Get in my belly! Gougères (also known as cheese puffs) are crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and full of white cheddar flavor. Quite literally, they're amazeballs!
Ingredients
¼cupsalted butter
1cupwater
½teaspoonsea salt
¼teaspooncayenne pepper
1cupall-purpose flour
4largeeggs
1 ½cupsaged white cheddar, finely grated
1tablespoonfresh thyme leaves
Flaky sea salt
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium-sized pot, bring the butter, water, sea salt, and cayenne pepper to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the flour all at once and stir vigorously until the dough comes together into a ball, about 1 minute.
¼ cup salted butter, 1 cup water, ½ teaspoon sea salt, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 cup all-purpose flour
Remove the pot from the heat and spread the dough around the bottom of the pot to help it cool slightly. Let the dough cool for about 1 minute.
Add the eggs one at a time, stirring until each is incorporated before adding another. If you find this difficult try moving the pot to a lower surface like your dining table and stirring it on there. A lower surface makes it easier as can you use your whole body and not just your arms.
4 large eggs
Once all the eggs are nearly incorporated, add the grated white cheddar and thyme and stir the batter until everything is evenly mixed in.
1 ½ cups aged white cheddar, 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
Scoop tablespoons of the batter and drop them onto the prepared baking sheets. You will need to slide the batter off with a finger as it is very sticky. Sprinkle the tops with a tiny pinch of sea salt.
Flaky sea salt
Bake the gougères in the oven for 25 minutes, switching the pans from top to bottom after 15 minutes. The gougères are done when they are lightly browned, completely puffed up, and firm on their tops. When they have finished cooking turn off the oven and open the door a crack but leave them in the oven to cool for 10 minutes.
Notes
Gougères can be baked a day ahead of time and then gently rewarmed just before serving. Make sure they are completely cool before storing them in an airtight container. You can also freeze the uncooked gougères and then bake them straight from frozen, adding a couple of minutes to the baking time. Just make them up to step 5 and then freeze them on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Once they are frozen you can take them off the baking sheet and store them in a freezer bag.