One of the best brownie recipes I’ve tested is this one.
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 30 mins |
| Additional Time: | 5 mins |
| Total Time: | 55 mins |
| Servings: | 6 |
| Yield: | 30 puffs |
Ingredients
- ½ cup water
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch chili powder
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup grated Gruyere cheese, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Heat water, butter, salt, and chili powder in a saucepan over medium-low heat until the butter is melted.
- Dump in flour all at once and stir vigorously until the mixture pulls away from the sides into a smooth ball. Remove from heat and let rest for 2 minutes, to cool it down a bit. At this point, you can scrape the dough into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. If you don’t have a mixer, let it cool in the pan, stirring it a few times to let the heat escape.
- Add eggs, one at a time, stirring quickly to make sure the eggs don’t cook. The batter will first appear lumpy, but after 1 minute or so, it will smooth out. After the eggs have been added, let cool until tepid.
- When the dough has cooled, stir in a generous 1/2 cup Gruyere cheese until well mixed. (If dough is not cool, the cheese will melt.)
- Scrape the dough into a pastry bag fitted with a wide, plain tip. Pipe into mounds, evenly spaced apart, making each about the size of a small cherry tomato. Top each puff with a bit of the remaining cheese.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes, then turn the oven down to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Continue to bake until completely golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
- You can use salted butter instead of unsalted, black pepper instead of chili powder, any cheese you like.
- For extra-crispy puffs, 5 minutes before they’re done, poke the side of each puff with a sharp knife to release the steam, and return to the oven to finish baking.
- If making them in advance, you can simply pipe the gougeres on baking sheets, refrigerate (or freeze), and bake them shortly before your guests arrive. Or bake them, and reheat the baked cheese puffs in a low oven for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
- The most common problem people have with pâte a choux, or cream puff dough, is deflated puffs. The usual causes are too much liquid (eggs) or under baking.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 181 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 8 g |
| Cholesterol | 95 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 g |
| Protein | 8 g |
| Saturated Fat | 7 g |
| Sodium | 179 mg |
| Sugars | 0 g |
| Fat | 13 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |