Gruyere Cheese Puffs (Gougères)
French Gruyere cheese puffs (Gougères) are a perfect cheese appetizer to start a party. This quick and easy recipe serves 28 puffs in just 45 minutes. And they do not last long: both kids and adults love them equally!
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 28 puffs 1x
- Category: Choux pastry
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
Scale
For the choux pastry dough:
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) water
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) milk
- 1 stick (115 g) unsalted butter
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs
- 3.5 oz (100 g) Gruyere cheese, finely grated
- ground pepper to taste
- 1 pinch of ground nutmeg (optional)
For topping:
- 1 egg (for brushing)
- 1.7 oz (50 g) Gruyere cheese, grated
* If needed, please refer to Baking Conversion Charts.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/175 C. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- To make the choux pastry dough, cut the butter into small cubes. In a medium saucepan, pour water, milk, place the butter and salt. Bring to a boil over low heat. Once the butter is melted, remove the pan from heat and stir in the sifted flour. Stir the flour in with a wooden spatula until the mixture is smooth. Bring the pan over medium heat and stir the preparation with the spatula to dry it out. Once the mixture easily comes away from the sides and the saucepan's bottom, it is ready to remove from heat. Transfer the pate a choux to a bowl of the stand mixer with a flat beater attachment and let it cool for 1 to 2 minutes. Using the low speed, add eggs, one at a time. Before adding the next one, wait until the first egg is well incorporated into the dough. Add cheese and season with pepper and nutmeg. Mix well.
- Place the pate a choux dough in a pastry bag with Ateco plain pastry tip 806 and pipe about 28 mounds. Using a silicone brush, brush puffs with the beaten egg. Sprinkle with the grated cheese on top of each puff and bake the gougeres for 25 to 30 minutes.
Notes
- Prepare all the ingredients before you start making cheese puffs.
- Stir in the eggs, using a stand mixer or a hand whisk, working without stopping.
- Replace Gruyere cheese with Comte, Emmentaler, sharp cheddar, or a mix of cheeses, but dry, aged cheese is the best option.
- Using a pastry bag, pipe tablespoon-size mounds, or smaller balls if you want to make bite-sized puffs.
- Use two spoons to portion the dough onto the parchment if you do not have a pastry bag.
- Never open the oven door while baking a choux pastry: gougères or choux buns fall out immediately if they are not golden brown yet.
- Serve cheese puffs warm or reheat at 350 F/175 C for 5 minutes.
- Freeze gougeres, spreading them on a baking sheet. Then place puffs in a plastic bag and store them in the freezer for a few months. Reheat puffs in the oven at 350 F/175 C before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cheese puff
- Calories: 80
- Sugar: 0.6 g
- Sodium: 36 mg
- Fat: 5.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 4 g
- Fiber: 0.1 g
- Protein: 3.4 g
- Cholesterol: 42 mg
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