking they are regular sweet thumbprint cookies.

That expression alone would be worth the effort, would it not? Not that I would know. I mean, I’d never do such a thing. Noooo, never.

before baking

Aaaand they are so easy to make, even my hubs could make them. Seriously. The dough comes together quickly and you just make an imprint with your thumb to fill up with some delicious jam/jelly. So really, you got no excuse not to make them.

They’d do really well as a party appetizer or even as tea time snacks . I made these because I needed a break from sweet cookies and bar recipes .

As a huge fan of classic thumbprint cookies , I decided to give them a spicy, savory, flavorful twist. The result is truly glorious.

after baking

About the cookies

These cookies are crazy delicious with a fantastic jelly center. Here I made a cheese and rosemary cookie dough base and gave it a little bit of a spicy kick, using deseeded jalapeno. So the cookie on its own tastes insanely good, if you choose not to have a jelly/jam center.

Bourbon tomato jam

This just might be my favorite part about these cheesy thumbprint appetizers.

I filled these up with an amazingly flavorful tomato jam that incorporates garlic and a few spices and then kicked it up with bourbon! Bourbon folks. Does it not scream PARTY APPETIZER??

Besides, slow roasted tomatoes , this tomato jam is my favorite way to preserve juicy tomatoes all summer long.

bourbon tomato jam

Honestly, these came out even better than I expected, and we have now frozen the remaining cookies for later.

Storage instructions

You can easily refrigerate or freeze the formed cookies (before baking) without filling the center with jam, no issues there.

Or even freeze the baked cookies in a single layer (if you stack them, the jam can stick to the bottom of the cookies).

These cheesy savory thumbprint cookies will go really well with all kinds of fun cocktails , so all in all, these were meant to take center-stage at a party.

Oh, and I made an even more amazing, flavorful dip for these cookies, and you can find the recipe for that super easy, sweet and spicy dip in my spicy mango relish post.

Recipe