If you are making the pear filling and not using a bought pear jam, I make my pear filling the day before and refrigerate overnight.

PEAR FILLING

• Quarter and peel the skins off of your pears. Then, slice the quarters into thin slices and dice. You can decide how small you want to make the pieces. Next, zest and juice the lemon into two different bowls or container.
• In a 3-quart saucepan, add the diced pears, sugar, water, lemon zest and juice, cinnamon and the allspice. While stirring, bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
• Depending on how much liquid is in your pears will determine how long it will take to reduce the liquid to a syrup consistency. You want the pears to cook at a medium boil and it took my batch about 20 minutes.
• Continue to stir during the reduction phase. If you are using a wooden spoon to stir and you take the back of the spoon across the bottom of the pan. If you see the bottom of the pan for 4 or 5 seconds before the liquid fills in the pan's bottom, you can take it off the heat. When checking the syrup, if it is too thin, or the pears have not softened, just reheat for a little while longer to reduce the liquid more.
• Move to a glass container with a lid and put it in the refrigerator. I make the pear filling the day before so the flavors have overnight to absorb into the pears.

COOKIE DOUGH

• Weigh or measure the sugar and set it aside. Next, weigh or measure the flour. Add to the flour the salt and run a whisk through to blend.
• In a stand mixer cream the butter and the cream cheese together for about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and mix on a medium mixer speed for 3 minutes. Scrape the bowl's sides and turn the mixer onto a low speed. Add about a third of the flour mixture at a time and incorporate. It only takes about a minute to add all the flour. Scrape the bowl's sides again and incorporate any loose flour. Cover loosely and chill for an hour.
• Preheat 350°F (175°C or 180°C) and line 2 cookie sheet pans with parchment paper. Using a medium cookie scooper, scoop and roll the cookie dough with your hands to form a ball. If the dough is too cold, warm the cookie dough ball in your hands. It will make it easier to do the thumbprint. I added 12 balls to a sheet pan.
• Put your thumb straight down into the ball and then just spread out the hole a little so you have a lovely well for the pear filling. Add the pear filling using a teaspoon. Bake for 11-13 minutes. You want the cookie bottoms to be a light brown. Once the cookies are removed from the oven, move the cookies to a cooling rack.