Cheese Puffs

The quintessential party snack Cheese Puffs are light, fluffy and of course very cheesy.

They require a few steps, but the end result looks effortless and tastes delicious. I think these will be joining my roster of surefire hits.

There are plenty of recipes for these out there, but I used this one, they gave instructions for freezing too, if you're in a make ahead mood.

Don't be intimidated by making the dough, I made a similar one for the Croquembouche and if you follow the instructions it's super simple. You can use whatever kind of cheese you want, but it should be something sharp and very flavorful, something like mozzarella wouldn't work as well.

You might want to make a double batch though, these were devoured in minutes.

Cheese Puffs
1 cup water
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
large pinch of cayenne pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
24 chives, finely-minced (can be omitted)
1 1/2 cups (about 6 ounces) cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a saucepan, heat the water, butter, salt and cayenne pepper just until the butter is melted (don't let it simmer or boil).

Add all the flour at once and stir vigorously until it forms a smooth ball and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Take it off the heat and let it rest for 2 minutes.

Transfer to a stand mixer or a bowl, add the eggs one at a time. After the first 2 eggs the dough should start to become shiny and smooth.

After the eggs, add the cheese and chives.

Scoop all of the dough into a plastic baggy or piping bag (of course I always use a plastic baggy). Pipe about a tablespoon sized circles about an inch apart on the parchment.

Dip your finger in water and smooth the tops of the each puff. Sprinkle each with a little cheese.

Bake at 425 for 10 minutes then turn the oven down to 375 and bake for another 20 minutes.

Serve warm.