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A pile of golden brown gougeres on top of a raised platter
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Gougères

Gougères are just cheese puffs with a fancy name! They're usually made with gruyere cheese and herbs and I love to fill them with marmalade.
Author: Zoë François

Equipment

Ingredients

Choux paste

  • 1 1/4 cup milk or water
  • 8 tbsp (112g) unsalted butter
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 cup (135g) all-purpose flour
  • 5 large eggs
  • 1 cup (100g) Gruyere cheese or sharp cheddar grated
  • 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
  • 2 tsp fresh coarsely chopped thyme

Topping

  • 1 large egg for egg wash
  • Grated Gruyere cheese for sprinkling

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400℉ with convection heat (425°F if using flat heat) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • To make the Choux paste, combine the milk, butter and salt in a sauce pan and place over medium heat until butter melts and the mixture comes to a full boil.
  • Add the flour all at once, stirring until the mixture has formed a smooth paste and pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 3 minutes.
  • Transfer the paste to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
  • Add the eggs one at a time and mix on medium speed, incorporating each one completely.
  • Scrape down the sides of the bowl before adding and mix each of the other eggs. When all of the eggs have been added the mixture will be thick, smooth and shiny.
  • Remove the bowl and add the cheese, pepper and thyme, and mix in with a rubber spatula.
  • Scoop the mixture with a #50 portion scoop or transfer the mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a round tip about 1/2" wide. Filling it about 1/3 of the way full so it is still easy to handle. Pipe the mixture out onto the parchment, making quarter size mounds that are about 1/2" high. Leave about 1 1/2" space between the mounds. Or, you can use a spoon to drop the mounds onto the parchment, but it is harder to control the thick mixture. YOU CAN MAKE THEM LARGER OR SMALLER BUT IT WILL CHANGE THE BAKING TIME.
  • The mounds may have cheese poking out in odd directions. With a wet finger just pat the mound into a more uniform shape.
  • To make the topping, whisk the egg. Brush the tops of the mounds and then sprinkle with the cheese. Don't put too much or it will prevent them from puffing.
  • Place the Gougères in the preheated oven and don't open the door until they are nicely browned or they may collapse.
  • Bake until they have puffed and are nicely browned, about 15 minutes. They are delicious served hot, warm or at room temperature. They can also be frozen and reheated in the oven for 5 minutes directly from the freezer.