Treat Time: Gruyere Cheese Puffs

Don't those look yummy?  I'm a cheese lover, so when I saw Gruyere cheese on sale last week, a lightbulb went on.  Let's make gougères!  What the heck is a gougère, you say?  That's just a fancy name for cheese puffs - slightly crunchy on the outside but all steaming cheesy airiness on the inside.

You can make these with just about any cheese, but Gruyere has a certain.....je ne sais quoi.  I think that means "great taste" in French.  Or "stupid American". I'm not sure which.  (Just kidding.)  If you've never had it, Gruyere cheese has a really nice flavor, slightly sweet, a little salty, without being overbearingly sharp.  It's really great to bake with and melts nicely.  The downside?   It's really pricey if you don't find it on sale. 

NOTE:  If you don't have Gruyeye on hand, you can substitute other cheeses in this recipe.  I wouldn't use cheddar or any other oily cheese, however.  It needs to be a variety that melts nicely.

So let's get started on thoose cheezy poofs:

Gruyere Cheese Puffs
Total Time: 35 minutes (10 minutes prep, 25 minutes baking)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water (can sub 1/2 cup milk to make these a little denser)
• 1 stick salted butter, cut into 8 tablespoons
• 1 cup flour
• 4 eggs, room temperature
• 8 oz Gruyere

Oops!  I'm missing my 4 eggs from this picture.  :-(

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Adjust the rack into the lower third of the oven.
2. Either shred the Gruyere or cube it into 1/4" cubes and set aside.
3. In a pan, combine the water, salt, and butter and bring to a rolling boil.
4. Immediately add all of the flour at once, stirring with a wooden spoon until smooth (about 2 minutes).
5. Remove the dough from the pan and place it into a bowl to cool slightly (about 3 to 5 minutes). 

The dough resting in a bowl right before adding the cheese.

6. Add the eggs one at a time.  Using a wooden spoon, stir briskly as you add each egg.  
7. Add the Gruyere cheese and mix into the dough.
8. Use a tablespoon to place the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet .  I usually make mine about the size of 2 tablespoons.  (Some folks dump the dough into a pastry bag and make pretty mounds of dough.  Who has time for that?  Not me.  I want some cheese puffs!)
9. Optional: Sprinkle the top with a little shredded Parmesan for an added kick.
10. Bake for 25 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
11. Enjoy!  These are best when right out of the oven.

You can freeze these for up to a month.  Just remove them from the freezer and then defrost in a 350° oven for 8 minutes.   I've got quilting class tonight but will hopefully be able to focus on some the garden and the "honey do" list for the weekend after that.  My pinless peepers have arrived for the chickens, so the bad girls are not going to be happy to see me.  And J. and I have to get back to work on the house so that we can get it on the market.  The plan is to spend all weekend painting inside.  Joy!  

Hope y'all enjoy these cheezy poofs and have a great day,  

I'm sharing this delicious recipe with the following hops:  Share Your Cup, Thursdays Are Your Days, Delightfully Inspiring Thursday, Eat.Make.Grow.